Western Carolina School of Stage and Screen debuts their Fall 2022 – 2023 mainstage performance season with Quilters! The musical production ran from Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 on the Western Carolina University campus in Niggli Theatre located in the Bardo Arts Center.
It continued on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. at The Village Green of Cashiers in Cashiers, NC.
The show sold out opening weekend. Quilters follows a group of American pioneer women during the 1850s through a collection of short stories, acknowledging the good times and even the tragic times these women faced.
Photo by Leo Lei.
The cast and crew completed an extensive amount of research during the time period to ensure accuracy and proper execution.
“[A historian] came in and talked to us about the time period and what these women really went through with a lot of books and the book that the show was based on,” said Lily Gaddis, an actress in the show. “They talked about when they were going west in these wagons; they’re wading through the water holding their kids, the wagons are breaking down, everything sucks. But these people believe that there is a better life out there, so they go, and they chase that.”
The themes expressed in the musical production may seem out of date due to the time period it is presented in but they are themes that are still relevant to our modern-day society.
“Despite the fact that this takes place in 1850s, the struggles, and, more importantly, the strengths and determination and collaboration and community that the women portray in this play and undergo, we see today,” said Quilters director, Claire Eye. “We see things like reproductive issues, death, destruction, happiness, growing up, growing pains, and finding that strength in each other.”
The plot itself is not the only historical context provided in the show, as the music also aids in the storytelling.
“The music was meant to sort of accent the time period and to give a flavor to where we are not only in time but also place,” said Ike Webster, the show’s music director. “Now, the original show was sort of loosely set in the plains […]. Because of where we are here, we made the decision to set it more Appalachia style.”
A variety of instruments that were present during 1850s Appalachia can be heard and seen in the show, such as banjos, mandolins, and guitars.
“We felt it was appropriate not to have a piano playing in this one because they wouldn’t have had pianos,” said Webster. “The strings provide that type of sonic quilt if you will, that helps to accent each of the different scenes.”
Many cast and crew members describe the show as important, intimate, authentic and an example of sisterhood.
Photo by Leo Lei.
To learn more about the show and stay up to date on upcoming performances, check out the Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
