Weston Theater Company to Present THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL

Escape to the mountains of Appalachia in a new play with old music, THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL - playing at Walker Farm from Aug 22 - Sept 1.

With gloriously authentic ‘Old Time’ and Bluegrass music, this heartwarming and uplifting new play tells the contemporary tale of a family reuniting against great odds. A young, bi-racial Korean American violinist and her boyfriend leave the confines of New York City for the freedom of the North Carolina mountains where the music of Appalachia offers the inspiration they’re searching for. When they come upon her old family home and the estranged grandfather she’s tried to forget, old hurts and new joy reveal themselves through the music that binds us all together.

Co-writer Sherry Stregack Lutken, Associate Director of the critically acclaimed WOODY SEZ with regional directing and choreography credits, THE BOURGEOIS GENTLEMAN, THE MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, and PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, among others, directs the production. Says Stregack Lutken, "We are thrilled to bring our play to Weston audiences. The Porch on Windy Hill incorporates some of America’s greatest old-time, traditional music -- performed in all its rollicking, comic, tragic and sentimental glory -- into a modern play, borne out of our country’s recent tumultuous history. It’s a powerful story about family, and the strength of love and honesty in the face of racism and ignorance, the healing power of music, and the possibility of redemption, forgiveness and hope for the future."

On its last stop of a three-theater-rollout, THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL makes its way to Weston from its first stop at the Northlight Theater in Chicago, bringing with it the cast from its second stop at Merrimack Repertory Theater in Massachusetts. David M. Lutken (at Weston: WOODY SEZ, Broadway: INHERIT THE WIND; RING OF FIRE, THE CIVIL WAR, THE Will Rogers FOLLIES), Co-Writer and Music Director of the piece, returns to Weston to play Edgar. EJ Zimmerman (Broadway: LES MISERABLES, National Tour: AVENUE Q, Off Broadway: THE PERFECT GAME, among others) makes her Weston debut as Mira, as does Rob Morrison (Off-Broadway: ASSASSINS, FRANKENSTEIN (CSC), AVENUE Q, among others) who rounds off the trio of actor-musicians as Beckett. Michael Cassara, CSA (with over 500 credits) oversaw casting.

Weston welcomes Set Designer from the Northlight Theater's production of THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL, Mara Ishihara Zinky (Recent productions include DIAL "M" FOR MURDER (Northlight Theater), NIGHTWATCH (Raven Theater), Routes (Remy Bumppo). Costume Designer Gregory Graham (Regional credits include THE TRAGEDY OF OTHELLO, THE MOORE OF VENICE, SHORT SHAKESPEARE! among others), Lighting Designer Dawn Chiang (Broadway credits include ZOOT SUIT and TANGO PASIÓN), and Sound Designer Sun Hee Kill (with design experience ranging from Broadway to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics) also make their Weston debuts. Co-writersLisa Helmi Johanson and Morgan Morse (also members of the original cast!) make up the rest of the creative team remotely. 

Discounts are available for Vermont residents. Tickets are available online and by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288.

Following THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL, question the fabric of reality in THE WOMAN IN BLACK.

Weston Theater Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theater and high-impact events; enrich the theater-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theater through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at westontheater.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.