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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, April 23, 2015 | 42 Sheridan student couldn't pass up Once-in-a-lifetime chance by Richard Ouzounian Toronto Star Artscene "Connected to your Community" This week, the first graduating class of the new four-year degree program in musical theatre at Sheridan College was in Oakville, performing in an original musical called Brantwood. With one exception. Emily Lukasik was otherwise occupied that night, as she has been since February, with her energetic and captivating performance as Reza in the all-Canadian production of Once at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre. "I went to see a dress rehearsal of Brantwood the other night and it totally blew me away," says the Hamilton-born Lukasik, 21. "I was so proud of all my guinea pig family." She giggles. "That's what we call each other, because we're the first class in this new program." Though Lukasik had to miss her last official term at Sheridan, she'll still be graduating with her fellow "guinea pigs" thanks to associate dean Michael Rubinoff, who wisely understood that a featured role in a Mirvish production was the proverbial offer she couldn't refuse. "She is a remarkable student with an exceptional level of talent and kindness," said Rubinoff. "She is mature beyond her years, giving performances during her time at Sheridan that were soulstirring." Lukasik blushes at receiving such praise. "I'm just so happy everything has worked out. I'm so blessed," she says, shaking her head. Her blessings started early, with a family who loved music and a father who led school choirs. She started playing the violin that she attacks with such skill in Once when she was only three and a half, and from her early youth the music of Broadway was never far away. "Like every kid with the Broadway bug, I would sing all the songs from Wicked, but Les Misérables came first," she laughs. "One night, when my mother was tucking me in for the night, I grabbed her arm fiercely and said, `Before I die, I want to see Les Miz.'" A huge roar of laughter. "There was nothing wrong with me and my mother wondered why her six-year-old was making death wishes, but that's how passionately I felt about it." It wasn't long after that her parents took her to Broadway to see her beloved show. Although she was upset by some parts ("No- Emily Lukasik at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, where she's been co-starring in an all-Canadian production of Once. | photo by David Cooper, Toronto Star body had told me that Gavroche died!") her overall feeling was beyond positive. "It was three-dimensional and larger than life, and I fell in love with it." But her adolescent years didn't pass in a showbiz haze reminiscent of Glee. She sadly admits that her high school in Hamilton "didn't have much of a theatre scene" and it was only the summer youth program at Theatre Aquarius that kept her interest alive, even though she hadn't planned on it as a career. "When you're a kid, you're not really thinking of career goals or life dreams. I was just having the time of my life doing shows. It made my heart happy." There was a lot of family pressure for her to train as a teacher in English or math, but when she read the course description of the Sheridan program, "my heart just soared," a feeling that's contin- ued throughout her time there. On another family trip to Broadway to see Once, her mother pointed to one of the actresses onstage and said, "That could be you, Emily." "That was great, but she wasn't looking at the woman playing the part I now play," Lukasik laughs. It was the ex-girlfriend, proper, reserved, a bit withdrawn. Indeed, that's how Lukasik might come across to a casual observer, but when she auditioned in Toronto she was told to read for Reza, described as "sexy, funny and larger than life" in the casting breakdown. It neglected to mention she also has blue hair and wears a micro-mini skirt while rocking out, standing on a bar. "It was difficult for me to get into it," Lukasik admits. "I'm nothing like Reza at all. But it's meant that I've gotten to grow as see Once on p.43 BIG MOVIES, SMALL PRICES! 171 Speers Road (at Kerr) Oakville 905-338-6397 www.film.ca facebook.com/filmca @FilmCaCinemas General: $8.50 Children ( 3-13): $6.50 Furious 7 (PG) APril 2 the lonGest ride (PG) APril 10 PAul BlArt: MAll CoP 2 (PG) APril 17 the AGe oF AdAline (stC) APril 24 AvenGers: AGe oF ultron (stC) MAy 1 seniors ( 65+): $6.50 tuesdays: $5.00