GRAND RAPIDS — It’s a lot of work to put on a musical. To put on an original musical can be an even bigger task.
BOLD-choice Theater is doing just that with their original production Sundown on the Jasper County Jewel.
The musical is about The Jewel, once the most illustrious honky-tonk venue in the whole country. However, changing times have brought The Jewel to almost ruin. When a traveling band is booked at the once-popular venue, the eccentric owner tells them tales of the historic and legendary performances at The Jewel.
BOLD-choice Theater is a community theater based out of Duluth. They are an inclusive theater company and most of their actors are people living with developmental disabilities with ages ranging from 20s to 70s. For 18 years, they have performed in Duluth and traveled with their original shows.
Annie Roseen is the director of Sundown on the Jasper County Jewel. On Area Voices, she said the planning process for their original shows begins almost a year before performances, with meetings and discussions of what they can tackle. BOLD-choice Theater has staged shows based on Alice in Wonderland, sci-fi B-movies, and various other genres.
The most recent planning session had a lot of support for doing a musical, which Roseen described as a huge undertaking.
“We happen to have one of our music directors [who is] very well versed in creating music. Otherwise, I don't know if we could have done an original musical," she said. "But we started saying, ‘Well, let's start with where are we? Who are we? If we decide on a space, then what kind of characters end up in that space, and what stories do we want to be sure to tell?’”
They decided to do a country musical because the songs can be silly, serious and heartbreaking. The next decision was setting, and a music venue was chosen. The creators thought the venue could tell stories about all the people who may have performed there.
Roseen said, “Lots of weeks of improv and then lots of weeks of me and Toby Churchill, our music director, kind of forming those improvisations into scripts. And then we start practicing and see what works best until we have a whole show.”
The premiere performance of Sundown on the Jasper County Jewel was at the Norshor Theater earlier this year. It sold out, with over 600 people in attendance. That led to the show getting booked at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids.
Some people performing will be from Itasca Life Options, a local nonprofit that seeks to create opportunities for life skills and employment for all abilities. Itasca Life Options members attended the premiere and thought Grand Rapids would be a great place for the play.
“One, because it's a great show, and also just seeing folks with disabilities kind of excelling, does good for all communities, especially disability communities,” Roseen said.
BOLD-choice Theater has seen a lot of changes in its last 18 years.
“I think we're continually trying to bridge the gap between disability services really recognizing and honoring what a big deal arts can play in people's lives. And I have seen that increase over the years as something that is less of us trying to convince them that it does and more of a proof of life.”
They began with performances in schools using gym mats as curtains. Now, they produce full-scale musicals in large theaters with people who have been acting for 18 years in their shows.
“We're more respected, we have more opportunities. We have grown as artists and the stories have been able to reflect the growth of the artists.”
Tickets for Sundown on the Jasper County Jewel at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, are available at the Reif Center and its website. To follow upcoming BOLD-choice Theater productions, you can find them on Facebook, Instagram and now TikTok.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
