On May 7, Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vt. will be premiering “The Vermont Farm Project” — an original indie-folk musical exploring the lives of Vermont farmers based on three years of interviews with locals working in the industry.
The production was the brainchild of BOLD associate artistic director at Northern Stage Sarah Wansley, who is directing the show, and her husband Tommy Crawford, the show’s composer and lyricist. According to Wansley, they began the project shortly after moving to Vermont in 2021.
Wansley said that the couple was instantly drawn to the local agriculture scene, which inspired her to ask the company’s artistic director Carol Dunne whether Northern Stage had, “ever created a piece by, for and with the farming company.”
“We were really fascinated by that part of our community,” Wansley said. “We joined the CSA [Community Supported Agriculture], we went to the farmers’ markets, [we] took our toddler to run around and meet baby animals.”
After the show was approved, Wansley hired her “friend and collaborator” Jessica Kahkoska –– a seasoned writer, producer and researcher for theater and television –– to be the playwright. She knew that Kahkoska was familiar with “interview-based work” from past projects.
In June 2022, the trio began conducting interviews with local farmers through a combination of outreach methods including cold-calling, according to Wansley. She said that the show has been in development since then.
During interviews, Wansley said that they asked about what “one day in [a Vermont farmer’s] life looks like.” They also asked about what they “love so much about [the work]” and what they thought “our community should know about farming or farmers that they don’t.”
Kahkoska added that compared to more traditional interview setups, these interviews took place outside –– often involving “talking to people while they were doing their work,” sometimes even while “riding in a truck.”
Wansley said that the trio also inquired about how the farmers got into farming, which evoked interesting origin stories.
“We met a range of folks, some of whom are…coming from a long line of family farmers,” she said. “But then we also met a lot of Dartmouth alum[ni] who ended up in farming. No one knew that!”
For the script, Crawford explained that they did not use “verbatim interviews” in the style of “docu-theater.” Instead, he said, “we were creating original characters and original songs…all inspired by the people that we’ve met.”
Both Crawford and Kahkoska noted that one artistic challenge they faced was determining which aspects of the interviewees they wanted to include in the show’s characters.
Ultimately, the characters played by the five-person cast consist of one couple about to retire from their “multi-generational family farm,” one undocumented female dairy worker from Mexico and three “summer farmhands,” according to Northern Stage’s website.
Wansley explained that the casting process was unique because the show consists of “real acting scenes” and live singing and music, which required performers with “both the musical skills and the acting skills.”
Ultimately, she said that four of the five actors participated in and helped shape the show’s development over the three years. In particular, they engaged in at least one of the several workshops held over the past two summers to gather inspiration for the script and score, according to Wansley. As a result, some of the performers “really influenced the roles.”
According to Wansley and Crawford, a few of the workshops were specifically focused on the show’s musical component. Crawford –– a longtime folk singer-songwriter as well as actor –– said that he and Wansley decided early in the show’s conception that his folk music style would be well-suited to the story.
Crawford explained that the choice seemed appropriate because “a lot of farmers that [we spoke to] are musicians and play music.”
“There is such a culture of…jamming at the farm after the sun goes down and after chores,” Wansley said. “We’re really trying to bring that folksy jam vibe to the show.”
All three emphasized that their interactions with farmers enriched their understanding of the industry and people, which they tried to integrate into the show.
Wansley and Kahkoska highlighted how unlike other labor-intensive industries, farming is truly “around the clock.”
“I was so admiring [of] and humbled by the work ethic,” said Kahkoska.
At the same time, both mentioned “similarities” they noticed between the farm industry and their own careers in the arts.
“There’s something that is so hard [about both industries] –– the impossible business model –– but you love it, so you do it anyway,” Wansley said.
With respect to local farm work, Crawford, Kahkoska and Wansley said that “immigration” came up frequently in interviews.
“When we started these interviews in 2022, actually a lot [of] folks [were] saying that it’s a pretty good job…[that] there are real opportunities for workers from other countries to make a living here,” Wansley said.
However, she said that the current “threat of ICE” has changed this situation. “We’re still figuring out…how [and] whether that will enter into the piece, [like] whether that will be a bit of a coda for the next iteration,” she added.
In any case, Wansley said that she hopes the show will be “an ongoing project.” She added that the team has “dreams” of taking a “stripped-down” version of the show on tour to schools and community centers in rural areas.
Crawford said that he hoped that the musical will spark “curiosity about food and where it comes from, and the role that policy plays” as well as “compassion” for the farmers.
“I hope that audiences take away a greater appreciation for the incredible history and contemporary landscape of farming in Vermont –– regardless of their level of familiarity [with it],” said Kahkoska.
Wansley added that she also hopes “audiences just spend a little bit more time thinking about how they can get more involved in [the local agriculture] community.”
Following two “Pay What You Can” shows on May 7 and 8 and a preview performance on May 9, “The Vermont Farm Project” will officially premiere on Saturday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. and will run through May 25. Tickets can be purchased on the Northern Stage website with student discounts available.
