"What happens when the boys at St. Mark’s and the girls of St. Anne’s join up to present a classic French tale...?"

Joe Slabe, artistic director for Forte Musical Theatre Guild since its founding in August, 2008, was at first unsure of how to answer this question.

The former high school teacher was pondering how to follow the first act of his work Jeremy de Bergerac while a student himself, studying his master’s degree in musical theatre composition at the University of London in 2005.

Slabe was creating his own vision of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac – a vision that would become a Canada-centric, character-driven musical.

"I was living in London when I wrote the first act of the show and, at that time, it was set in England," he says. "But I'm Canadian and, when I came back, I realized that this story would be greatly enriched by being set here."

Slabe’s original first act showcased at London’s Bridewell Theatre to a pleased audience, and the writer’s friends and professors encouraged him to provide an ending.

"But I wasn't ready," he says. "I didn't really know how it ended and I didn't feel like I knew the characters well enough."

That was until Slabe was struck with a rod of motivation from Seattle columnist Dan Savage’s "It Gets Better" project.

"It became clear to me that I couldn't write a coming-of-age story about a gay character and have a tragic ending," Slabe says. "We've seen that enough already."

"The message of the show is really about being true to yourself and living an authentic life," he continues. "I chose to produce Jeremy de Bergerac now because I think it offers hope."

Though all the pupils in Slabe’s comedic, romantic musical are first generation Canadian, their two teachers are not. One hails from England and the other France. Both immigrated from Europe in search of a better life, and both share the task of instructing students from a different generation. Jeremy de Bergerac takes place in the 1960s, post World War II.

"So, you have the conflict between French and English, new world and old world, youth and experience – it's such a rich world for the play that I think the story, as it stands now, could only happen in Canada," Slabe says.

Before staging this production – up to roughly 18 months ago – Slabe himself was a teacher for 20 years, resigning to pursue a full-time career in writing and musical direction. He actually produced Cyrano de Bergerac while teaching at St. Francis High School in Calgary.

"Obviously my experiences as a high school teacher greatly influenced the writing of the show," he says. "None of the characters are based on actual people, but I like to think of the show as a bit of a tribute to the thousands of students and hundreds of colleagues I worked with over the years."

Slabe promises a night of theatre full of humour, rife with sentimentality, armed with sword fights and reinforced by sheer youthful talent.

"I've really loved watching our director, Valerie Ann Pearson, work with the younger actors in the show," he says. "She's made them dig really deeply into the script and the performances she's getting out of them are just incredible."

"I think people will be blown away by how talented these young people are."

Slabe says ticket sales account for only about 40 per cent of funds needed to adequately compensate the company’s actors. The remainder is composed somewhat by grants but mainly by individual donors. He encourages theatregoers to come see the show and, if they like what they see, to consider making a donation through the company’s website, www.fortemusical.ca.