Roswitha, a New Musical - Act I

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Event Dates
David Friend Recital Hall (DFRH)
921 Boylston Street
Boston
MA
02115
United States

Book by David Schrag
Lyrics by Kevin Bleau and David Schrag
Music by Kevin Bleau

Roswitha of Gandersheim, the first known female playwright, has been called "the most remarkable woman of her time" (the Middle Ages). Raised and highly educated in the court, she spent her later life in a convent. Her dramas in Latin feature strong heroines who endure torture, outwit fathers, spurn lovers, and repent, secluded in a tiny cell, from their sins of the flesh.

To embrace the spirit of this truly unique woman, our Roswitha is drawn from a combination of her known life history, her letters, and the heroines in her plays. Thirteen cast members offer a unique musical style, mixing elements of contemporary musical theater, opera, and medieval organum.

Roswitha will feature a small cast of Berklee faculty, students, staff, and members of the Boston musical theater community.

Kevin Bleau recently recorded demos for Roswitha, his second full-length musical. His short musical The Mission was performed “off-off-Broadway” at the International CringeFest. Kevin directs Berklee College of Music’s annual Curtain Up and has musically directed Pippin, Urinetown, Big River, Into the Woods, and Lucky Stiff, among others. Bleau's arrangements have been performed by Crystal Gayle, the Platters, and at Boston’s legendary Hatch Shell. The International Horn Society and Berklee have funded his work.