Wilson Entertainment

In addition, his critically acclaimed production of East of Berlin by Hannah Moscovitch played to sold‑out houses at the Project Arts Centre in 2014–15. Lee served as Associate Director to Joe Dowling on Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at The Gate Theatre, Dublin, for the 2015 Dublin Theatre Festival.

In Canada, Lee was the founding Artistic Director of Resurgence Theatre Company in Newmarket, Ontario, where he directed celebrated productions of Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Romeo and Juliet. In 2013, he was nominated by his peers for the Christopher Plummer Fellowship Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to classical theatre and Shakespeare performance in Canada. Administered by Shakespeare’s Globe (Globe Centre in Canada), the award acknowledged Lee as one of the most exciting young directors of Shakespeare in his home country.

He was an Intern Director at the Shaw Festival during the 2005–2006 season in Niagara‑on‑the‑Lake, Ontario, and served as the Resident Director in the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2004–2005. In 2003–2004, he was awarded the prestigious Urjo Kareda Residency Grant to study directing and artistic direction with Richard Rose at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. Lee began his professional career as a member of the inaugural Soulpepper Training Company, where he studied acting, design, and directing under the mentorship of Robin Phillips.

Eoin, a 55‑year‑old fisherman from Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland, has carried one dream with him his entire life. Growing up in the 1960s, he longed to play rock music, but the realities of a declining fishing industry and the demands of adulthood pushed that dream aside. Now, facing retirement and the uncertainty of what comes next, Eoin decides to take one last shot at the life he always imagined. He leaves everything he knows behind and heads to Toronto, determined to pursue his passion.

Eoin has a gift he’s never fully shared: an instinct for writing catchy, heartfelt tunes. But Toronto is not the welcoming musical haven he hoped for. His first audition ends in humiliation as a young rock band mocks him out of the room. His second attempt leads him to a group more interested in traditional Canadian folk than original work. His third audition fizzles when the band dismisses his ambition and settles for playing cover songs in local bars.

Defeated and questioning his own sanity, Eoin wanders through the city — until he hears something extraordinary echoing from an abandoned warehouse in the Liberties. Peering through a dusty window, he discovers four young women, ages 23–29, jamming with raw talent and electric chemistry.

Shayla, the band’s charismatic leader, is a blonde powerhouse whose voice can silence a room. Crystal, of Asian descent, shreds on lead guitar with precision and fire. Nashita, an Indigenous multi‑instrumentalist, anchors the group with her bass and rhythmic versatility. Ebba, a drag queen drummer, drives the sound with flair and ferocity. Grace, a brunette farm girl from rural Ontario, brings warmth and grit on rhythm guitar. Influenced by working‑class bands like The Beatles and U2, their group — The Sweetest Thing — is bursting with potential but struggling to find their own sound.

Eoin is captivated. He knocks on the warehouse window, introduces himself, and from that moment, everything changes.

The Sweetest Thing is a moving, contemporary musical about second chances, intergenerational connection, and the power of believing in yourself. It tells the story of how an aging fisherman‑songwriter inspires five young women to discover their voices, their confidence, and ultimately, their path to fame. It is a celebration of age and youth, fatherhood and sisterhood, friendship, inspiration, and the unifying force of popular music.

This musical adventure embraces the spirit of rock ’n’ roll theatre, paying homage to iconic works such as A Hard Day’s Night, Hair, Grease, and The Commitments. It is a modern Canadian rock opera that honours the country’s cultural diversity and its greatest artistic export: music.

Popular music remains as vital today as it has ever been. Some of the most exciting storytelling happens when powerful text is woven together with the energy and immediacy of contemporary music. One of the great artistic challenges of our time is finding ways to bring different cultures into conversation and to address society’s gender prejudices in forms that resonate widely and accessibly.