"Is your soul alive? Then let it feed!" exclaims one of the characters in Spoon River Anthology, written in 1915 by Edgar Lee Masters. This classic work is a collection of short free-verse poems that collectively narrate the epitaphs of the dearly-departed residents of Spoon River, now buried in the cemetery on the hill. Set in post-Civil War America, the aim of the poems was to demystify rural and small-town American life and debunk any notion that it was always white picket fence “quaint” or “simple”. As the citizens provide elegiac accounts of their lives, loves, losses, and manner of death, many of the poems contain cross-references that create an unabashedly candid tapestry of a complex and nuanced community. Masters’ language gives the story of each of these lives a compelling urgency, no matter how rich or common.

Partnering with the Historical Society to include monologues created for some of the storied denizens from Waterville Valley’s historic past, as well as musicians from the Fiddlehead Field Youth String Orchestra and with new music and songs created just for this production, we will breathe new life into this time-honored work. Despite its inclusion of a few bleak accounts of some of the more bittersweet aspects of life, our workshop production of the musical version we are creating will be a “feel-good” celebration that encourages our audiences to “gather their rosebuds (or daisies) while they may”. Unlike the late denizens of Spoon River, who realize all too well that the life they left behind is the only one they’re getting, the performers who portray them—a mix of adult professional actors, community members and kids—will be reincarnated many times as they play multiple characters; via changes of accents and costumes.

Our memento mori musical (literal translation, “remember you must die”) will be a journey into a rich, vibrant, immersive, musical celebration of LIFE!