Terry Fox musical premiering after more than decade of hard work

A P.E.I. musician's dream to write a musical about Terry Fox is finally being realized after more than a decade of trying to convince the Fox family to let him do it.

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John Connolly started working on his musical about the story of Terry Fox in 2004, when he was a university student.

Connolly said the family said no so many times that he sometimes felt like giving up.

"Anytime that I'd have a dark night of the soul, I'd go back and I think of Terry and what he went through. I mean, he was in pain every single step, but he was doing what he loved and his dream was coming true and he wouldn't have wanted to do anything else in the world," he said.

"With me, I feel the same way. It's been great, it has been challenging but it's been amazing to see how I've been supported along the way."

Now Marathon of Hope: The Musical will receive its world premiere in October at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse in Waterloo, Ontario.

John Connolly is the lyricist and composer behind the musical, while Peter Colley is the playwright.

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