"Harmony, Kansas": Lively and Soulful New Musical to Premiere at Diversionary Theatre

The Diversionary Theater felt so strongly about fitting a staging of Harmony, Kansas into their 2012 schedule that they shuffled their already packed calendar in order to get the world premiere to their audience. The original musical will premiere Thursday, June 14 and run through Sunday, July 22.

Heath is a gay farmer in Middle America, specifically the heart of Kansas in a rural community called Harmony. It is a world in which being unique is definitely not promoted and being gay is certainly not, shall we say, "encouraged." He meets Julian, who is city born with city experiences and an identity not used to being hidden. Julian encourages Heath to break out of his safe, known world by joining a group of gay men that meet to sing weekly and once he is assured it is private he does so-learning to love the camaraderie and musical expression. Here's the problem: the group wants to perform in public, which pushes the panic button for Heath and turns the world he has created with Julian upside down.

"San Diego has a history of theaters staging innovative projects, and we are happy to be a part of that. We are committed to helping to develop new plays and musicals to tell compelling LGBT stories on stage," Diversionary Theater Executive Director John Alexander says of his choice to host the musical.

The creative team of Bill Nelson and Anna K. Jacobs has temporarily relocated from New York to San Diego to put all their energy into this production.

Jacobs wrote the music for POP!, which won three CT Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding Production of a Musical and Stella and the Moon Man, which won a Helpmann Award for Best Presentation for Children. Currently she is working on a musical adaptation of the cult horror film, Teeth.

Nelson recently wrote and performed in Bill Nelson's All-Male Revue-a revue of his songs conceived and directed by Tony winner William Finn at Barrington Stage Company. He received an MFA from the NYU. Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program where he wrote, with composer Daniel Lincoln, Savannah: a Musical Fable.

Nelson drew from his own experience of living in a rural area and dating a farmer to pen this play. "There were guys in the (gay) chorus that you would never see at the bar or Pride," he says of the struggle many rural gay men have.

"There is definitely a noted pattern of guys who were able to separate their farm life from their gay life through participating in the chorus," Jacobs said of the theme.

Nelson thought it was important to feature rural gay life. "So much of LGBT literature and plays take place in cities and don't focus on the rural or small town experience. I think this reaches a new audience, as well as bringing in the near universal appeal of chorus music to bring it all together,"says Nelson.

Diversionary Theatre develops new works and produces plays and musicals that explore the issues, characters and stories of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) com- munity in all its complexity and diversity. Founded in 1986, Diversionary has grown into a professional theatre company that produces an annual season of main stage productions and presents a series of diverse entertainment offerings. Diversionary nurtures LGBT artists in the development of new works of theatre through new play commissions, readings, workshops and forums to involve a wider community in its mission.

Previews are Thursday, June 14 to Friday, June 22. Opening Night is Saturday, June 23 and performances run through Sunday, July 22 at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard. For tickets and information call 619. 220.0097 or go to diversionary.org