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.