Quilters (musical)
| Quilters | |
|---|---|
Broadway Playbill
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| Music | Barbara Damashek |
| Lyrics | Barbara Damashek |
| Book |
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| Basis | The Quilters:Women and Domestic Arts by Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen |
| Productions | 1982 Denver 1984 Broadway |
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.
The Denver Center Theater Company produced the world premiere of Quilters in 1982. The musical then was produced at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 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 (where it won a Fringe First Award), The Dublin Theatre Festival, The Pittsburgh Public Theater, 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 Frank Rich in 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 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 outdoor production. Some in the conservative midwestern area questioned the inclusion of the herbal abortion allusion in the Frontier Follies production.
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