Arts and Entertainment

Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill coming to Orangeville Music Theatre

January 15, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JOSHUA DRAKES

A stage production of the 1990s album Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette promises relatable stories and compelling drama as it follows a family weaving its way through life.

The Orangeville Musical Theatre offering about fitting in, self-discovery, and unity will run Jan. 16 to Jan. 24.

And for fans of Alanis Morissette, there will be a special item to take away from the performance. A never released song called Predator during the performance.

Natasha Sousa, the production’s director, said the story will follow a family and their adopted child as they struggle to make it through life’s many trials.

“It’s about a family who are going through their daily struggles,” she said. “The family has adopted a child, and the child is a teenager, and she’s not feeling like she’s fitting in.

“She’s an African American girl, and she’s feeling that her family is trying to blend her in rather than accepting that she’s different and highlighting her differences as this wonderful thing.”

Around this core conflict, the production weaves together multiple and equally important storylines: overworked parents trying to balance careers and family, the emotional toll on kids in a busy household, and the pressures of high school life, from bullying and not fitting in to trying to figure out who you are.

The story is meant to hit hard, and leave everyone with something to take away, Sousa said.

“This show, I describe as raw, real and very relatable,” she said. “This show touches on a lot of heavy content, but also very real content and stuff that happens in everyone’s daily life. No matter who comes out and watches this show, there is going to be something that they can relate to.”

This will be Sousa’s first dip into directing. After years of supporting OMT as an actor, Sousa decided to try something new.

“Normally I am performing,” she said. “I’ve been with OMT for 10 years now, and I’ve dabbled in other stuff, but mostly I’m a performer. I was tossing and turning back and forth, hovering between, do I perform in this one, or do I apply to be the director? And in the end, I decided to direct instead.”

The biggest change between a performer and director is the legwork. While actors are primarily focused on studying lines and getting into character, directors are busy trying to put all the different pieces of a production together. Sousa said it’s been a busy but enjoyable change of pace for her.

“It’s been really fun, I actually do really enjoy it,” she said. “It’s a lot more work than being a performer. There’s a lot of behind‑the‑scenes stuff that the director is responsible for that a lot of people wouldn’t realize, like set designing and lighting designing and getting all the props together.

“I’m also costume designing this show, which isn’t typical for a director. I have a lot on my plate.”

Sousa says one of the main reasons she wanted to step into the director’s chair was to make sure her cast felt safe and supported while working through the show’s heavier themes.

Just as important to her, though, is what happens after the curtain falls: she wants audiences to leave with a personal takeaway they can carry home.

Whether it’s a small realization, a fresh perspective, or a new way of understanding a familiar situation, her hope is that each person in the theatre walks out thinking about something in their own life a little differently than when they came in.

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