Give Now  »

Solana, Sometimes Good Things Take A Little Longer

Chloe with her King and family.

Solana at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center tells the story of a carefree Indiana kid who finds that she's actually a princess, and a princess with responsibilities

The workshop performances of IU alumni Michael Heitzman and Ilene Reid's musical wrap up the Indiana Festival Theatre's summer season. They're part of the Premiere Musicals project. "We've done this for about five years," says IU department chair Jonathan Michaelsen.   "During the summer we take on a new musical.  We bring in the composer and the playwright to work.  We bring in guest artists to work with our students. It's a great laboratory situation for our students and for our guest artists. "

Most of the projects have been finished in a season, but this one took longer. "Last summer we left the audience hanging with just the first act and a sketch of an ending," admitted Michaelsen. "Ilene and Michael went away for a year worked on it and now have brought it back."

It's wonderful to watch it develop and to see how these two, work together. The music has come along. New songs have been put in. New songs have been taken out. They can try something on a Wednesday and by Thursday it's a home run or its out. Dialog works into it as well along with character development. It's a great experience for our students and terribly exciting. "

Solana is directed by George Pinney with musical direction by Ray Fellman.

Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From