Musical Theater Performance Journal

St. Olaf Theatre Department presents "Violet"

Henry Lewers — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:53:58 +0000

This fall, the St. Olaf Theatre Department presented Violet, with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Brian Cawley. Violet is a young girl who has a terrible scar that runs across her face, which she received when her father lost control of his axe. The musical tells the story of her pilgrimage from Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be healed by a television preacher. The musical is based on a short story entitled The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts. It was directed by Professor Karen Wilson, and I served as the music director and pianist. The show ran in St. Olaf's Haugen Theater, a small black box, from October 6-11.

St. Olaf Theatre Department presents "Assassins"

Henry Lewers — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:40:59 +0000

Last spring, the St. Olaf Theatre Department presented Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, a revue-style portray of men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate Presidents of the United States. The production was presented April 9-18 in Kelsey Theatre and was directed by Artist in Residence in Theatre Gary Gisselman, with music direction by Eric Sayre '10. I served as one of two rehearsal pianists and synthesizer players in the pit.

St. Olaf Theatre Department presents "Brother Wolf"

Henry Lewers — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 03:49:03 +0000

For their annual interim production, the St. Olaf Theatre Department presented Brother Wolf, an Appalachian re-telling of the Beowulf story, written by Preston Lane with original music by Laurelyn Dossett. The production was directed by Professor Karen Wilson, with musical direction by Chris Ganza. I served as the assistant musical director and pianist. The production ran February 12-20, 2009 in Kelsey Theater.

New Thalian Players present "The Wizard of Oz"

Henry Lewers — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:29:49 +0000

The New Thalian Players produced and presented The Wizard of Oz as this year's installment of "Theater In The Park". The New Thalian Players is a theater company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, and they have been providing high quality community theatre to the area since their inception in 1983. To learn more, visit their website by clicking here.

Performances of The Wizard of Oz were July 18, 19, 25, 26 at the Veterans Memorial Park

(Henry Lewers played piano in the pit for the show.)

High Mowing School presents "Bye Bye Birdie"

Henry Lewers — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:25:35 +0000

This year's Spring Play at High Mowing School was Bye Bye Birdie. The show, directed by Dale Coye, was performed to full houses April 24-26 at the Pine Hill Waldorf School.

Click here to see pictures from the show.

"For Good" inaugurates New Big Room at High Mowing School

Henry Lewers — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:23:34 +0000

The New Big Room at High Mowing School was inaugurated on March 14 and 15 at 7:30 PM with the performance of For Good, a musical revue directed by Henry Lewers for his senior project. The cast included vocalists Michiko Takahashi, Serena Nelson, Mira Moeller, Caitlin Gillam, Jeremy Gillam, and Matt Frost, with Henry Lewers on piano, Seamus Conley on drums, and Elise MacDonald on bass. The show included songs from contemporary musicals on Broadway today and from the past twenty years, including Avenue Q, Wicked, Songs for a New World, Phantom of the Opera, and The Last Five Years . The bigger, renovated room was used to its full capacity, and the Big Room is back once again. The performance was cabaret style, with drinks and light refreshments served before the show began.

Below is a video of For Good and the audio file of Christmas Lullaby, both songs from the show. Click the icon below to download the song. You can also click here to see pictures, and here to hear audio clips from the other songs in the show.

High Mowing School presents Gilbert and Sullivan's "Patience"

Henry Lewers — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:18:04 +0000

On April 28, 29, and 30, students from High Mowing School performed the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta Patience at Pine Hill Waldorf School. The production was directed by Dale Coye.

Click here to see pictures and video clips from the show.