Weber State to premiere ‘Matchstick Girl: A New Musical’
OGDEN, Utah – A new musical created by Weber State University alum and faculty will have its world premiere at WSU on Feb. 24.
Matchstick Girl: A New Musical is a collaboration between Jennifer Kokai and Kenneth Plain, former professor of theatre history and education and visiting assistant professor of performing arts, respectively.
“Ken has always wanted to create a musical from this story,” said playwright Kokai. “He has loved this story since he was young.”
Creating the musical had its challenges, as the original story by Hans Christian Andersen is so short. Additionally, most plays require its characters to want something, while the original Matchstick Girl doesn’t have an “I want” story.
“I thought about the story for a really long time,” Kokai said. “While plotting out the story, I started asking about the parts of the story we don’t know, like who is her grandma?”
Kokai came up with new material and was primarily interested in the ethical question of what we owe each other in society. She worked to transform a simple religious story into a play that would appeal to a broad audience.
Kokai worked closely with Plain to create the music, putting together lyrics as Plain turned them into completed songs. Much of their work was supported by the Lindquist Creative Fund, administered by the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities.
Andrew Barratt Lewis, co-director of Weber State’s theatre program, loved the idea so much that he put the musical onto the season roster, motivating Kokai to complete the script.
The extensive creative process included research on the history of Denmark, where the story is set. They also worked with Weber students and alumni and put on a public reading to seek audience feedback on the script.
“I was expecting around eight people to come,” Kokai said, “but it was more like 100 people that showed up!”
After edits were finalized, the creators held auditions and started rehearsals.
The show is set to run Feb. 24, 25 and March 1–4 with a matinee on March 4. Tickets are available to purchase on the WSU arts calendar.
Kayla Griffin, marketing manager, College of Arts and Humanities
kaylagriffin2@weber.edu, 801-626-6431- Contact:
Kayla Griffin, marketing manager, College of Arts and Humanities
kaylagriffin2@weber.edu, 801-626-6431