QUILTERS THE MUSICAL Comes To The Belknap Mill

For just the second time Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative will be producing a full-scale musical production at the Belknap Mill when it presents Quilters: The Musical from September 29-October 1st.

Quilters, with book by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek, and lyrics and music by Damashek, is an intimate musical with a small all-women cast. The characters are based on real women's stories from the prairie. Real experiences. Joy. Struggle. Perseverance told against a backdrop of a mother and her daughters creating a quilt together.

The show is part of Powerhouse's 2023 Mill Series which is sponsored by the Taylor Community. Unlike most Mill shows this one will include a set, lighting, costumes and a 3 piece band to fully bring this endearing musical to life in the intimate Mill space.

The show is directed by Lauren Shelby Douglas, with choreography by Nora McBurnett, Music Direction by Christine Chiasson, costumes by Heather Vitale, and is stage managed by Phoebe Scadova. Says Douglas, "Through the show we are building a quilt, but we are also weaving this full picture of prairie life for women in the late 1800s. What I love about this production is that we are leaning into that intimate storytelling. We want it to feel like you, as an audience member, are sitting in on a quilting circle and the quilters are telling you their stories - just like they would have for generations."

The cast includes Kathy Hodges, Tess Hodges, Olivia Martinson, Jennifer Cote, Zoe Nagle, Jennifer Schaffner, Sharleigh Thomson, Jillian Spring, Lorraine Barrows, and Wendy Davidson.

Quilters is sponsored by Meredith Village Savings Bank and the Belknap Mill Quilters Guild which has been instrumental in providing props and creating the quilt for the production as well as sharing their passion for quilting with the cast and crew. According to Douglas,"One of the things I have learned from the Belknap Mill Quilters Guild: a quilter is dying to tell you about their quilt and the stories behind it! If you like stories about real women with grit, tenacity, and the ability to find happiness in the simplest things, you will like this show."

The show performs Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. With limited seating advanced tickets are recommended and can be purchased via the link below. Tickets are $20, and may also be purchased at the door by cash or check.

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative is a program of the Belknap Mill and the resident theatre company of the Colonial Theatre. Its 2023 season is sponsored by The Home Beautiful and Lavalley/Middleton Building Supply. For more info on all the programs of the Mill check out Belknapmill.org.

 

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