Quilters (musical)
Encyclopedia
Quilters is a musical with a book by Molly Newman
and Barbara Damashek, and lyrics and music by Barbara Damashek. It is about the lives of American pioneer
women based on the book The Quilters:Women and Domestic Art by Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen. The show was originally developed and produced by the Denver Center Theater Company
, Brockman Seawell, executive producer. It had a brief run on Broadway
in 1984.
, California, in December 1983; the Pittsburgh Public Theater
from December 16, 1983 to January 30, 1984; and for 7 weeks at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC starting August 4, 1984 through September 1984. Damashek directed Quilters at the Edinburgh Festival, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum.
Quilters opened on Broadway at the Jack Lawrence Theatre
on September 25, 1984 and closed on October 14, 1984 after 24 performances and 5 previews. It was directed by Barbara Damashek, with scenic design by Ursula Belden, costume design by Elizabeth Palmer, and lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, and featured Lenka Peterson as Sarah. Despite an unfavorable review from the New York Times and short run, the musical was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The musical has been performed by numerous college and community theater groups across the United States. In 1986, the Frontier Follies (an outreach governed by the board of directors at the Frontier Village) in Jamestown, North Dakota presented the first outdoor theater production of Quilters with actress Mary Reinhardt performing the role of one of the the multi-faceted "daughters." Composers Tania S. Wahl and Carrie Kraft were employed, respectively, as Director and Musical Director for the presentation. A full, stage-size quilt was constructed at the University of North Dakota for the production. Some in the conservative midwestern area questioned the inclusion of the herbal abortion allusion in the Frontier Follies production.
The Denver Center Theater Company again presented the musical May 22 through June 12, 2009. Barbara Damashek revived her role as director for Quilters at the Edinburgh Festival, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum. In 2009, the Missouri History Museum, Forest Park presented Quilters in one of the settings from the musical.
Act II
wrote " Quilters is a static melange of skits, monologues and songs unified by a theme rather than a sustained plot or characters."
The Washington Post reviewer wrote: " 'Quilters' should probably be billed as a "play with music," lest you go expecting a big musical number to lift the proceedings a peg or two. Nothing is really big in this production. Its greatest strength is its unassuming honesty. It creates moods, more than it does drama, and its best moods are straightforward, like the people it is celebrating...The script is divided loosely into 16 sections or "blocks," dealing with such themes as childbirth, school days, windmills, courtship, weddings, country roads, religion and even log cabins. At the start of each section, one of the actresses unfolds a piece of quilting, which incorporates that particular concern into its design. Handsome and tidy pieces of work, they combine at the end to make one huge quilt, which is raised high, the flag of pioneer womanhood. It is a transcendent finale."
Molly Newman
Molly Newman is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer who is most known for work on shows such as The Larry Sanders Show "Frasier" "Murphy Brown" "Tracey Takes On..." "Maximum Bob" and Brothers & Sisters....
and Barbara Damashek, and lyrics and music by Barbara Damashek. It is about the lives of American pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
women based on the book The Quilters:Women and Domestic Art by Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen. The show was originally developed and produced by the Denver Center Theater Company
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts ' is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, a graduate-level training school for actors, acting classes for the community and rental...
, Brockman Seawell, executive producer. It had a brief run on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1984.
Productions
The Denver Center Theater Company produced the world premiere of Quilters in 1982. The musical then was produced at the Mark Taper Forum, Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California, in December 1983; the Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
from December 16, 1983 to January 30, 1984; and for 7 weeks at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC starting August 4, 1984 through September 1984. Damashek directed Quilters at the Edinburgh Festival, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum.
Quilters opened on Broadway at the Jack Lawrence Theatre
Jack Lawrence
Jack Lawrence was an American songwriter. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.- Biography :...
on September 25, 1984 and closed on October 14, 1984 after 24 performances and 5 previews. It was directed by Barbara Damashek, with scenic design by Ursula Belden, costume design by Elizabeth Palmer, and lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, and featured Lenka Peterson as Sarah. Despite an unfavorable review from the New York Times and short run, the musical was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The musical has been performed by numerous college and community theater groups across the United States. In 1986, the Frontier Follies (an outreach governed by the board of directors at the Frontier Village) in Jamestown, North Dakota presented the first outdoor theater production of Quilters with actress Mary Reinhardt performing the role of one of the the multi-faceted "daughters." Composers Tania S. Wahl and Carrie Kraft were employed, respectively, as Director and Musical Director for the presentation. A full, stage-size quilt was constructed at the University of North Dakota for the production. Some in the conservative midwestern area questioned the inclusion of the herbal abortion allusion in the Frontier Follies production.
The Denver Center Theater Company again presented the musical May 22 through June 12, 2009. Barbara Damashek revived her role as director for Quilters at the Edinburgh Festival, The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum. In 2009, the Missouri History Museum, Forest Park presented Quilters in one of the settings from the musical.
Plot summary
In the American West, a pioneer woman, Sarah, and six women, who are called her daughters, face frontier life. Rather than a straightforward storyline, the musical is presented as a series of short tales and tableaux matched with musical numbers, each presenting an aspect of frontier life or womanhood. The patches or blocks show "girlhood, marriage, childbirth, spinsterhood, twisters, fire, illness and death." The patches are ultimately put together to form one dramatic tableaux.Songs
Act 1- Pieces of Lives (first four lines from "The Quilt" by Dorothy MacFarlane)
- Rocky Road
- Little Babes That Sleep All Night (lyrics from "Our Homes and Their Adornments" by Almon C. Varney)
- Thread the Needle
- Cornelia
- The Windmill Song
- Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb by E.A. Hoffman
- The Butterfly
- Pieces of Lives (Reprise)
- Green, Green, Green
- The Needle's Eye (chorus from the lyric of a traditional folk song)
Act II
- Hoedown (traditional)
- Quiltin' and Dreamin'
- Pieces of Lives (Reprise)
- Every Log in My House (first line by Eleanor Pruitt Stewart)
- Land Where We'll Never Grow Old by J.C. Moore
- Who Will Count the Stitches?
- The Lord Don't Rain Down Manna
- Dandelion (lyrics by Clara J. Denton from the poem "Blooming in the Fall")
- Everything Has a Time
- Hands Around
Response
In his New York Times review Frank RichFrank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
wrote " Quilters is a static melange of skits, monologues and songs unified by a theme rather than a sustained plot or characters."
The Washington Post reviewer wrote: " 'Quilters' should probably be billed as a "play with music," lest you go expecting a big musical number to lift the proceedings a peg or two. Nothing is really big in this production. Its greatest strength is its unassuming honesty. It creates moods, more than it does drama, and its best moods are straightforward, like the people it is celebrating...The script is divided loosely into 16 sections or "blocks," dealing with such themes as childbirth, school days, windmills, courtship, weddings, country roads, religion and even log cabins. At the start of each section, one of the actresses unfolds a piece of quilting, which incorporates that particular concern into its design. Handsome and tidy pieces of work, they combine at the end to make one huge quilt, which is raised high, the flag of pioneer womanhood. It is a transcendent finale."
Awards and nominations
Tony AwardTony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
- Best Musical — Produced by The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The American National Theater and AcademyAmerican National Theater and AcademyThe American National Theatre and Academy is a non-profit theatre producer and training organization that was established in 1935 to be the official United States national theatre that would be an alternative to the for-profit Broadway houses of the day....
, Brockman Seawell, Excutive Producer (nominee) - Best Book of a Musical — Molly Newman, Barbara Damashek (nominee)
- Best Original Score — Music by Barbara Damashek; Lyrics by Barbara Damashek (nominee)
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical
- Evalyn Baron (nominee)
- Lenka Peterson (nominee)
- Best Direction of a Musical — Barbara Damashek (nominee)