The EdgeWild Player are presenting a cracklin' melodrama, THE SAWYER AND HIS MEN, complete with sparklin’ musical olios between the scenes. Hiss the villain and cheer the hero from August 1-4 at 7:00pm and August 5th at 3:00.

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The script is on adaptation of an 1813 drama called THE MILLER AND HIS MEN.  It was popular in the UK and US through the 1920's, so it COULD have played in Bigfork in 1907, the year Bigfork became a city.  It is now set in 1907 in the Bigfork Valley of Northern Minnesota.  We’ve changed the miller in to a sawyer, a cave hide-out to a sawmill shed, and the robbers' names to Sven, Ole, and Toivola to reflect the Swedes, Norse, and Finns we love locally.

 

It will be done in an authentic, turn-of-the-last century physical style.  It has fainting damsels, explosions, hidden tunnels, beautifully painted drops, and narrow escapes.

 

Eight of the ten olios, or between the scene entertainments, were written by Minneapolis composer, Todd Harper especially FOR the musicians in our area.  We have a barbershop quartet singing 'Don't Go To Togo," a band playing "The Moose Pie Jig," and among the other numbers is poetry of one of the original settlers, James K. Knight, set to music.

 

Another olio features "The Craigville Dollies" singing a song with a special, special e-six of we locals took instruction and painted a stunning 'ad drop" popular also at the ffect!

 

Last August, we got a grant from the U of M, to hire a graduate student to teach us scenic art.  Thirtyturn of the 20th century.  It is 15' by 30' and has draperies with ball fringe, olde tyme ads, and a 6' by 9' enlargement of a Bill Hafeman landscape of the Bigfork River.  Painting on the floor, standing, using 4' brushes was a joy to do and to watch.  We had 50 others who came in to watch over the two weeks!

 

Tickets are online at  the-edge-center.org , at Two Rivers Cenex Convenience Store in Bigfork, and at the door.  $10 for adults, $5 for12 and under, $3 student rush.