BURN – A FOLK MUSICAL to Host Public Presentations Following Developmental Workshops

The new musical Burn – A Folk Musical, will have public presentations on July 29 and 30, 2023, following a three-week developmental workshop at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. The presentation marks the first musical to be developed at the University outside of student productions, asking the age-old question – will it play in Peoria?

 

Directed by Jake Van Hoorn, Burn tells the fictional story of Rosie and Natasha – best friends and bandmates on tour for the first time – who find themselves stranded in a bar deep in the forests of Northern California. As they get to know the eclectic patrons, a nearby wildfire forces everyone to shelter in the bar, threatening both their safety and the survival of the local community. Featuring a folk-meets-country score by New York’s up and coming writing duo Mason Emmert and Patrick Deane Greeley, Burnis a musical about the power of home and the families we create in the face of disaster.

 

Public presentations will take place on Saturday July 29 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm and Sunday, July 30 at 2:00pm at Bradley University’s Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets will be available at the door.

 

"When we first started writing Burn in the Fall of 2021, we wanted to personalize the lives that are being affected by wildfire devastation, to audiences who don’t experience them directly,” said composers Mason Emmert and Patrick Deane Greeley. “Now, even on the east coast, wildfires are impossible to ignore, making it more important than ever to understand the effects of climate change on our world."

 

“We are so excited for the opportunity to develop this show in Peoria, Illinois – a historic city that used to be considered one of the premier test markets for new theater during the Vaudeville Circuit at the turn of the century,” said Producer Brian Haas. “As a fellow mid-westerner and an Alumnus of Bradley University, I’m excited to uphold and re-ignite that tradition.” 

 

Burn – A Folk Musical will feature direction and dramaturgy by Jake Van Hoorn and music direction by Susan Somerville. The ensemble piece will feature a cast spotlighting Peoria-based actors Dedra Baker, Charles Brown, Lindsey Ropp, Keliah Schertz, Adam Sitton, and Eddie Urish.

 

The piece will be presented by New York producers Brian Haas and Frank Monier, in association with Scott Kanoff, Chair of the Bradley University Department of Theatre Arts.

 

ABOUT “WILL IT PLAY IN PEORIA?”

 

The phrase "Will It Play in Peoria?" originated in the early '20s and '30s during the US Vaudeville era.

 

At that time, Peoria was one of the country's most important stops for vaudeville acts and performances. If an act did well in Peoria, Vaudeville companies knew that it would work throughout the nation. The saying was popularized by movies with Groucho Marx, and on radio programs such as ”Jack Benny and Fibber McGee.”

 

Because of its location and demographics, Peoria has since become a well-known test market to gauge the popularity of products and ideas nationwide (peoria.com).

 Photo Credit: Stacy Ropp

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