QUILTERS Musical Returns to the Factory Theatre
Published: April 13, 2021
The Factory Theatre will present the musical Quilters April 18-21 at 7:30 p.m. Quilters blends a series of interrelated scenes into a rich mosaic which captures the beauty, the fear, the challenges and the rewards of frontier life. Various patches of "quilt blocks" introduce the stories. Music, dance, and drama further depict the lot of women on the frontier: girlhood, marriage, childbirth, spinsterhood, twisters, fire, illness and death. There are scenes of love, warmth, humor, dignity, and steadfastness in the face of adversity.
Directed by Cecelia Ulmer, the musical centers around the narratives of Sarah Bonham, played by Greenville resident Vondria Bergen, and her seven daughters. The daughters are portrayed by seniors Lindsey Schuberth and Diana Buchanan, junior Erin Pennington of Greenville, sophomores Aly Gosselin and Jessica Polley, and freshmen Brittnee Sanders and Joy Gorrell.
The musical is based on the book "The Quilters: Women and Domestic Art," an oral history of the art of quilting and the role it played in the lives of pioneer women. The play demonstrates how their quilts were not only the "lining of the nest," but an intimate part of family and community history and the focus of social and recreational occasions.
Quilting was taught early in life to these women, and they took quilting West with them. The quilting frame, often up before the house or barn was finished, was put to immediate use. In the play Quilters, as the story of each quilt is told, a record of the quilters' hopes, struggles, and accomplishments is preserved.
"Pieces of Lives," the opening and closing song of Quilters, reflects the heart of the show. To the American pioneer woman, quilts indeed were "pieces of lives, all the unspoken emotion and devotion of women's lives." The cast and musical ensemble have worked enthusiastically on the music and choreography. The songs are rich in harmony and represent several different musical styles.
First produced at the Factory Theatre in 1988 and again in 1999, Quilters has been one of the most popular shows on that stage. Don't miss this inspiring and entertaining account of courage and perseverance. Tickets are on sale for $7 at Watson's Drugstore and Jo's Java. Seating is limited.
