Lincoln in the Land of Bluegrass, an ambitious stage musical produced by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro has been scheduled to air on Kentucky Educational Television during the first week of November.
The production, which presents stories from Abraham Lincoln’s life set to bluegrass music, was directed by Dr. Teresa Wills and features hundreds of area elementary schoolchildren in acting, singing and dancing roles. The students, from Newton Parrish, Country Heights, Catholic 4-6 Campus, and Foust wrote melodies, lyrics and performed the songs they had penned. Lincoln is part of the larger IBMM ‘Bluegrass in the Schools’ (BITS) program.
The Lincoln musical was the brainchild of area mail carrier Rick Miller, who had researched and written the dialogue, as well as words to half of the songs, before pitching the idea to IBMM Director Gabrielle Gray. Miller and Gray enlisted the assistance of BITS volunteer Randy Lanham to compose music for Miller’s songs and to tutor the student actors and musicians in the art of traditional bluegrass songwriting.
Lanham then coordinated with the elementary school teachers who coached their students through the final production. Dance sequences were choreographed by Barry Lanham of the dance troupe Foot Stompin’ Express, which also performed in Lincoln. Students from Foust Elementary choreographed their own dance steps for the original song they had written for the musical.
In her role as producer of the event, Gray, emphasizes that the success of Lincoln in the Land of Bluegrass underscores the importance of educational programs to the IBMM mission. “As our board and staff go steadfastly about the business of nurturing, sponsoring and growing bluegrass from our youth up, it is wonderful to get to see the results of our efforts not only appreciated but ‘limelighted’ by others,” she says.
Educational programs at the IBMM are made possible through donations, grants and sponsorship by various individuals and organizations, including the Michael E. Horn Family Foundation, Kentucky Arts Council, Lester E. Yeager Charitable Trust and D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts. The museum plans to mount a similar musical production on the life of Bill Monroe, to be performed at their Centennial Celebration of his birth on Sept 13, 2011.
Lincoln in the Land of Bluegrass airs on Kentucky Educational Television:
Tuesday, November 3, 8:00 p.m. CST
Wednesday, November 4, 12:00 a.m. CST
Wednesday, November 4, 12:00 p.m. CST
Friday, November 6, 11:00 p.m. CST
Saturday, November 7, 1:00 a.m. CST
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