Local theater troupe premieres original musical ‘These Days’

The Henry David Theatre Troupe will be performing the original musical “These Days: What Makes a Good Life” on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, at the Bit Theatre in Aurora.

“These Days” tells the story of one person’s struggle to find the meaning in life, challenged with competing interests of a dream symphony job in Boston and a far less exciting and more routine agriculture co-op job in a small Montana community. Time, relationships, perspectives, all that could be, all that has been, and so very much more collide in this journey of exploration and self-discovery.

By the end of this two-act musical the answer to the question “what makes a good life” is answered, and the audience members are left with an uplifting message of hope and optimism.

In fact, the activities of authentic expression, connection with the community, and caring compassion provide the key attributes to a good life.

The cast features theater professionals with many years of experience on stage, including Bee Wright as Dreamer, Piper Burney as Realist, Tiegan Didriksen as Anne, Cole Cottrell as Hiring Manager, Aliza Gussin as Emerson, and Christi Bradley as Realtor/Student. The directors and producers are Vicki Kay and Mark Walden Collins.

The music is performed in a contemporary-musical style, piano foundations with orchestral accompaniment. Lyrics and songs written by Mark Walden Collins, with composition and performance by composers Joaquin Cichero, a pianist, arranger and music producer from Argentina, and Jakko Libreros, a jazz pianist, performer and composer from Colombia. Go to thesedaysthemusical.com to listen to compositions for the musical.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bit Theatre, 4034 Fox Valley Center Drive near the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora. Tickets are $25 and available via bitimprov.org.

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