When Almonte residents James and Kelly Torck set out to write a musical, they didn’t quite know what they were getting themselves into. Says Kelly, “James had written a couple of gorgeous character-centred tunes that sounded like they belonged in a musical. Our initial instinct was to shop them around to other artists and producers. It wasn’t until we got involved with the creative team behind The Wizard is… Odd!? that we thought — heck, why don’t we just make a home for those songs and write our own show?!” James and Kelly met doing theatre at university. After decades of performing, composing, and just “making stuff up,” writing a musical together seemed like a logical progression. “Plus, we’re both hopeless romantics, so that doesn’t hurt.”
To prepare, Kelly and James analyzed dozens of musicals, pinpointing what they liked and didn’t like. James describes their approach this way: “What’s unique about musical theatre is the depth of emotion you can convey when you marry a character’s words with music. When done right, it lets you connect with the audience on a visceral level.” They wanted their show to have a contemporary feel, with a nod to some of the longstanding traditions of the stage musical. “We’ve always loved classics like My Fair Lady. At the same time, the innovations and irreverence of composers like Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods), Johnathan Larkin (Tick Tick…Boom!, Rent), and Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years) were particularly inspiring. And I’m a sucker for strong melodies. Success is when the audience wakes up the next day humming the tunes. The more earworms the better.”
The Perfect Time weaves together the stories of two generations — high school seniors and their parents — each grappling with how and when to be true to themselves and follow their hearts. With a principal cast of twelve, this intimate, original musical features rock-inflected arrangements. There are even a couple of rap tunes, courtesy of their son Phoenix.
The show will be directed by Kris Riendeau of Humm Team Productions hummteam.ca, with James as musical director. Says Kris, “We’ve witnessed such incredible talent in this region — both on stage and behind the scenes — and we know we’ve only scratched the surface. We’re thrilled to be partnering with James and Kelly and their production company, The 20 Bureau, to showcase even more local talent and help Canadian independent theatre continue to grow.”
The Perfect Time will run May 22–24 and May 29–31, 2026, at the Almonte Old Town Hall. Auditions are being held on January 10 and 11 in Almonte. To register for an audition timeslot, email auditions@the20bureau.ca. You can find all the details at hummteam.ca/news.
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“Honestly,” laughs Kelly, “James had joked for years about writing a musical someday. Now just seemed like the Perfect Time.”