Grandstreet Theatre is proud to present ‘Jeannette in Concert,’ a very special evening of song and storytelling featuring the music of ‘Jeannette,’ an inclusive, new, indie-pop musical that bursts forth with the true story of feminist, suffragist, pacifist, and the first woman elected to Congress in 1916, Jeannette Rankin.
With a book by America’s Most Produced Playwright Lauren Gunderson (The Book of Will, Silent Sky) and music by rising pop star Ari Afsar (Hamilton, American Idol), Jeannette is a musical that will unearth her legacy with the electric sound of modern America – its fury, its soul-searching, it’s persistence, it’s diversity, and its radical heart.
New and original songs by Ari will put us inside the hearts of our feminist revolutionaries as well as in the streets marching with thousands, on the campaign trail, in the family home of our heroine, and speaking up for women’s rights in the halls of Congress. The songs will take us through history conveying intimate moments of heartbreak and hope, relationships on the verge of collapse or ignition, and large scale anthems that sweep us up in national change.
‘Jeannette in Concert’ will include the songs and narrative of the musical, as well as personal stories of collaboration between director Erin Ortman, Ari Afsar and Lauren Gunderson as the piece has grown over the past two years. Erin and Ari will share the stage as they relay intimate and funny anecdotes on collaboration and theatre-making. Ari will blow the roof off with her breathtaking performance as Erin helps frame the story of Jeannette and the development of the piece itself.
Jeannette in Concert is an incredible opportunity for the Helena community to get an early glimpse of the making of this exciting new musical!
Jeannette in Concert
Featuring Ari Afsar and Erin Ortman
Saturday, June 1st
Doors open at 7pm, Concert begins at 7:30pm
Grandstreet Theatre
Tickets: $15
Reservations: 406-447-1574 or grandstreettheatre.com
Ari Ayesha Afsar is a singer/songwriter with placements on ABC, Disney, and an On-Demand feature. A graduate of Ethnomusicology Jazz from UCLA, Afsar just released her debut EP, “Somewhere I Thought I’d Be.” Most recently she opened for Michelle Obama at the Shrine Auditorium, performed at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and opened for the ACLU national conference in D.C. She was the original Eliza Hamilton in Chicago’s production of Hamilton, Miss California 2010, top 10 at Miss America 2011, a top 36 American Idol Alum, and currently stars in a SXSW-award winning series. She has been an advocate / performer / and public speaker for The Women’s March, UN, University of Chicago, MoveOn rally on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, and United State of Women.
Lauren Gunderson is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and The Most Produced Playwright in America (American Theatre Magazine, 2017). She is the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award, the Steinberg / ATCA New Play Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award. Her work has been commissioned, produced and developed at companies across the US including South Coast Rep, The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The O’Neill, The Denver Center, San Francisco Playhouse, Marin Theatre, Berkeley Rep, and more. She is passionate about telling the forgotten stories of women in science, politics, and history.
Erin Ortman is a New York City based director, who is a proud Helena native and will always identify as a Montana Girl and Grandstreet Kid. She has directed many acclaimed Off-Broadway productions in New York, as well as developed many new plays and musicals across the country. Erin has been collaborating with Lauren Gunderson and Ari Afsar on Jeannette since its conception, and will be directing the piece at the world-renowned O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference this summer.