Grove Guild April 28 Event Recap: An Engaging Conversation with Kerry Gage - Choreographer for The Grove Theatre 2026 Summer Season
“Firecracker” is a fitting word to describe the warm, energetic, passionate and engaging Kerry Gage, whom we had the pleasure of getting to know this month. After having met her, it is easy to imagine a 5-year-old telling her parents she was going to be a performer and a choreographer. We were all able to see and feel Kerry’s enthusiasm. Clearly, she was born for live theatre! Thirty-some-odd years later, Kerry is Choreographer for The Grove’s 2026 season.
It was a surprise to learn that there is no traditional career path for choreography. Kerry was trained as a dancer growing up—it was her first love. Jazz, tap and ballet were her “hardcore fundamentals”. She described herself as having a great life on stage and a great performance career, which eventually transitioned into choreography—another creative side of the business.
Kerry described choreography as being a big responsibility. As a performer she was responsible for herself, and her role on stage. As a choreographer she needs to: gain the trust of the Artistic Director, Stage Managers; be an effective communicator with the entire creative team; collaborate on every aspect of the show, as well as bring a top-notch performance together in a short period. It was interesting to learn that it takes roughly two hours of practise to iron out one minute of choreography. Kerry said the whole process lights her fire, fills her soul, and allows her to use both the logical and creative sides of her brain.
Her process as a choreographer is a fascinating one. With a new show on the table, Kerry researches what’s been done in the past and zeros in on what the expectations are. She said she needs to know “her people first” so she can cast them in a role that fits their strengths and the narrative, a process she referred to as “imaginary”. The music, Kerry said, is her “trigger” to create; it’s her primary inspiration. While listening to a score she visualizes the choreography in her mind’s eye; the whole movement sequence or dance is presented before her. Her challenge is to hold on to it, as there is no formal method of notating choreography—an industry-wide issue. Her ability is so strong that she and her husband don’t listen to music at home as her mind would be constantly at work.
Kerry is one of the few choreographers who has notated choreography. During her 13 seasons at the Charlottetown Festival in P.E.I., (Canada’s longest running musical), she learned the original choreography and notated it, an epic feat. It’s referred to as the Gables Bible. Kerry described it as being part of Canadian history that she didn’t want to see lost.
In addition to Kerry’s “creative vision,” she can read music (not all choreographers do), which strengthens her communication with the Music Director and helps her to better understand a score, and how choreography can best work within a number. She explained that it must have intent, it has to have a reason to erupt into a movement sequence or dance well, in everything but Spamalot. We look forward to seeing the performance for its spontaneity. Kerry cited a couple of examples–a drumbeat warrants a kick, while a beautiful clarinet line warrants a long slide. Kerry suggested that while exploring the connection between music and movement is fun, audiences should focus on how movement, music and storytelling work together to create an immersive and memorable performance, rather than trying to isolate them from the whole.
While capturing audience engagement is a goal of Kerry’s, another is to capture the social aspect of dance and the energy high it creates. For 70s Dance Party this season, Kerry is aiming to recreate an atmosphere that takes us back to the 70s era when dance was a regular part of our lives. She cherishes the social aspects of live theatre and dance, as together they create a communal and exhilarating experience that keeps us away from our phones. Kerry is right about this—live theatre is social; we come together with friends and family and engage as a community at The Grove Theatre. Dancing in our seats at the 70s Dance Party this summer will be far more fun than a solitary night on our devices! We all benefit from the positive effects of music and dance in our lives. Kerry challenged us by suggesting that we carefully listen to a piece of music to see how our bodies respond.
Kerry is also excited about working with the fun spontaneous nature of Spamalot this season. She and Lezlie Wade, The Grove’s 2026 visiting Artistic Director who brought Kerry to The Grove Theatre, will be bringing their “golden” relationship to the stage, one that forged from their involvement in HMS Pinafore at Stratford. Together they will launch another clever, witty, comic piece! Kerry expressed her enthusiasm in creating the “14 huge dance numbers.” A choreographer’s dream. Kerry will lean on her memory of seeing it on Broadway in 2006 with the original company–Tim Curry and Hank Azaria. Kerry said we should, “expect the unexpected!”
At the end of our conversation, Kerry tied it all together as she put on her fancy, blue tap shoes. With coconut halves (props from Spamalot), and some creativity, she and a volunteer from the audience grooved to the beat of coconuts! Kerry had us all moving, practicing some 70s dance moves where we all caught the vibe!
Without trying to sound repetitive (however, we keep hearing it over and over from all our Guild guests), Kerry emphasized that it's the "symbiotic relationships," collaboration, respect and trust that make a theatre company tick. Kerry is looking forward to working with the whole team at The Grove this season. As patrons of The Grove Theatre, we're in for an emotional and exciting treat — grooving at the 70s Dance Party and laughing at Spamalot. As Kerry said, "how can you not have a good time with these two shows. It's impossible!
