First published in 1999, The Night of the Las Posadas, an award-winning book written and illustrated by New London’s Tomie dePaola, is a tradition in itself. One of over 300 books Tomie has written and illustrated, it has become an international phenomenon.
Las Posadas (Spanish for “the inn”) is a traditional Spanish festival which is now quite popular in Mexico as well as the American Southwest. The festival re-enacts Joseph’s search for a room at the inn. Each Christmas season, a processional with actors playing Joseph and Mary walks through the community streets. The processional stops at a variety of buildings and is turned away by the devils inside. Finally, a church/community center invites them in to sing Christmas carols called villancicos.
Listen to the song Mary’s Prayer from The Night of Las Posadas
Tomie’s publisher gave New Hampshire artists William Ogmundson (composer and lyricist from North Sutton) and Tom Dunn (librettist from Henniker) rare permission to adapt this work into a 45-minute musical theater piece that will be sung by four professional singers as well as members of the audience. Tom and Will have collaborated on a number of musical theater works over the last several years and they’ll be working with singers Linny Kenney of Bath, Cindy Johnson of Sutton, Fred Sprague of Hillsboro, and Scott Sweatt of Errol to bring this work to life. Technical aspects of the production will be done by videographer Bob Robertson of Dartmouth, costumers Babette Hailey and Susie White of Hillsboro, and wood carver Michael Martineau of Chichester. The performance runs from Friday, November, 30 through Saturday, December 15.
Performances
Friday, November 30, at 7 PM, Wilmot Congregational Church
Saturday, December 1, at 4 and 7 PM, Union Congregational Church, Madbury
Sunday, December 2, at 1 PM, Immanuel Community Church, Concord
Sunday, December 2, at 4 PM, Bedford Library in Bedford
Friday, December 7, at 7 PM, Kearsarge Community Presbyterian Church, New London
Saturday, December 8, at 5 PM, Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Weare
Sunday, December 9, at 4 PM, First Congregational Church of Lebanon
Saturday, December 15, at 4 PM, Henniker Congregational Church
Saturday, December 15, at 7 PM, United Methodist Church of Hillsboro
The Artists
Tomie dePaola is best known for his books for children. He’s been published for over 40 years and has written and/or illustrated nearly 350 books, including Strega Nona, 26 Fairmount Avenue, The Art Lesson, and The Night of Las Posadas. Over 15 million copies of his books have sold worldwide. Tomie lives in New London with his Airedale terrier, Brontë, and works in a renovated 200-year-old barn.
Tom Dunn is the Artistic Director of The Alchemists’ Workshop, a 14-year-old 501(c)(3) theater organization dedicated to building communities through the development of original works of musical theater. Tom founded and ran The Playwrights’ Center of Minnesota and Theatre of the First Amendment in Washington, DC, and he also has been Artistic Director of New Dramatists in New York City, Kenyon Festival Theatre in Ohio, and New Tradition Theatre in Minnesota. Tom has written some 50 produced plays and librettos, published four books, and lives in Henniker.
William Ogmundson is a classically-trained pianist who is generally acknowledged to be one of the most talented performers in New England. He began performing at the age of five and went on to win numerous piano competitions throughout his middle and high school years. Will spent a year in Iceland, where he was active in the Reykjavik music scene. Will performed at numerous venues throughout Europe, most notably the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, as the organist for Sunday morning mass. He toured throughout northern and central Italy in 2002, performed at Walt Disney World in 2003, and toured in Paris and the surrounding countryside in 2004.
In recent years, Will has also begun to gain a reputation as a composer. He has written the music for the past six productions of the NorthEast Shakespeare Ensemble, and was commissioned to write a piece that was played at Plymouth State University’s 2ooth Anniversary celebration. Will’s compositions include the musical Pollyanna, which was written with Trish Lindberg, and Benny Pierce: A Ghost Story, which he wrote with Tom Dunn. Many of Will’s original compositions are included on his CDs, of which there are five to date. Will lives in North Sutton, New Hampshire with his wife and two young children.