Lumberjacks: The Musical! is an original musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 with music by Benjamin Wooley and book and lyrics by Brian Brems and Jeremy Wackerlin. It debuted in Oswego, Illinois

Oswego, Illinois

Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326...

 at the Oswego East Performing Arts Center at Oswego East High School

Oswego East High School

Oswego East High School, or OEHS, is a public four-year coeducational high school located in Oswego, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Oswego Community Unit School District 308, which also includes Oswego High School...

 in 2009. It is the first original musical for The Limelight Theatre Company.

It is a satirical show, meant to poke fun at its own genre of musicals. It was inspired by the amount of flannel the Company had accumulated over the years.

Directed by: Brian Brems and Jeremy Wackerlin

Music Direction and Choreography by: Adrian Aguilar

Stage Manager and Lighting Design: Andrew Lia

Costume and Makeup Design: Elizabeth Husted

Plot summary

Carlton, the son of a senator travels to a Lumber-town, in rural Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, called Woodsburg. Upon arrival he is sent to the forest where he stumbles upon local Lumberjacks. He requests to become one of them but doesn't get the answer he wants. Meanwhile, Xavier Dalton Kilpatrick, a business mogul in the logging industry, gets a visit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ and announces his plans to take over Woodsburg. He goes to the little town in attempts to persuade the townspeople to sell their land to him. Some are more enthused than others. The rest of the show follows town's struggles against Kilpatrick and his evil deeds as well as their struggle within themselves.

Original cast members

• Carlton: Michael Leali

• Madeline Cartwright: Jordan Caulk

• Xavier Dalton Kilpatrick: Nick Pankuch

• Geoff: Anthony Kayer

• Annie: Kelly Zimmer

• Hans: Kevin Pajor

• Johan: Mike Arney

• Lambert: Ben Torres

• Benedict: Spencer Williams

• Horace: Nick Benz

• Grant: Ethan Ylisela

• Evelyn: Jessie Meyer

• The Baker: John Griffin

• Kern: Renee Niederkorn

• Ross: Jeremiah Adams

• Beverly: Sam Hennessy

• Rebecca: Julia Liddell

• Sheila: Nicki Harris

• Charlene: Jessica Edwards

• Bridget: Amanda McMillion

• Marigold Whet: Jessica Parkhurst

• Rhonda: Allison Caulk

• Wild-Eyed Woman: Allison Caulk

• Aldrich Worthingman: Freddie Zimmer

Musical numbers

Act I

• "Good Morning, Woodsburg" – Lumberjacks/wives, Townspeople
• "The Lumberjack Ranks" – Lumberjacks, Carlton
• "Trust Me" – Kilpatrick, Lumberjacks/wives, Townspeople
• "A Forest For Two" – Carlton, Madeline
• "The Life of A Lumberwife" – Wives
• "An Axe To Grind" – Company

Act II

• "Am I The City" – Carlton
• "You'll Always Be A Lumberjack To Me" – Annie, Geoff
• "Anything But A Baker" – Evelyn, Baker
• "This Little Town/L-U-M-B-E-R-JACKS!" – Company

Video

• First Rehearsal, Sight Reading
• Rehearsal: Week 2
• "Trust Me"
• Production Diary #4
• Interview w/ Creative Team Pt. 1
• Creative Team Interview Pt. 2
• Tech Week

External links

• The Limelight Theatre Company

• The Oswego East Performing Arts Center

• Beacon News: Lumberjacks