A new originally written musical titled ‘A Collectible Sensation’ is being workshopped in Duluth with Duluth actors taking on never-before-seen roles.

Before a big musical debuts on Broadway, it must first go through a long period of workshops. Sometimes our favorite musicals go through years of workshops, and for ‘A Collectible Sensation’ they chose to take their work right to Duluth.

“And a lot of people are moving outside of New York in order to develop new work,” says the show’s composer and lyricist Amy Engelhardt. Amy wrote the music for the show along side Arianna Rose. They also work with the show’s director Clayton Phillips.

Seeing this musical is completely FREE. But you do still have to reserve your ticket, and seating is limited. You can find tickets here. The show will be taking place at Studio 4 in the Depot

The team’s synopsis of ‘A Collectible Sensation’ is as follows:
At the unveiling of the million-dollar renovation of their renowned Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Modern Art, long dead sisters Etta and Claribel Cone suddenly materialize. “Family friend” Gertrude Stein and her paramour Alice Toklas (equally dead) also pop up, uninvited (much to Etta’s dismay). Their mission: to settle once and for all how the “friendship” between Etta and Gertrude fell apart. Their younger selves appear to help them sort it all out, and surrounding artwork miraculously comes to life, each woman represented by a painting with special significance. Etta struggles with her feelings for Gertrude and her modern proclivities, at direct odds with her Victorian mores. Through a series of evocative vignettes, we are transported back to Baltimore, Paris and Italy at the turn of the century to learn what derailed the relationship (and suspected affair) and how Gertrude and Alice came to be a couple. 

And getting to perform this original work with industry veterans is something that these Duluth actors are excited for. Not to mention, the music has been very fun to learn.

“You get some really cool lyrical songs and beautiful ballads. but you get a lot of interesting upbeat things with a lot of chewy text and it’s great to hear these other performers sing it, it’s beautiful,” actress Alyson Enderle says.

After Duluth the piece is planning to go down to the cities where songs from the show will be performed in a showcase. Then it heads over to Baltimore where the team will work with a gilded age expert.

From there… well this is what Amy Engelhardt had to say, “We’d love to see this off Broadway or regional, [but] thrilled to bring this to a beautiful place like the Depot.”