John Dietrich
Things As They Are
Book & Lyrics by John Dietrich
Music by Jonathan Comisar
THINGS AS THEY ARE is a sweeping and epic musical based on the extraordinary life of documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. Probably best known for her depression-era iconic photograph “Migrant Mother,” Lange’s life-journey became a continuous tug-o-war between the roles of wife, mother, artist, and social crusader.
Set against the backdrop of the moving social history of twentieth century America, THINGS AS THEY ARE recreates the remarkable and often tumultuous worlds in which she lived and worked; from San Francisco’s bohemian social scene to the ravaged dust bowls of the Great Plains, to the distressing reality within the Japanese American internment camps. Her provocative and emotional photography brilliantly captured the integrity and humanity of a people whose lives were often torn loose by the turbulent world surrounding them. What emerged is a treasury of imagery that today reminds us how beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places, yet can also have the power to alter the perceptions of an entire nation. An enthralling and inspiring story, THINGS AS THEY ARE exposes the passions, the pains, and the hopes of a woman ahead of her time, and an artist who’s private life was as complex as the history she documented. Dorothea Lange herself entices us to not simply look, but to learn to truly see what is often right in front of us.
As she once expressed: “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” For the present-day observer, the world that Dorothea Lange captured is oddly familiar and unsettling. Yet it is more through her unwavering quest and sincere respect for humanity that perhaps audiences will find a renewed promise in the spirit of man and the belief that ultimately, in a complicated and tumultuous world, we will always be able to find our way once again.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
THINGS AS THEY ARE was one of five shows nominated for the 2009 & 2011 Fred Ebb Award and was selected for the New York Musical Theatre Festival Next Link Project, one of 12 shows selected out of over 400 entries. At the New York Musical Theatre Festival, it would go on to be awarded “Best of Fest” as the most popular show.
FEATURED PERFORMERS
Garrett Elise Long, Michael Deleget, Katie Thompson, Will Erat, David Anderson, Kristin Maloney, Zach Landes, Adam MacDonald, Matthew Thompson, Cristin Hubbard
