Family Album
By Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Directed by Joanna Settle
Originally produced at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, OR.
July 1, 2014 through August 31, 2014
(Photo: Stew and Heidi Rodewald)
About the Premiere Production
Does settling down mean selling your soul? Singer/songwriter Heimvey and his band have been on the road for years, living their middle-aged version of the rock n’ roll dream, fueled by gigs in bars and concert halls. When they stop to visit old friends – a former bandmate, along with an ex-girlfriend who has created a new life that blends art and family – they all begin to question the choices they have made. This hilarious and poignant story of a road weary rock band by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the team behind the Tony Award-winning hit Passing Strange, takes wicked aim at the tradeoffs and dilemmas facing anyone trying to reconcile the dreams of youth with the practical realities of grownup life.
Artistic Statement
In 2010, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival commissioned two of the most prolific and creative artists in American musical theatre to conceive a work of art that would build on the anticipated success of the use of rock music in two other OSF premieres then in development: Party People (2012) and The Unfortunates (2013.) Four years later, we are celebrating the result, in a world premiere for one of the largest theatre audiences on the West Coast. Family Album promises to be a deep and entertaining meditation on aging and on balancing one’s youthful dreams with the responsibilities of middle age.
-Bill Rauch, Artistic Director
Grant Statement
The Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award is funding two weeks of additional rehearsal to firmly install Family Album’s conceptual framework, resolve staging challenges early before primary rehearsals, deal with musical issues and iron out the characters to ensure the readiness of this rollicking and irreverent musical for a July 2014 premiere.
-Bill Rauch, Artistic Director
Director: Joanna Settle
Set Design: Andrew Lieberman
Lighting Design: James Cox
Sound Design: ACME
Costume Design: Tilly Grimes
Additional Funders: The Hobbes Family, Michael and Leslie Schroeder.