ESTEVAN — Levi Stepp, accompanied by Rachel Andrist, is going to present Stepping Stones, a unique cabaret-style show, at St. Paul's United Church on Nov. 13, starting at 2 p.m.
Well-known in the Estevan area for his talents, Stepp is coming back to Estevan after more than a year and is looking forward to performing and reconnecting with the people of the city.
"I am working hard to prepare my show for back home. I enjoy being able to come back home and perform in the community that gave me the love and support when I first started. So I'm very excited to come back and be able to share my stories as of late with all of you in the community," Stepp shared.
Stepping Stones, an afternoon of song with Levi Stepp – From Broadway and Beyond! is the title Stepp chose for his performance in Estevan.
"I thought why not use a name, my name in the title? I'm fortunate enough to have that and I look at life [from a perspective that] the universe gives you a lot of paths that you can go on. And each thing that you choose to do with it, each opportunity that comes, is a stepping stone on your journey, on your path of life," Stepp explained. "I have chosen songs and material to share with the people in the community, the stepping stones of my life so far from growing up on the farm to performing in musicals and then going away to the big city and starting my career, which is a testing career at times, and that will also be talked about."
"But no matter whether it's struggles or successes, or soul-finding opportunities, they are still one stone and one stepping stone on the path of life. So I'm very lucky and I'm excited to share with all of you."
Andrist will be Stepp's live accompanist. They haven't worked together before, but Stepp said he always hoped they’d get a chance to perform together.
"You can perform songs and shows in so many different styles, but there's nothing more than getting to collaborate with a live pianist, getting the energy and the music from a live person playing ... So I wanted to take advantage of the fact that we have some great musicians that are also from Estevan, as Rachel is. And being able to perform in a space like St. Paul's United Church with great acoustics where it's just her at the piano and me singing is a joy," Stepp said. "It's an honour to be able to sing with her at the piano, she's had a wonderful career herself."
A local talent, Stepp graduated from Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto in August 2021 and spent this past summer in P.E.I. where he was doing his first professional contract in the musical Anne and Gilbert at the Theatre Island Festival. In the interview with the Mercury, he said he's been pretty busy since he left Estevan, especially last summer, but he was happy to enter the world of professional performing, which he chose as his career.
"It's been good. It's been a whirlwind. But it feels great to make my first step into the musical theatre performance world. As an industry, it is very crazy, but it's nice to start it off and I hope for many years to come," Stepp shared.
The Anne and Gilbert musical is a sequel to Anne of Green Gables, in which Anne and Gilbert go off to college, fall in love and get to spend the rest of their lives together.
"It was great being able to tell that story on stage," Stepp said. "It filled my heart and soul to be able to follow your dreams and do what you love to do. And to do that every day and get paid for it is a joy ... I couldn't have asked for any better honestly. Not very many months after school and I was going across the country for my first professional contract, which was a long contract as well, six months I was there, which is a long time. And to do a show for that long right out of the gates from graduation into the performance world is a win, an amazing opportunity that I would never take for granted, that's for sure."
For the musical, he was performing as Anthony and Alec, but he also was prepared to play Gilbert to substitute for the lead actor.
"I had to learn and perfect the role of Gilbert, the lead guy, in case he was unable to make a show," Stepp explained. "It was a great experience to be able to be in the ensemble, learn my own tracks, but also get to learn the main male track."
Right out of college, Stepp also got to do a musical, Little Women, with his peers and classmates that were self-producing.
Now that his contract in P.E.I. is over, Stepp is back in Toronto, where he is signed with the agency 10 Talent Management, and he is auditioning for new shows and opportunities. At the same time, he is teaching beginner piano and voice lessons to children and adults at a local music school.
"It is great to have opportunities and auditions coming my way because there are very few of them. And to get one, it's just a win in itself. And that keeps you going in the industry. This coming Monday, I have one that I get to go to, so I'm very fortunate to have the opportunities that I have here in Toronto right now," Stepp shared.
Stepp said while he indeed enjoys living in the city, he is also grateful for everything his childhood at the farm gave him and is looking forward to coming back to Estevan.
"I would like to say thank you to the community and everyone for inviting me back. And I look forward to sharing my journey and my stepping stones with the community that means so much to me, and where I found my love for what I do," Stepp said.
He will spend about a week at the Energy City, doing the show and reconnecting with family and friends.
For Stepping Stones, the doors open at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 13.
