Canadian theater director Stafford Arima chatted about “The Tale of the Gifted Prince” musical, and being a part of the digital age.
He also serves as Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary.
Are you excited about’ The Tale of the Gifted Prince’? What can we expect?
“The Tale of the Gifted Prince” arrives on Theatre Calgary’s stage as a world premiere, and with it comes all the electricity, uncertainty, and promise that only a first production can offer.
This eclectic score by Daniel Green, with book and lyrics by Lezlie Wade, invite us into a space where a young Prince, played by Kennedy Kanagawa (“Into the Woods”) discovers what it means to be a Prince, and how power shapes identity, and how compassion can be both a burden and a blessing.
I’ve watched the development of this musical for over eight years and have been in communication with our co-producers Wendy Macdonald and Scott Evans (of Somerled Arts) about giving the musical a home at Theatre Calgary.
After many meetings (and a pandemic thrown in there) the World Premiere will happen on February 20th.
Director and choreographer, Darren Lee, is bringing highly theatrical concepts to this production – magic, puppetry, dance, shadow play.
I know that this musical will be truly a scrumptious feast for the audience.
What motivates you each day as a creative?
What motivates me each day as a creative is the opportunity to uncover and ignite the imaginations and creative spirits of the next generation of artists and audiences.
When emerging artists truly see the power of storytelling – not just as entertainment, but as a tool for empathy, truth-telling, and connection – it expands what they believe is possible for themselves and for the world they are helping to shape.
At the same time, when audiences, both long-standing and new, experience genuine transformation in the theatre, it reinforces why this work matters and why it must continue to evolve.
I am motivated to ensure that the future of theater is filled and fueled by artists with who want to share and audiences who are excited to receive those artistic offerings.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age?
Being an Artistic Director in the digital age is both exhilarating and humbling.
Theatre has always been a live, human-to-human art form built on shared experience.
Now storytelling also exists alongside algorithms, streaming culture, and rapidly shifting audience expectations. Rather than competing with the digital world, I see theatre in dialogue with it.
Digital tools let us reach audiences before they enter the building and long after they leave. They help us build community, expand access, and better understand who we’re serving.
At the same time, the digital age sharpens the value of what theatre uniquely offers: presence, risk, imperfection, and collective experience. In a world of screens, gathering in a room with strangers to feel something together becomes almost radical.
For me, it feels like standing between legacy and possibility by protecting the sacredness of live performance while evolving how stories are shared and discovered.
Also, what can we expect from “Beaches”?
“Beaches” was a huge hit for us at Theatre Calgary. The original score by the legendary Mike Stoller and Iris Dart have brought this story to life with dazzling showbiz numbers, heartfelt ballads, and comedic turns.
Leading the musical will be Jessica Vosk (“Hell’s Kitchen” and “Wicked”) as Cee Cee and Kelli Barrett (“Parade”) as Bertie. They are reprising the roles they originated at Theatre Calgary.
The chemistry between Jessica and Kelli was through the roof, so I can’t wait to experience their performances (individually and collectively) with another rehearsal process involved.
Our audiences fell in love with this timeless story of friendship, and I can’t wait to see all the exciting changes and new explorations that Lonny Price and Matt Cowart (co-directors) will bring to this Broadway production.
What is your advice for hopefuls that wish to pursue a career in theater?
Go for it and create a career! I was a kid from Toronto who fell in love with theater at the age of eleven when I saw a production of Evita at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles.
13 years later, I was assisting the director of Evita, Harold Prince on his revival of Show Boat in Toronto; two years after Show Boat opened, I was a PA on the first developmental reading of Terrence McNally’s, Lynn Ahrens’, and Stephen Flaherty’s Ragtime in Toronto.
Two decades later, I became the first Asian-Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway when Allegiance opened at the Longacre Theatre; and in 2017 I became the 11th Artistic Director for Theatre Calgary.
I share that span of career highlights to make a point: that eleven-year-old had no connection to theater – my parents were not in the industry, nor did they have any relationships with anyone in the industry. So how did it all come together? Through sheer will, passion, a little bit of strategy, commitment, and tons of chutzpah.
If I didn’t go for it, then who knows where I would be today. So, if a kid from Toronto can make it happen, then any hopeful who has dreams to pursue a career in theater can also make it happen!
As a Japanese Canadian, how did it feel to direct George Takei and Lea Salonga in the musical ‘Allegiance’ on Broadway?
It was such a blast and honor to direct “Allegiance” with George and Lea, and that ridiculously talented cast.
The entire cast, producers, designers, orchestra, and everyone involved on the creative team gave without limits to this journey.
My father’s family were interned in Canada during World War II, so I had a direct connection to this story of the Japanese American incarceration.
Knowing George’s story through his personal recollections brought a veracity to rehearsals that were, at times, overwhelming.
We weren’t just putting on a show, we were telling a story that had direct connections to George. He was stunning in the role of Old Sam and Ojiisan and brought such humor, humanity, and truth to these parts.
Lea and Telly Leung (who played Young Sam) were brilliant scene partners and were committed to unwrapping the story through change-after-change-after-change. The experience of directing Allegiance is one that I will treasure forever.
What does the word success mean to you?
If a theater experience can shift perspective, spark empathy, or give language to something someone has been feeling but couldn’t name, that is success.
Theatre is one of the few places where collective transformation can happen in real time, breath by breath, and being part of that exchange is the highest measure of impact. Success is also about being a source of inspiration.
Not just for audiences, but for artists, collaborators, and the community around the work. It’s about creating an environment where people feel braver, more curious, more open to possibility.
If the work encourages someone else to create, speak, and imagine something bigger for themselves or their community, that ripple effect is success.
Finally, success is simply the act of doing the work. Showing up. Gathering artists. Wrestling with story.
Taking the risk to put something honest in front of an audience. If transformation happens, if inspiration spreads, and if the work continues to be made with rigor and heart, that, to me, is success.
To learn more about Stafford Arima, follow him on Instagram and visit his official homepage.
