Main-Travelled Roads (2008)
Life and loves in the early Midwest.
at TBG Theater (312 W. 36th Street)
MAIN-TRAVELED ROADS is set in turn-of-the-century Wisconsin and is based on the short stories of Hamlin Garland, who's authentic and heart-breaking tales of American rural life inspired such great naturalistic novelists as John Steinbeck and Theodore Dreiser.
Hudson and Libman's book and score stay true to Garland's stories about the texture of Midwestern farm life, focusing on the intimate and moving, and the timeless and relevant struggles of Americans working in the bittersweet heartland of our country.
Approximate Running Time: 2:00; no intermission
Dave Hudson (left) and Paul Libman (right) began working together in 2002, after Paul left a successful advertising jingle career for the much more lucrative and reliable world of musical theatre.
Less than three months later, they landed their first professional contract with American Folklore Theatre, where their initial collaboration, Muskie Love, played for two summers.
In 2004 they created Dust and Dreams: Celebrating Sandburg (originally Bringers). Dust and Dreams won the 2005 Richard Rodgers Development Award for New Musicals, and was also presented at Chicago's Stages Festival of New Musicals.
Their next effort, Main-Travelled Roads, was selected for the 2006 Stages Festival, was featured twice in the Madison Rep's Festival of New Plays, and was the winner of the 2007 Richard Rodgers Award. Produced at AFT in the fall of 2007, Main-Travelled Roads was presented at the New York Barrow Street Theatre in March 2008.
Paul and Dave's newest musical, A Cabin with a View was commissioned by AFT and played to full houses throughout summer 2007. Work is currently underway for their next AFT commission.
Both Dave and Paul are alumni members of the Musical Writers Workshop at Theatre Building Chicago.
(see above)
for more info on Libman and Hudson and their shows - go to:
http://www.libmanhudson.com
YANK! a new musical (The Gallery Players - GLAAD Award nominee with Bobby Steggert, Jeffry Denman and Nancy Anderson), THE CHOCOLATE TREE (NAMT with Cady Huffman and Christopher Sieber), UNLOCK'D (NYMF 2007 Best In Fest Award; Outstanding New Musical 2007 - Talkin' Broadway Summer Theatre Festival Citation), the all-star concert MY FIRST TIME (New World Stages with Matthew Cavenaugh, Hunter Foster, Ann Harada, John Tartaglia and Mary Testa), COMMON GROUNDS (NYMF 2006 Award for Excellence in Direction), YANK! (NYMF - Outstanding New Musical
2005 - Talkin' Broadway; NYMF Audience Award - 1st runner up). LIKE YOU LIKE IT (Theatre Under The Stars/TUTS - Sam Houston State University joint production), THE CHOCOLATE TREE (New Jersey Rep),) UNLOCK'D (The York Theatre Developmental Series), A RITUAL OF FAITH (The Lion Theatre). Regional credits
include: VIOLET, THE SPITFIRE GRILL, THE FULL MONTY, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AMERICA (abridged). Igor is an on-going director of musical theatre industry showcases at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. www.igorgoldin.com
to come
To Come
Stacie is thrilled to be a part of Main Travelled Roads! Recently, Stacie won the New Hampshire Theatre Award for Best Actress in Musical for Eve in The Apple Tree. National Tour: Barbie Live! In Fairytopia (Laverna). New York credits: Going Down Swinging (Lina Zehrer), Regional credits: The Last Five Years (Cathy), Cold as Ice (Maya Propova), Bingo the Musical (Honey), Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), Me & My Girl (Sally), Crazy for You (Polly), and Brigadoon (Fiona). Film: When a Man Falls in the Forest (Sadie). Graduate of NYU (Tisch-CAP21). Proud AEA member.
To come.
To come
NATIONAL TOUR: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. OFF-BROADWAY: The Joys of Sex, Godspell.. NYMF: The Children, Yank!, Tim and Scrooge, The Happy Prince.
NAMT: Meet John Doe. SELECTED REGIONAL: Signature Theatre: Assassins, The Gospel According to Fishman; Goodspeed Opera House: Lizzie Borden; Westport Country Playhouse: The Immigrant (Connecticut Critics Circle nom.); Florida Stage: The Spitfire Grill; Actors' Playhouse: The Full Monty (Carbonell Award), Floyd Collins (Carbonell Award), Beauty and the Beast (Carbonell Award nom.), Urinetown (Carbonell Award nom.), Songs for a New World; SpeakEasy Stage: The Last Five Years (IRNE Award nom).
01 - Main-Travelled Roads Title Song
The cast of the Fall 2007 AFT production sing the title song.
Credit: The AFT Cast-Recording
02 - Small Town Telegraph
Will and Aggie commiserate on the nature of gossip in a small town.
Credit: Chase Stoeger and Molly Rhode in a clip from the Fall 2007 AFT production.
03 - Threshing
Dave Johnson and company bring a thresher to life in the song "threshing".
Credit: John Leen and the cast in a clip from the Fall 2007 AFT Recording.
04 - Creamery Man
The Creamery Man is the most popular visitor among the farms on his route, especially among the young women
Credit: The AFT cast in a clip from the Fall 2007 Recording.
05 - Yankee Girls
Nina a Dutch (German) girl longs to become a true American in order to capture the heart of Ed, the Creamery Man.
Credit: Denita Linnertz as Nina in a clip from the AFT 2007 Recording.
06 - Old Maid, Old Goat
In this song, Otis and Delia Hall are two newlyweds still enjoying their newfound married blissfulness.
Credit: Chase Stoeger and Denita Linnertz from the Fall 2007 AFT production.
07 - Another Surprise
Aggie and her baby get ready for a rare trip to town and shopping.
Credit: Molly Rhode in a clip from the AFT Recording.
08 - Nina The Dutch Girl
Nina has been making progress in her process of Amerification.
Credit: The AFT cast in a clip from the Fall 2007 Recording.
09 - You - Can't Go Home
Will returns home after several years absence, finding much changed, but his emotions much the same.
Credit: Chase Stoeger in a clip from the AFT recording.
10 - Epilogue
The Epilogue where we learn the fates of the characters we've come to know.
Credit: The AFT cast in a clip from the Fall 2007 Recording.
CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR "MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS"
Stacie Bono, Alison Cimmet, Joseph Mahowald and Tally Sessions will feature in the presentations of MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS, while will be seen in a series of free staged readings at the TBG Theatre from March 21 through March 29.
