BEMIDJI — Winters can be long in Northern Minnesota. However, in the springtime all that snow eventually becomes water.
That served as an inspiration for the title of the new musical Water from Snow, said Janet Preus, the show’s author, producer and director. She believes it’s an apt metaphor for what happens in the show.
Water from Snow takes place in a little town on a lake in Northern Minnesota. The show tackles serious issues like coercive control, abuse, racism against Indigenous people, generational differences and single motherhood.
But during a recent Area Voices interview on the KAXE Morning Show, Preus said that doesn’t mean there won’t be funny moments in the show, too. “Like life, right?”
It’s a story about a single mom with a rough life who has been adrift. Her mother — a single mom as well — dies, and she must go home to deal with it.
“The story is her coming to terms with her past, reconnecting with old friends, of finding her way in life and getting her feet under her," Preus said, "and realizing that she has value and can do something worthwhile for the rest of her life and for her 15-year-old daughter."
Preus always had the story as a musical in mind. She wrote some songs that told stories, and she has spent so much of her life involved in theater that it started to feel like these songs could be sung by characters in a show.
Since then, she wrote more songs and found collaborators to help with the show: Robert Elhai and Fred Steele. When asked how they originally got involved, Preus said with a laugh, “I kind of hunted them down."
Elhai was doing a showcase during the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and he came up to Preus and asked about a song she wrote. It was a song meant for Water from Snow, and he was really interested in it.
“So, I said, ‘Well, would you like to arrange it?’ and he kind of laughed at me, and I thought, this guy's a very highly accomplished composer, arranger, [and] orchestrator," she said. "So yeah, it took a little convincing, but once we got working together, it worked really well.”
As for how Steele became involved, Preus sang in a volunteer choir directed by J.D. Steele. While J.D. was directing, his brother Fred Steele was playing keys.
“The Steele family in Minneapolis are just music royalty,” Preus said. “ ... I swear Fred played one measure and I said, 'That's it. I want that guy.'"
With Steele and Elhai on board, Preus said she thinks the songs are at another level. They even wrote some songs for the show as well. She said they are great collaborators.
“It is possible to have collaborators that don't really collaborate easily, but they I think we are all kind of reading off the same page ... we have enough respect for each other that it kind of works.”
Preus received Region 2 Arts Council grant as an individual artist to start things off. The group is also soliciting support through Bemidji area businesses.
Water from Snow has a cast size of about 15. It’s an ensemble show and everyone will participate in the action and sing.
“Basically, I want people who can sing in tune and have a great attitude," she said. " ... I'm real comfortable working with not-as-experienced performers, and I think I'm just excited about having the prospect of working with area performers exclusively in this.”
Auditions are 5:30–7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at the United Methodist Church in Bemidji. The performances are at the Rail River Folk School in the spring. Performing the shows there was an easy decision for Preus.
“I walked into the space and I said I wouldn't really need a set in here," she said. " ... Much of the story takes place in a cafe/bar and they have a bar ... and I love the idea of having it be more of an immersive experience for the audience.”
Even before auditions, many people have helped get this show together and Preus would welcome even more participants.
“There is just so much that needs to be accomplished in order to pull it together, and I'm just so pleased with the wonderful individuals who are either theater practitioners or theater enthusiasts who are helping to pull this off. It's been really gratifying.”
The show has also been collaborative by connecting with Evergreen Youth and Family Services to help them share in after-performance discussions. They have also reached out to senior facilities and tribal communities.
No one will be turned away for an inability to pay. There is a fundraising goal to get enough supporters to cover ticket costs for people unable to afford the show.
“If you want to come, just come and we'll cover your ticket.”
It’s been a long process getting this show together. Preus learned to write theater after spending time directing theater. She has been workshopping in Chicago and going to songwriting workshops in Nashville.
“This is a really tight show with good music, good songs. I have collaborators who are absolutely top-notch professionals. I have a wonderful community of people from around Bemidji participating," Preus said. " ... They want to be a part of it because I think they believe in it, too, and that just feels great. I just want everybody to come and see it. It would be so great.”
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.