this old haunt

Rebecca Wahls
(2022)

 

HAUNT
(verb) to reappear continually in
(noun) a place habitually frequented

Following her passing, Hetty, Selina, Caroline, and Penelope reunite at their former teacher’s cabin in the woods in Stowe, Vermont. She has left them a great gift: the cabin itself. The cosmic weight of their reunion causes a hole to open in the floor – leftover magic from a pact made as children. The four friends must break apart to come together. flitting back and forth through time, they must learn to embrace the cycles of life and forge a new path, together or apart.

“this old haunt” is an original musical developed by Maggie Marie Rodgers, Rebecca Wahls, and SMJ. Drawing on popular singer-songwriters’ sonic and aesthetic palettes, the design team and I created a lush, feminine world rich with saturated color and textures. The world is shrouded in mystery and history – a space that contains a beloved mentor’s entire life and holds enticing potential for young women.

Our musical is for everyone who longs to return to a time and place when magic was the answer to the problem. An analog world where time moves differently, where an hour and a year are the same. in essence: our childhood. What do we lose, and what do we gain, as we transition from growing up to growing older?  “this old haunt” has been developed over three years and continues to be developed further; the next closed reading (the first post-CMU production) will be in June 2023 at the Dramatists Guild. Bringing Maggie Marie Rodgers and SMJ to campus for two weeks was an essential step in the further development of this uniquely director-driven new musical creation process.

This project was made possible by FRFF full grant #2022-043.  More images can be found here.

this old haunt

Developed by Maggie Marie Rodgers, Rebecca Wahls, and SMJ

Music & Lyrics by Maggie Marie Rodgers

Book by SMJ

Directed by Rebecca Wahls

Additional arrangements by Annabelle Lee Revak

 

me to you (5/2/2021)

Hetty: Brittany Martz

Selina: MK

Caroline: Sally Clark

Penelope: Meghan Wright

Stage Directions: Henri Sudy

 

me to you (7/10/2021)

Hetty: Gianna Meaglia

Selina: Nina Roy

Caroline: Diana Quetti

Penelope: Ruthie Rado

Stage Directions: Henri Sudy

 

me to you (8/5/2021)

Hetty: Skye Lindberg

Selina: Acacia Danielson

Caroline: Emmy Kupe

Penelope: Ruthie Rado 

Stage Directions: Emily Erickson

 

this old haunt (9/25/2021)

Hetty: Skye Lindberg

Selina: Madison McVeigh

Caroline: Sally Clark

Penelope: Anne-Marie Pietersma

Stage Directions: Eliza Hallinan

 

this old haunt (2/13/2022)

Hetty: Brittany Martz

Selina: Jackie Salvador

Caroline: Diana Quetti 

Penelope: Hallie Griffin 

Stage Directions: Henri Sudy

 

Pre-workshop reading (6/5/2022)

Hetty: Brittany Marz

Selina: Rita Castagna

Caroline: Ceara Ludwith

Penelope: Lucy Hall

Stage Directions: Heni Sudy

 

Fort Salem Workshop (July 17-24, 2022)

Hetty: Brittany Marz

Selina: Rita Castagna

Caroline: Ceara Ludwith

Penelope: Kayla Zanakis

 

Music Director: Matt Zweibel

Dramaturgy: Julia “Juju” Nieto

Stage Directions/ Stage Manager: Autumn Fleming

Produced by Kyle West and Rebecca Wahls

 

CMU Production (November 19-30, 2022)

Hetty: Chloe Brown

Selina: Lucy Hall

Caroline: Annabelle Duffy

Penelope: Carolina Campos

 

Music Director: Billie Jo Miller

Guitar: James O’Malley Gorbea

Percussion: Etan Cohn

Violin: Andrew Gray

Cello: Vivian Antonio

 

Scenic Design: Peter M. Rule

Costume Design: Claire Duncan

Lighting Design: Xotchil Musser

Sound Design: Tate Abdullah

Dramaturg: Juju Nieto

Intimacy & Stunt Director: Andrew Smith

 

Stage Manager: Maggie Latham

Assistant Stage Manager: Brooke Anderson

 

Production Manager: Keen Ma

Assistant Production Manager: Maureen Pace

Project Manager: Vanessa Mills, Victor Gutierrez

Job Lead: Monica Tran

Wardrobe Supervisor: Hadley Holcomb

Lighting Programmer: Dean Thordarson

Lighting Manager: Jessica Winward

Assistant Lighting Manager: Xuewei Eva Hu

Sound Engineer & Mixer: Bridget Doherty

Assistant Sound Engineer: Daniel Ocanto

Assistant Director: Addie Saltz

Assistant Dramaturgs: Jacey Cassandra Lozada, Valerie Nayak

Assistant Scenic Design: Jonas Harrison

Assistant Lighting Design: Pablo Anton, Kennedi Dixon

 

Crew: Grace Alai, EJ Berry, Mo Cambron, Malcolm Ehlers, Jesus Feliciano, Valia Kavrakis, Cyril Neff, Allison Schneider, Aashir Sinha, and Mira Teng

 

Directing Advisor: Kim Weild

Scenic Advisor: Bryce Cutler

Costumes Advisor: Susan Tsu

Lighting Advisor: Rob Thompson

Sound Advisor: Sartje Pickett