Musical Comedy Austentatious Returns to Calgary!

Hey Wanderers, it’s showtime!

We are so excited to share with you a behind-the-scenes look at Austentatious and an exclusive interview with the writer and musical director, Joe Slabe.

After years of success worldwide, Forte Musical Theatre’s Austentatious returns to Calgary with an amazingly talented cast! A unique and hilarious musical about theatre misfits putting on Pride and Prejudice, Austentatious will have you laughing out loud all night long.

I had the opportunity to see rehearsals for Austentatious behind the scenes, and I was amazed by the work I saw!

“Oh, we really need a laugh right now. With everything going on in the world, we are ready to just have fun.” Says Joe when asked why now is the perfect time to bring Austentatious  back to Calgary.

Slabe started his journey in musical theatre as a musician in the pit of his high school's production of West Side Story, and from there, he fell in love.

“Musicals are so great because they do bring everyone together, and everyone is in one room experiencing the same thing at the same time, and that’s what art is all about.” Joe answers when asked about his favourite thing about musical theatre.

The Cast of Austentatious

Austentatious was written twenty years ago when Joe was completing his Masters Degree in Musical Theatre at Goldsmiths College of the University of London. “Everyone I did my masters with, we had horror stories of shows we had done that had gone wrong.” Joe explains. “So we just found the humour in that and ran with it.”

When asked why Austentatious has amassed such a large following and so much acclaim, Slabe replied, “I think a lot of people have that experience [of putting on a production that goes wrong] whether it’s in high school or community theatre.”

Austentatious is performing at the Beddington Theatre Arts Centre from April 8th to 19th, 2025. We also have a special discount code for Wanderers. You can use the discount code: AUSTENOPEN for the first three nights of the production!

Tickets are available here: https://www.fortemusical.ca/austentatioustickets