The Theatre at Marietta College Opens the Musical Quilters

January 27, 2010

The Theatre at Marietta College continues its 2009-2010 season “Pieces of Lives, Journeys through Time” with the musical Quilters. The six show run opens on Thursday, February 4 at 8:00pm. Performances continue on February 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 8:00pm and conclude on February 14 at 2:00pm. All performances are in the Friederich Theatre of the Hermann Fine Arts Center at the corner of Fourth and Butler streets on the Marietta College Campus.

The Theatre and Music Departments celebrate Marietta College’s 175th anniversary with this uplifting musical about a pioneer woman who gifts a Legacy Quilt to her daughters. A series of tales and songs richly endow each quilt block with meaning and emotion. Presented in conjunction with the Art exhibition “Women in Fiber: from Craft to Art” Jan. 23 - Feb. 21 in the Hermann Fine Arts Center 3rd floor gallery.

The musical Quilters has its beginnings in the book The Quilters: Women in Domestic Art by Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen. Quilters debuted at the Denver Center Theatre Company 1982 and moved to Broadway in 1984. The Broadway production received Tony nominations for best musical, best book, and best score. The Washington Post remarked that the show’s “greatest strength is its unassuming honesty.”

The Marietta College production is directed by Assistant Professor Jeffrey M. Cordell. Of the production Cordell says, “This musical speaks to me—and I imagine to so many people who encounter it—because I was raised by women who sew, crochet, embroider, and knit. My mother made most of my play clothes as a child and then turned those memories into quilts which have kept me warm ever since. Quilters is a powerful musical because it is based on facts and tells true stories about the beauty and strength pioneer women found in themselves, in their families, and in the daily work of their hands. We are eager to share Quilters with our community in this historic pioneer area because it is family friendly, has spirited and memorable music, and just may be the beginning of a new quilting or story telling legacy.” The Marietta College production also features music direction by Dr. David M. Tadlock and choreography by Lori Patton.

Tickets may be reserved by calling the Theatre at Marietta College Box Office at 740-376-4678 or purchased before the show. Ticket prices are $10.00 for adults, $9.00 for seniors, and $8.00 for students. Tickets for Marietta College students and employees are free. For more information, contact Dorothy Leifheit at 740-376-4688 or dwl001@marietta.edu.