Because the new Fame movie is, like the original, about the lives of performance students, Noah Cappe of Kaleidoscope Inc. said it made sense to hold the Toronto premiere party at the historic Bathurst Street Theatre building and call on 18 students from the Randolph Academy—its resident performing arts school—to play a key role in the event.
"The whole concept for the party was fun, colour, and interaction," said Cappe, who worked with MGM Studios and Allied Advertising to bring a Fame premiere to Toronto—something he said tied into his company's goal to put on more of these types of events in the city. "Aside from the film festival, you don't get full-blown red-carpet events in Toronto, so this was a fun way to bring Hollywood here." With the studio's blessing, Kaleidoscope financed and produced the event.
After an early evening screening at the AMC Yonge & Dundas theatre, film attendees took limousines to the Annex neighbourhood for the after-party, where they were greeted by students dancing on platforms and security guards wearing sequined head bands.
Instead of calling on large corporate sponsors to support the party, Cappe said he decided to partner with several local vendors—and call in some favours—to capture the theme of the film at the event. Along with the student performers, this included cafeteria-style food (sloppy joes, meatloaf, and grilled cheese) from Matthew Wax Catering and interactive spaces in the theatre where guests could sing (to The Beatles: Rock Band game), dance (to Dance Dance Revolution for Wii) and act (to create a photo flipbook supplied by Party Impressions). Outdoors, Cappe said he aimed to create a New York street scene with elements like a hot dog vendor, hanging streetlights, and signs.
While many of the film's stars—including original Fame cast member Debbie Allen—attended the premiere in Las Vegas, a number of local celebrities showed up to the Bathurst Street Theatre, including actors from Degrassi: The Next Generation and contestants from So You Think You Can Dance Canada and Project Runway Canada. Close to 700 guests attended the event, Cappe said. Later in the night, Randolph Academy students shook up the party by putting on a venue-wide performance of the Fame song-and-dance number "Hot Lunch."
