Reverie, A New Musical Premiere 🦋
“Reverie: a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; a daydream”
It seems fitting that an unlikely fairytale was born out of unprecedented times. During the pandemic lock down I settled in to read the treasure trove of diaries and letters that I had unearthed from my grandmother's basement and became lost in thought. Sometimes in the midst of crisis it can be hard to find magic and wonder, but as I read my great-grandmother's diaries, I saw that Lorene faced one challenge after another including losing her ability to walk, but never stopped believing in the magic of life. As I sifted through pages upon pages, I had the compelling feeling that a person wouldn’t have documented this much of her life unless she wanted her story told. My grandmother had always hoped someone would write a book based on her mother’s diaries, but never imagined a musical. Since she was a pianist, I thought, what a better way to capture a musician’s life than through a musical! So, in this untethered time my thoughts wandered, and I began to daydream. This is the story of Reverie.
As I immersed myself in Lorene’s words penned decades ago, a story began formulating in my head. The people I read about began to come alive, and I imagined what they would say to each other and how they would express themselves through song. Through photos and mementos tucked into the pages, I got to know the faces and expressions of Lorene, her parents, Minnie and Charley, and her lifelong best friend, Louise. I ran across a photo of Minnie and Charley’s first child that died and thought of how sad and scared they must have been when Lorene became terribly ill as a child, and this became the song “Robin’s Wings.” My grandmother, Elaine, also became a character and I included stories she verbally told me. One time her grandfather, Charley, made a meteorite to fool everyone and another time she washed a friend’s hair in the toilet and cut off a curl when playing beauty parlor. These tales became part of the script and helped make the characters feel real. The divorce was the most delicate part of the story to tell, “Something’s Missing.” There is so much shame surrounding divorce, especially in Lorene’s time period. Yet, I wanted to express that Lorene’s life had so much meaning and was not defined by her challenges. As I poured through the countless pages of Lorene’s diaries, it seemed as if she just didn’t have enough pages to capture everything she wanted to say. This thought gave me the idea for “Ink Left Unwritten,” a trio performed by three versions of Lorene at various ages. I ran across a letter written to Lorene by her best friend Louise as Lorene was nearing the end of her life. In this letter, Louise gives Lorene advice on what to do when you are feeling like you are in quicksand, which became the basis for the song, “Quicksand,” sung by Louise. Throughout Lorene’s life, her music, family, friends, and fairy stories provided solace even in the darkest of times.
April 12, 2023, was the day my dreams became a reality. With the help of my talented cast and crew, Reverie premiered in the Dan Zollars auditorium at Shawnee Mission East High School. Seeing so many people there to support us was an indescribable feeling. Hundreds of beaming faces looked back at us as we took our final bow, and at that point, everything felt right. Even though Reverie was the grand finale of my senior year of high school, it seems this is just the beginning. I learned so much through the creative process including that large goals are accomplished through being dedicated to a series of small steps. My love for connecting with people through the arts has never been greater, and I also gained a new love for directing, something I had never done before Reverie. My cast and crew had faith in the unknown and unattempted- the first show at SME to be student written, directed, and produced. I believe the most special aspect of theatre is sharing the experience with others and the sense of collaboration. I am so grateful for the many people who spent time on this project and came to the show. I look forward to taking all I learned from this experience with me as I head to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where I plan on majoring in Songwriting and minoring in Theatre. My goals include writing music for theatre, film, and the music industry. Reverie’s next adventure has already been dreamed up- Reverie, an unlikely fairytale, circus edition! It seems this story would not be complete without a little flying!
