Into the Sun
A New Musical
Synopsis
Into the Sun follows a brother and sister whose lives are overturned by the Great War and who join the antiwar resistance. Freddy and Mary Sigfried distill the arc of their generation as they move from initial enthusiasm for war to despair and protest. When war breaks out, Freddy enlists with his two best friends. Eager to climb the military ranks, he is promoted to Captain of his unit. But when he has to send his friends into battle, he confronts the cost of his ambition. In England, Mary resents having to stay home while the boys get to fight. Defying her family, she takes a job at a local munitions factory before she, too, must confront a choice: whether to continue making weapons or protest against a deadly war. Into the Sun dramatizes the conflict between military duty and friendship; resistance to political authority; gay attraction among soldiers; and soldiers facing multiple deployments, shell shock, and incomprehension from families back home — themes as potent today as they were during the Great War.
An exploration of love and courage, INTO THE SUN asks each audience member to confront the question of what is truly worth fighting for.
“I was first exposed to Into the Sun when I was a 16 year-old high school student. We did a reading of the script for my musical theatre class and I immediately fell in love with the show and it has stuck with me ever since. There are two distinct tones throughout the show; there’s the wanderlust and exhilaration of gaining some independence and setting off to do something you’re passionate about as well as the intense, world shifting feeling when things do not go as planned. This show is one people need to see.” — Nicole Koelsch, James Madison University/Colgan High School
Into the Sun features a cast of 9 plus a flexible ensemble size. It is inspired by World War I poets, including Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, and Siegfried Sassoon, whose poems form lyrics for some of the songs. The score mixes Broadway and classical elements with pop and rock sounds.
World War I Poets
Into the Sun is inspired by World War I poets such as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke, William Butler Yeats, and others, whose poems provide lyrics for some of the songs.
Development History
Into the Sun debuted at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and has since appeared at the Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival, Montclair State University, James Madison University, and the International College of Musical Theatre - NYC.
About Me
I am a musical theatre writer and historian from the Washington, DC area, and I wrote the book, music, and lyrics for INTO THE SUN. I have released five albums as part of the award-winning rock/pop band Chico Motel. I wrote the play "Comfort Zone," which was staged at the Firehouse New Works Festival in Newburyport, Massachusetts, as well as classical compositions performed in California and Washington D.C., and a book of poetry entitled Secret, but Kept it Room. I am also a 2021-2022 Guggenheim Fellow, a professor of European history at James Madison University in Virginia, and the author of four academic books. I am a member of the Dramatists Guild and my work can be found on the New Play Exchange.
