4 minute read
A Note from the Co-Author of When Pigs Fly!
Created by Frederick Heide & Lee Becker New Music by Frederick Heide
America is a land of magnitudes. Anyone who’s driven across the Great Plains or peered into the Grand Canyon or leaned against a gigantic Sequoia knows this in their bones.
We are defined by the sheer size of our homeland and the sprawling audacity of our vision and accomplishments. People from every country admire the moon, but only we land spaceships there. For better or worse, America is rarely subtle. Although we sometimes speak softly, we always carry a big stick.
It’s not surprising, then, that bigness also defines our folk humor. We are the land of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill and the Tall Tale. While the English focus their humor on minimization, we exaggerate. Summers aren’t merely hot around here---they’re so hot that robins must use oven mitts to pull worms from the ground. Our lore is overflowing with this kind of humor that reflects the collective American fascination with size and scale.
When Pigs Fly! presents these hilarious yarns amid a sweet tale of a penniless Door County farm family desperately striving to win a vanilla pie contest for the $50 prize. Although they may be poor economically, the Dumkee family (and their very funny friend Wilbur Schlump) are rich in joy, warmth, and musical ability. They zip through folk songs and original tunes with gorgeous harmony and jaw-dropping instrumental fireworks. Along the way we discover whether they can somehow lift an age-old curse on the farm and whether doing so will require divine intervention.
Much of the material in When Pigs Fly! was originally gathered for a show Fred Alley and I were planning to write. When Fred passed away unexpectedly at age 38, I teamed up with Lee Becker to bring this delightful material to the stage. That show, Bob Dumkee’s Farm, premiered to critical acclaim in Fall 2001 but received only a tiny audience due to opening a few days prior to September 11. We have now substantially revised it to create When Pigs Fly!, which seamlessly interweaves sidesplitting humor, beautiful music, an engaging story, and a relentlessly optimistic outlook. We hope it will set your spirit soaring aloft.
– Doc Heide
AMY CHAFFEE Performer
Amy has previously appeared at Northern Sky in Home for the Holidays (2015), Bob Dumkee’s Farm (2001), Belgians in Heaven (1996), The Passage (1994) and was the original Rosemary Rogers in Lumberjacks in Love (1995). Amy has performed in theatre, film and television in New York, Los Angeles, London, San Diego, Cincinnati, Chicago, New Orleans and her hometown, Madison, WI. Recent acting work includes: Interview with the Vampire (AMC); Why Women Kill (Peacock) and Splitting Up Together (ABC). Amy does stand up in New Orleans, LA, where she is tenured as the Duren Professor of Voice/ Acting at Tulane University.
LEE BECKER Performer BIO ON PAGE 80
DOC HEIDE Performer BIO ON PAGE 12
ERIC LEWIS Performer BIO ON PAGE 86
When Pigs Fly! Musical Numbers
Act One
The Dumkee Farm ........................................................................... Bob, Dottie
When Pigs Fly ................................................................Bob, Dottie, Humphrey
Frozen Logger .................................................................................Wilbur, Bob
Leatherwing Bat ................................................Bob, Dottie, Wilbur, Humphrey
What a Friend We Have in Cheeses Wilbur
Pappy’s Whiskers Wilbur, Bob, Dottie, Humphrey
He’s Gone Away Dottie
Jubilee Bob, Dottie, Wilbur, Humphrey
Act Two
Uncle Joe / Soldier’s Joy ..................................Bob, Dottie, Wilbur, Humphrey
Listenin’ Fool ...................................................................................Wilbur, Bob
Wagoneer’s Lad Bob, Dottie
Bob and Wilbur’s Prayer Bob, Wilbur
Saint Diligencia’s Message Saint Diligencia, Bob, Wilbur
Old Man Came Home Again Wilbur, Dottie
All My Trials
Dottie, Bob, Wilbur, Humphrey
Weary Traveler ...................................................Dottie, Bob, Wilbur, Humphrey
When Pigs Fly (Reprise) ...................................Bob, Dottie, Wilbur, Humphrey
Created by Frederick Heide & Lee Becker
New Music by Frederick Heide
Arrangements by David Peterson & Frederick Heide
Director Jeff Herbst
Stage Manager Shawn Galligan*
Asst. Stage Manager Heather Sopel
Costume Designer Shima Orans
Lighting & Sound Designer David Alley
Scenic & Props Designer Lisa Schlenker**
The back porch of a Door County farmhouse. The evening before the annual vanilla custard pie contest at the Church of Saint Diligencia.
Cast of Characters
Bob Dumkee ....................................................................... Doc Heide
Dottie Dumkee & Saint Diligencia Amy Chaffee*
Wilbur Schlump Lee Becker*
Humphrey Dumkee Eric Lewis
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
**Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829
– THERE WILL BE A 15 MINUTE INTERMISSION –
When Pigs Fly! is sponsored by Door county MeDical center the corDon FaMily FounDation, tony & JuDy licata, WiSconSin public raDio
ANN BIRNSCHIEN Marketing Director
This is Ann’s thirteenth season with Northern Sky working year round, though she’s been involved parttime since 2001. This native of Door County has been active in theatre since age eight and has enjoyed shows in the park for years with the Heritage Ensemble / AFT. Ann holds a BA in theater and graphic arts. In her spare time, she sings with her church choir and The Peninsula Singers, plays trumpet with the Peninsula Symphonic Band, acts on stage in community theater, cuddles with her two cats while reading, and enjoys hiking the trails of Door County. This spring she put her musical talent to use by music directing the local Sevastopol School District musical, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Favorite acting credits include The Christmas Schooner, Side by Side by Sondheim, The King and I as Anna, and Striking 12. She thanks loved ones for supporting her journey in life.
RICH HIGDON Facilities Manager
Rich is an Iowa-born potter and multi-instrumentalist who lives year-round in Baileys Harbor. He is known for his skills on upright bass, washboard, spoons, jug, and ukulele, all of which he plays as a founding member of Sheboygan-based string band The Water Street Hot Shots. He’s also a frequent stagemate to songwriter Katie Dahl (who happens to be his wife). As an actor, Rich worked extensively with Paul Sills, pioneer of story theatre. When he isn’t hanging out with his family (Katie, their seven-year-old son Guthrie, and their sweet dog Rosie), Rich can often be found gardening, cooking, or tapping trees for maple syrup.