Backstage (Canadian TV series)

Backstage
Genre	Teen drama
Created by	Jennifer Pertsch Lara Azzopardi
Starring	Devyn Nekoda Alyssa Trask Josh Bogert Aviva Mongillo Matthew Isen Julia Tomasone Adrianna Di Liello Colin Petierre Mckenzie Small Romy Weltman Isiah Hall Kyal Legend Chris Hoffman Jane Moffat
Theme music composer	Andrew Austin
Opening theme	"Spark" performed by Stefanie McCarol
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	21 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Brian Irving Jennifer Pertsch Tom McGillis George Elliott Lara Azzopardi
Producer	Brian Irving
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–25 minutes
Production company	Fresh TV
Original release
Network	Family Channel
Release	March 18, 2016 (2016-03-18) – present (present)

Backstage is a Canadian teen drama series, which has been commissioned by DHX Media. It is created and produced by Fresh TV. The series premiered on Family Channel in Canada on March 18, 2016, and on Disney Channel in the United States on March 25, 2016.

Plot

The trials and tribulations of the students at Keaton School of the Arts, which includes dancers, singer, musicians, and artists.

Characters

Main

• Vanessa (Devyn Nekoda) is a ballet dancer. Vanessa attends Keaton upon insistence from her best friend, Carly. She's also known by her nickname, Vee.
• Carly (Alyssa Trask) is a ballet dancer. She's also known by her nickname, Cee.
• Miles (Josh Bogert) is a music student. He plays guitar, piano, percussion, and can also sing.
• Alya (Aviva Mongillo) is a music student. She plays guitar and sings.
• Jax (Matthew Isen) is a music student. He is a self-proclaimed professional DJ, by the name of DJ G.
• Bianca (Julia Tomasone) is a music student and a singer. Bianca is an actress from a number of shows, most recently Chase on Chase and Chance.
• Jenna (Adrianna Di Liello) is a dance student.
• Sasha (Colin Petierre) is a dance student. He also is responsible for TMK, Keaton's gossip blog.
• Scarlett (Mckenzie Small) is a tenth-grade music student and a singer. Scarlett is called Scarlett the Starlet by most students of Keaton and considered one of the most talented singers at the school.
• Kit (Romy Weltman) is a music and an art student. Kit is a producer, considered talented by even Jax, and an artist.
• Denzel (Isiah Hall) is a visual arts student. Denzel is a producer and an artist and close friends with Kit.
• Julie (Kyal Legend) is the student body president. She shows up to school dressed in different costumes every day and is considered an amazing artist.
• Park (Chris Hoffman) is the music teacher. Unlike Helsweel, Park shows compassion toward his students.
• Helsweel (Jane Moffat) is the dance teacher.

Recurring

• Cassandra (Madison MacGregor) is the mentor of the Primas.
• Maria Schiller (Pippa Leslie) is a former professional ballerina, and a new dance teacher at Keaton.
• Principal Durani (Dewshane Williams) is the principal of Keaton School of the Arts.

Episodes

• Alyssa Trask, Josh Bogert, and Matthew Isen are absent for one episode each.
• Colin Petierre is absent for two episodes.
• Aviva Mongillo and Mckenzie Small are absent for four episodes each.
• Julia Tomasone is absent for five episodes.
• Romy Weltman, Isiah Hall, and Kyal Legend are absent for six episodes each.
• Adrianna Di Liello is absent for eight episodes.
• Chris Hoffman is absent for nine episodes.
• Jane Moffat is absent for ten episodes.

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Canadian air date	U.S. air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"The First Day"	RT!	Lara Azzopardi	March 18, 2016 (2016-03-18)	March 25, 2016	101	1.23
It is the first day at Keaton for a group of ninth graders, including dance students and best friends Carly and Vanessa, and music students Jax, Miles and Alya. They get a welcome plus a first lesson on the difficulties they will experience at the prestigious arts school. Carly and Vanessa meet a tenth grader, Sasha, a dance student who has taken their teacher Helsweel's class before and helps the two freshmen get through their first day with Helsweel. After the dance auditions, Helsweel selects Vanessa to train with the Primas, an elite group of fourth-year dance students. Meanwhile, Alya's late arrival to class prompts music teacher Park to choose her to showcase her singing, but she freezes and it leads a fellow student, Bianca, to quickly pass judgment on her. Bianca's negative comments eventually become enough for Alya to contemplate quitting after the first day, but Miles persuades her not to after he had heard her sing. Alya regains her confidence and gets another chance to perform her song in class. Also, Jax struggles with his music assignment as he is not used to the equipment he and his partner Kit are using. Guest star: Madison MacGregor (Cassandra)
2	"Groups of Two"	RT!	Jennifer Pertsch	March 25, 2016 (2016-03-25)	April 1, 2016	102	1.12
Helsweel assigns the dance students their partners; among them, Carly is paired with Sasha while Vanessa is paired with Jenna. Carly's jealousy over Vanessa's joining the Primas spills over after she sees Vanessa showing Jenna a familiar dance move. Scarlett mentors some freshmen in the music program, and has Bianca and Alya roleplay in an audition, where Bianca continues to intimidate Alya. Scarlett helps Alya see that no one is perfect, even Bianca, and gives Alya some tips on how to overcome Bianca's teasing. Meanwhile, Jax is upset over Park's special treatment of Miles, but when Miles leaves behind his phone, Jax snoops and finds something suspicious on it, promptly reporting it to Park. Absent: Romy Weltman as Kit, Isiah Hall as Denzel, Kyal Legend as Julie
3	"The Brightside"	Warren P. Sonoda	Jennifer Pertsch	April 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)	April 8, 2016	103	1.25
It is orientation day for the freshmen. As organizer, Julie hopes it will go well, but Scarlett believes it to be a waste of time, especially with the uninspiring ideas Julie has to involve the freshmen. Jax continues to wonder why Miles is being treated as a teacher's pet; after the two pair up for a class assignment, Miles attempts to show Jax that he does not want the special treatment. They skip the orientation and get caught by Park, who gives them both detention. Meanwhile, at the orientation, only five people show up initially, including Carly and Vanessa, who are still fighting. While Julie rounds up more freshmen, the two girls get heated again which causes Julie to change her approach for the orientation, turning it into a fun dance-off. It allows Carly and Vanessa to realize the pettiness of their arguing, and they let it go. As for the two serving detention for not going to orientation, Jax stumbles across a prescription medication Miles is taking, and while Miles gets it back from him without saying anything, Jax is able to put things together—Miles is sick. Absent: Jane Moffat as Helsweel
4	"Stand Tall"	Warren P. Sonoda	Matt Schiller	April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08)	April 15, 2016	104	1.07
Vanessa gets a chance to dance with the Primas after another dancer gets sick. She asks Carly for help but gets sick herself due to the immensity of this opportunity. Despite the setback, she goes forward with her dance, performing it while sick, and gets respect from the Primas.... Park challenges his students to interpret an instrumental song and make it their own. Bianca struggles with the assignment and decides to get help from Alya; the two work on introducing lyrics to the song. As this was intended to be an individual assignment, Bianca fails to give any credit to Alya after presenting her version to the class.... When Julie looks for someone to mentor in the art program, Denzel goes in a different direction with his art to impress her. He blows his chance because his new works lack an important ingredient—him. Guest star: Madison MacGregor (Cassandra) Absent: Mckenzie Small as Scarlett, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
5	"Take Me Out"	Wendy Morgan	Matt Schiller	April 15, 2016 (2016-04-15)	April 29, 2016	105	1.18
Principal Durani puts Miles in charge of an activity to bring the disciplines together at Keaton, so Miles organizes a baseball team. Jax signs up to help him out, and Miles gives Jax pointers on playing the game, for a musician who is classically trained and had little time for the sport.... Carly is worried Sasha is developing feelings for her and how it will interfere with their dancing. Vanessa thinks the two are in love with each other, but Carly denies it. She contemplates switching partners, but Helsweel denies Carly's request and gives her advice about being a true dancer, including being honest with herself.... Park gives Denzel and Kit the task of producing one of Scarlett's songs. Differences in how Scarlett should sing it lead to her walking out on the session. When Denzel and Kit lack enough material for a satisfactory track, Kit persuades Scarlett to come back, and the three work together to get the assignment done. Afterward, Denzel overhears Kit and Scarlett talking about something they are doing later and is blown away when Kit reveals Scarlett is her sister, albeit by adoption. Guest star: Dewshane Williams (Principal Durani) Absent: Kyal Legend as Julie
6	"Dig Deeper"	Wendy Morgan	Kate Hewlett	April 22, 2016 (2016-04-22)	May 6, 2016	106	0.85
In her "movement for non-movers" class, Scarlett is assigned to observe Julie and do a movement piece based on what she sees. When Scarlett discovers she was the subject of Julie's movement in the class, she becomes more focused to do her assignment, but when her movement includes wearing a school uniform only Julie is supposed to know about, Julie is forced to reveal a shocking secret to Scarlett.... Miles and Alya pair up for their mid-term duet assignment. Not pleased with Miles' shallow songwriting, Alya is hesitant to mention it to him at first, but after she finally gives him the criticism, it prompts Miles to go with something deeper. He comes up with a song expressing the precious nature of life.... Carly is going on her first date with Sasha, who is taking her to see Shawn Mendes, which includes backstage passes. However, the concert conflicts with the nine-year anniversary of the day Carly and Vanessa became friends. Although Vanessa is disappointed she will not be with Carly for much of their special day, she realizes the importance of Carly and Sasha being together for this occasion. Guest star: Madison MacGregor (Cassandra) Absent: Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Romy Weltman as Kit, Isiah Hall as Denzel, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
7	"In Their Shoes"	Director X	Kate Hewlett	April 29, 2016 (2016-04-29)	May 13, 2016	107	1.11
Jax helps Miles with writing three songs for a radio contest, but with the deadline only days away, Jax finds the task unrealistic and is concerned about Miles' health under this kind of pressure. When Jax suggests postponing the project, it slips out that he knows Miles is sick and Miles gets upset. Eventually, the immense work load and stress take its toll and Miles collapses. After he recovers, Miles decides to not hide his illness anymore, revealing to Jax and Alya that he is on a kidney transplant list.... Helsweel reminds the dancers of their mid-term, auditioning for the dance show taking place at the end of the semester. She expects Vanessa to sign up for the lead role of Cinderella, so Vanessa does, while Sasha encourages Carly to try out for the lead as well. As the two girls prepare to dance with Sasha, who is going to be the prince in the show, Vanessa feels Carly has a huge advantage being Sasha's partner, but Carly throws her dance to give Vanessa the part.... Julie is in need of recycled materials for her art project and Scarlett offers to help. They unknowingly come across Cassandra's lost ballet shoes, which Scarlett thought were discarded. Cassandra wants compensation for the shoes, but Julie manages to repair them. Guest star: Madison MacGregor (Cassandra) Absent: Julia Tomasone as Bianca, Romy Weltman as Kit, Isiah Hall as Denzel, Chris Hoffman as Park
8	"On Deck"	Director X	Scott Oleszkowicz	May 6, 2016 (2016-05-06)	May 20, 2016	108	1.21
Bianca's mother comes to Keaton to cast a singer for a huge musical, and Bianca and Alya are among those trying out for the part. When Bianca sees Alya is frightened about freezing during her audition, Bianca decides to help her gain confidence even though she is sure Alya will fail. Right before her turn, Alya is still feeling anxious, but she ends up nailing the audition.... Denzel is designing Sasha's costume for the dance show, but Sasha is uncomfortable with the way the pants fit and needs them adjusted. Unfortunately, he has to attend a rehearsal right away, wearing the pants, and experiences a humiliating moment while extending his body.... When Jax and Kit argue the merits of the popular DJ Diamondmind, they decide to face off in a battle of their music samples but agree to use original tracks. Jax's curiosity about where Kit gets her samples motivates him to steal her USB drive containing them when she steps away briefly. Once the face-off happens and gets heated, Jax discovers one of Kit's tracks is actually from Diamondmind. Guest star: Carly Street (Bianca's mother) Absent: Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Mckenzie Small as Scarlett, Kyal Legend as Julie, Chris Hoffman as Park, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
9	"Sotto Voce"	RT!	Scott Oleszkowicz	May 13, 2016 (2016-05-13)	June 3, 2016	109	1.31
Upon hearing about Kit's music samples at the deejay battle, Principal Durani discovers other samples Kit submitted for her Keaton audition are also identical to those of DJ Diamondmind and expels her for plagiarism. As she gets ready to leave, she confronts Jax but during their altercation, she unintentionally reveals she is Diamondmind. Kit does not want everyone else to know this, including the principal, so she, Jax and Scarlett come up with a plan to let her stay at Keaton while keeping her identity secret.... Helsweel finds Vanessa's dance chemistry with Sasha to be subpar, so Vanessa looks to Carly for help on improving her dancing. While training with Carly, Vanessa injures her ankle but does not let on that she is hurt, even in another rehearsal with Sasha.... Miles and Julie fight over use of an audio room to work on their assignments. When their bickering gets them nowhere, Miles offers to help Julie with her project, and in turn, Julie offers to help Miles with his. Guest star: Dewshane Williams (Principal Durani) Absent: Aviva Mongillo as Alya, Julia Tomasone as Bianca, Isiah Hall as Denzel
10	"The Understudy"	RT!	Lauren Gosnell	May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20)	June 10, 2016	110	1.14
Alya gains unexpected popularity for the role she recently landed in Da Bohème, even before the musical's premiere, and is learning how to deal with the fame around a jealous Bianca. After a poster advertising her role gets vandalized, Alya berates Bianca for the mischief and then regrets it when Miles admits he was the one behind the act, as a joke.... Helsweel introduces the dance class to a famous alumnus of Keaton, Maria Schiller, who plans to work with the class as their upcoming dance show nears. Sasha feels the cold shoulder Carly has been giving him and wonders where he stands with her, so as Maria evaluates the class, Sasha arranges to dance with Carly instead of Vanessa. Maria praises their dancing but is astonished Carly is only the understudy.... Scarlett is worried she is developing nodes. While relaxing her voice, she notices how easily Denzel picks up her gestures and asks him to be her interpreter. After Scarlett finds out her voice is fine and starts talking again, she needs reminding how much Denzel helped her and to be grateful. Guest star: Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller) Absent: Matthew Isen as Jax, Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Chris Hoffman as Park
11	"Lose Yourself"	Warren P. Sonoda	Lauren Gosnell	May 27, 2016 (2016-05-27)	June 17, 2016	111	1.26
When Julie uses school property for her latest art project, Principal Durani deems it vandalism and wants her to dismantle the work. Julie sees this as an attack on her artistic freedom and organizes a protest, which Durani swiftly ends. He then decides to contact Julie's parents—who are unaware their daughter is attending Keaton—but he is unable to reach them; he becomes more suspicious when he finds no information about them on file.... With the dance class focused on their mid-term routines, Maria has the class doing some different, uplifting choreography, but it upsets Vanessa. It turns out Maria is trying to help Vanessa loosen up and recapture her love for dancing, amid the pressure she is feeling as the lead.... A low mark Bianca received on an assignment leaves her unmotivated to work with Jax on their current project. Jax senses she needs a break and has her go outside the classroom to write lyrics. She gets frustrated over it and decides she is going to fail her assignment with Jax, but when she discovers Denzel found and liked one of her discarded sets of lyrics, it raises her spirits. Guest stars: Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller), Dewshane Williams (Principal Durani) Absent: Josh Bogert as Miles, Aviva Mongillo as Alya, Romy Weltman as Kit, Chris Hoffman as Park, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
12	"Plays Well with Others"	Warren P. Sonoda	Jennifer Pertsch	June 3, 2016 (2016-06-03)	July 10, 2016	112	1.03
Cassandra feels Vanessa is being held back in her training with the Primas. Vanessa's nagging ankle injury is one of those hurdles, but she keeps that from Cassandra and instead talks about friend issues. This leads Cassandra to talk to Carly, effectively keeping her from spending time with Vanessa, but when Vanessa finds out and stands up for Carly, Cassandra dismisses her from the Primas.... Park gets the music class involved in a cappella groups, though Scarlett is uncomfortable with the idea. With Kit's help, she puts together an effort blending her vocals to sound like a group, confident Park will be impressed. Park listens to her production but gives Scarlett a lesson on how the group provides something to a song she cannot by herself.... Miles wants to ask Julie out and needs Jax's help. They hack into Julie's computer so Miles can deliver his message, except when he identifies himself as "Miles", Julie is clueless. The apparent rejection allows Alya to ask him out, and Miles accepts, but when Julie eventually figures Miles was the one who sent the message to her computer, she is flattered and the two agree to date after mid-terms. As this happens right in front of Alya, it leaves her betrayed. Guest star: Madison MacGregor (Cassandra) Absent: Julia Tomasone as Bianca, Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Colin Petierre as Sasha, Isiah Hall as Denzel, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
13	"Hold On"	Mario Azzopardi	Matt Schiller	June 10, 2016 (2016-06-10)	July 17, 2016	113	0.86
Carly feels guilty about Vanessa getting kicked out of the Primas and wants to help her, but when Jenna capitalizes on Vanessa's misery by taking her spot in dance class, Carly gets revenge. This causes turmoil during rehearsal, and Helsweel gives Carly, Jenna and Vanessa detention, where each is put through intense dance drills. It is the last thing Vanessa needs with her injured ankle, which is getting worse.... Denzel's 14th birthday is coming up, and he feels he has not achieved extraordinary feats as an artist in his young life to this point. Kit tries to cheer him up, and reminds him that many famous people became successful later in life. She also gives him the opportunity to design the cover art for the next DJ Diamondmind single.... After finding random pieces of lyrical poetry scattered around school, the music class wonders who the "yellow pad poet" is, and Bianca tries admitting she is that poet, to their disbelief. Jax is aware she is, since he gave her a yellow pad to inspire her for their duet assignment, which happens to be due. With Park preparing to hear their presentation, Bianca fears the worst about her lyrics, but Jax finds a way to make it work. Absent: Kyal Legend as Julie
14	"Twelve Hours to Showtime"	Mario Azzopardi	Lara Azzopardi	June 17, 2016 (2016-06-17)	July 24, 2016	114	1.35
When Carly sees Vanessa in pain following a final rehearsal before the mid-term show, Vanessa is forced to come clean to Carly about her ankle injury. Sasha finds out as well after he notices Carly looking up information about the injury on her phone, and they both agree Vanessa should not dance in the show. Realizing how far she has come, Vanessa is not about to give up on her moment and traps Carly in the locker room to prevent her from informing a teacher about the injury.... Denzel tells Julie that no one from his family is coming to the dance show. Julie discovers Denzel actually never asked his parents and encourages him to invite them, to show them how talented he is as the show's costume designer.... With Alya enjoying the opening night success of Da Bohème, Miles feels she is unprepared for their mid-term duet assignment, particularly after she forgets words to the song they are performing. Miles asks Park for an extension, claiming health-related setbacks. Alya is not pleased with what Miles did, and neither is Park, who finds out from Miles' mother that he has been fine and thus expects Miles and Alya to be ready with their duet during the dance show's intermission. Guest star: Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller) Absent: Julia Tomasone as Bianca, Romy Weltman as Kit
15	"Showtime"	Director X	Lara Azzopardi	June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24)	July 31, 2016	115	1.03
Having learned of Vanessa's injury, Mrs. Maria attempts to convince her not to dance, but Vanessa manages to convince her to allow her, then Vanessa berates Carly for telling about her injury ending her friendship with her, while in stage Sasha reveals to Carly that he told about Vanessa, leaving Carly angry at him, when the show starts everything goes well but when making a jump Vanessa breaks her ankle and is taken to the hospital with Carly taking her place... Alya is given an opportunity to go on tour with Da Bohème but while reflecting on the school she overhears Miles say many bad things of her to Julie which makes her decide to leave Keaton, when Miles learns of this he apologizes and after given some advice from Bianca, Alya stays and does the duet but still decides on leaving Keaton... Jax asks Bianca out but doesn't know what to do so he goes to Kit for advice but after Bianca tells him if a friend could be with them since they were good friends it leaves him distraught... Denzel brings Julie's parents to the show much to Julie's shock. Guest stars: Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller), Arnold Pinnock (Gary Maslany), Carly Street (Bianca's mother) Absent: Chris Hoffman as Park, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
16	"Restart"	Director X	Jill Girling Lori Mather-Welch	September 9, 2016 (2016-09-09)	September 12, 2016	116	0.74
The first semester ends with Julie's parents taking her out of Keaton and Alya leaving Keaton for the Da Bohème tour. The next semester starts two weeks later, with Scarlett stepping up as the new student body president in Julie's absence. Denzel wonders how Scarlett is funding the dance parties she is planning and decides to impeach her. While Denzel is getting signatures for the impeachment, Kit finds out his motives stem from missing Julie, who eventually returns to Keaton.... Bianca becomes jealous over Jax hanging out with Jenna. She asks Miles to find out from Jax what is going on; Miles discovers Jax is indeed more into Jenna than Bianca, but he lies to Bianca to spare her feelings.... As Vanessa is sidelined while recovering from her ankle injury, she is still angry at Carly over her telling Sasha about the injury. Vanessa is confident she will be dancing again in a week, when the cast on her ankle is removed, but the doctor informs her the ankle is not healing as it should, and she will be dealing with a longer period of recovery and physical therapy. Guest stars: Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller), Arnold Pinnock (Gary Maslany) Absent: Jane Moffat as Helsweel
17	"Juggle"	Warren P. Sonoda	Kate Hewlett	September 16, 2016 (2016-09-16)	September 13, 2016	117	0.75
Carly and Sasha are among those chosen by Helsweel to audition for the Primas, to fill Vanessa's spot. Throughout the process, Carly and Vanessa's feuding constantly tests Sasha. He wants to stay friends with both of them, but backs away from Carly when she forces him to choose between the two, making things more awkward after Helsweel announces that both Carly and Sasha have made the Primas.... With Julie's parents making a list of conditions for her to stay at Keaton, Julie has little time for extracurricular activities, so she allows Scarlett to continue as student body president. Julie stays on the student council as a "silent observer" but is clearly itching to be president again when she repeatedly interrupts Scarlett during a meeting. After both pitch their ideas for the end-of-year open house, and Julie is swamped by her studies, the two make a compromise and decide to share the job of president.... Miles feels left out when Jax spends time with Jenna, and then Kit. Jax realizes Miles misses Alya and invites him to a movie with Jenna; though Miles does not want to be a third wheel, Jax tells him that Jenna is wanting to know more about him. Absent: Aviva Mongillo as Alya, Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Chris Hoffman as Park
18	"Eyes Forward"	Warren P. Sonoda	Kate Hewlett	TBA	September 14, 2016	118	0.78
Carly vows she will not do anything to get kicked out of the Primas, unlike Vanessa. A film student who is shooting footage for Keaton's web site continuously affects Carly's focus both in dance class and with the Primas. Carly makes it clear to him that she cannot be distracted, and he tries to comply.... Denzel's idea for the open house is to make a music video featuring the entire Keaton student body, hoping to impress and surprise Julie. Although he distributes fliers throughout the school about the video, no one comes to the first meeting. When Julie and Scarlett later show up, Denzel rethinks his approach for the video.... Jenna becomes suspicious about Jax when she hears about his involvement with Kit, so she asks Bianca to find out. As Bianca herself wonders where she stands with Jax, she becomes angry after finally learning the truth about it from Miles, which subsequently springs into her idea for the open house—girls vs. boys in a battle of bands. When spying on Jax and Kit, Bianca discovers Kit's secret identity, as DJ Diamondmind, but she sees they are not dating; nevertheless, she lets Jenna believe her suspicions were right, leading her to break up with Jax. Guest stars: Michael Kaplan (Austin), Madison MacGregor (Cassandra) Absent: Aviva Mongillo as Alya
19	"Once in a Lifetime"	RT!	Matt Schiller	TBA	September 15, 2016	119	0.64
Alya returns to Keaton and spends a little time with Miles, but she plans to continue on the Da Bohème tour, in England. Before she possibly leaves Keaton forever, Miles brings Alya into the studio to record their duet, so she will remember him. When Alya reveals she is not happy on the tour, Miles persuades her to stay.... A scout from Juilliard School comes to Keaton and notices Julie's dancing. Although she is not in the dance program, the scout offers her the opportunity to attend Juilliard, but the only day he is available to evaluate her happens to be the same day Julie is taking the PSAT. With all the increased pressure for her to keep up at Keaton, and now this latest opportunity, Julie gives in and pays someone to sit for her at the exam.... Vanessa struggles emotionally with not being able to dance, especially for the visiting scout. Maria suggests that Vanessa find an outlet to express herself during her down time. When she notices some street dancers outside, Vanessa offers to help them improve their technique, against Sasha's warnings about those people. Guest stars: Stephanie Caldeira (Sloane), Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller), Chris Young (Francesco Gilles) Absent: Julia Tomasone as Bianca, Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Mckenzie Small as Scarlett, Romy Weltman as Kit, Chris Hoffman as Park, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
20	"Da Capo"	RT!	Matt Schiller	TBA	September 16, 2016	120	0.82
Carly has been hanging out secretly with Austin, the film student she encountered shortly after becoming a Prima. After overhearing the gossip about Austin's past relationships, and not knowing the names of his ex-girlfriends, Carly wonders if he truly cares about her when he never refers to her by her actual name. He shows that he does know her name, even though he does not verbally communicate it.... Alya is readmitted into Keaton and becomes aware that she has to work with Bianca this semester for the open house project. Bianca attempts to intimidate Alya after hearing about her giving up Da Bohème to come back to Keaton, but Alya shows Bianca she is not a quitter.... Jax and Kit get into an argument over one of her songs, as in his mind, it brings into question the gender of DJ Diamondmind to fans. Any attempt to tweak the song fails to satisfy Kit, so she sends the original version to her record label, which turns it down. Kit gives Jax credit on the song as an assistant consultant, despite not taking his advice.... Miles receives a call from his mother that a kidney donor has been found, and he is scheduled to have surgery right away. Guest stars: Michael Kaplan (Austin), Dewshane Williams (Principal Durani) Absent: Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Mckenzie Small as Scarlett, Isiah Hall as Denzel, Kyal Legend as Julie, Chris Hoffman as Park, Jane Moffat as Helsweel
21	"Friend or Foe"	Lara Azzopardi	Scott Oleszkowicz	TBA	September 19, 2016	121	0.70
While choreographing for Sloane and the "Streets", Vanessa accidentally breaks a side mirror on Maria's car with her crutch. Maria seeks to have Principal Durani shut down the group, but Vanessa suggests they audition to become an official dance club at Keaton, which would entitle them to studio space for rehearsals. Their audition satisfies Maria and Helsweel, but not Cassandra, who is obligated to yield some of the time the Primas use the studio.... Denzel is looking for someone to direct his music video; he and Scarlett evaluate prospects but come up empty. Denzel then meets Austin, impressed by his filming background, but it takes some convincing to get him to be the video's director. As one condition, Austin wants Alya in the video as the singer, rather than Scarlett.... While Miles undergoes kidney transplant surgery, Alya, Jax and Bianca are in music class thinking about him and hoping for the best. They work on a get-well song for him and later perform it in his hospital room after he is out of surgery. Guest stars: Stephanie Caldeira (Sloane), Michael Kaplan (Austin), Pippa Leslie (Maria Schiller), Madison MacGregor (Cassandra) Absent: Alyssa Trask as Carly, Adrianna Di Liello as Jenna, Colin Petierre as Sasha, Kyal Legend as Julie, Chris Hoffman as Park
22	"Verite"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 20, 2016	122	TBD
23	"Step Up"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 21, 2016	123	TBD
24	"Ensemble"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 22, 2016	124	TBD
25	"After the Flood"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 23, 2016	125	TBD
26	"Try Again"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 26, 2016	126	TBD
27	"Fallout"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 27, 2016	127	TBD
28	"Lead the Way"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 28, 2016	128	TBD
29	"Me"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 29, 2016	129	TBD
30	"We"	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 30, 2016	130	TBD

Production

Actors in the series are all real dancers and musicians embodying the true spirit of the performing arts.

Directors for the series include top music video directors such as RT!, Director X, Wendy Morgan, and Warren Sonoda as well as Mario Azzopardi and Lara Azzopardi.

The first season will consist of 30 episodes. On May 10, 2016, it was announced that Backstage was renewed for a 30-episode second season for a 2017 broadcast on Family Channel.

Reception

Critical reception

Backstage has received positive, albeit lukewarm reviews from critics. Common Sense Media gave the show three out of five stars, saying that while it "doesn't really break new ground", it "does touch on many issues that are worthwhile for kids".

U.S. ratings

Viewership and ratings per season of Backstage

Season	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		Avg. viewers (millions)	18–49 rank
		Date	Viewers (millions)	Date	Viewers (millions)
1	21	March 25, 2016 (2016-03-25)	TBD	TBA	TBD	1.02	TBD

Broadcast

The series premiered on Family Channel in Canada on March 18, 2016. In the United States, the series premiered on the Disney Channel on March 25, 2016. It premiered on Disney Channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 9, 2016.

Disney Channel secured the license for the series in several countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle-East as well as for the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Music

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Spark"	Andrew Austin	Stefanie McCarol	3:15
2.	"Heartbeats"	Emery Taylor	Aviva Mongillo	3:36
3.	"Heartbeats (Acoustic)"	Emery Taylor	Aviva Mongillo	3:37

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"I Don't Wanna Hear It"	Jeff Milutinovic	Kasey Brown	2:22
2.	"Who You Lookin'"	Dave Sorbara	Laura Nikolic	3:01

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 3

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Going Home"	Rob Melamed	Maya Killtron	2:53
2.	"Elevator"	Andrew Austin Jeff Milutinovic	Mckenzie Small	3:03

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 4

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Dig Deep (Miles Version)"	Andrew Austin Ryan McLarnon Kate Hewlett	Josh Bogert Aviva Mongillo	2:34
2.	"Lost in Contemplation"	Ryan McLarnon	Andrew Austin	2:47

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 5

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Shot Me Down"	Emery Taylor	Aviva Mongillo	4:53
2.	"Gimme Some L"	TBA	TBA	2:28

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 6

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Born at the Right Time"	Tom Westin	Kelly McCluskey	2:48
2.	"Eyes of the Camera"	Andrew Austin	Mckenzie Small	2:41
3.	"Eyes of the Camera (A Cappella)"	Andrew Austin	Mckenzie Small	2:00

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 7

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Dig Deep (Alya Version)"	Andrew Austin Ryan McLarnon Kate Hewlett	Aviva Mongillo Josh Bogert	2:37
2.	"Step, Sister!" (parts 1–5)	Kevin Krouglow Igor Simoes Correia Jeff Milutinovic Rob Melamed	Kasey Brown	2:57

"Backstage"
Song

Songs from Backstage, Vol. 8

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Until You Loved Me" ("Step, Sister!" part 7)	Andrew Austin	Andrew Austin	3:29
2.	"Music Gonna Make You Feel Alright"	Mark Domitric	Maya Kiltron	3:20
3.	"Move Over"	Igor Simoes Correia	N/A	2:14

External links

• Backstage at Family Channel (Canada)
• Backstage at Disney Channel (U.S.)
• Backstage at IMDb
• Backstage at epguides.com