August 22 - September 1

The Porch on Windy Hill

A New Play with Old Music

Sherry Stregack Lutken, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutken

Written by

Conceived and Directed by

Sherry Stregack Lutken

Music Direction by

David M. Lutken

Vocal Arrangements and Orchestrations by
David M. Lutken, Morgan Morse, Lisa Helmi Johanson, and Sherry Stregack Lutken

Additional Music & Lyrics by
David M. Lutken and Andy Teirstein

With gloriously authentic ‘Old Time’ and Bluegrass music, this heartwarming and uplifting new play tells the contemporary tale of a family reuniting against great odds. A young, bi-racial Korean American violinist and her boyfriend leave the confines of New York City for the freedom of the North Carolina mountains where the music of Appalachia offers the inspiration they’re searching for. When they come upon her old family home and the estranged grandfather she’s tried to forget, old hurts and new joy reveal themselves through the music that binds us all together.

With a cast of endearing and relatable characters and fiddles, banjos, guitars and mandolins perfect for a “pickin’ party”, THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL is sure to hit all the right notes.

  • Aug 22 | 7:30 (Preview)
    Aug 23 | 7:30 (Opening)
    Aug 24 | 2pm and 7:30
    Aug 25 | 3pm
    Aug 27 | 7:30
    Aug 28 | 2pm and 7:30
    Aug 29 | 2pm and 7:30
    Aug 30 | 7:30
    Aug 31 | 2pm and 7:30
    Sep 1 | 3pm

ARTISTIC & CREATIVE TEAM

Director/Co-Writer - Sherry Stregack Lutken
Music Director/Co-Writer - David M. Lutken
Production Stage Manager - Audrey Brown
Set Designer - Mara Ishihara Zinky
Costume Designer - Gregory Graham
Lighting Designer - Dawn Chiang
Sound Designer - Sun Hee Kil
Casting - Micheal Cassara, CSA

Meet the Cast

  • David is happy to be back in Weston, and looking forward to the Hootenanny! BROADWAY: Inherit the Wind; Ring of Fire; The Civil War; The Will Rogers Follies. N.Y. CITY OPERA: Paul Bunyan OFF-BROADWAY: Southern Comfort; Stars in Your Eyes; Winter Man; The Portable Pioneer & Prairie Show, and Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie (Outer Critics’ Circle, Off-Broadway Alliance and Drama League Best Musical nominations) REGIONAL US: Our Town; Man of La Mancha; Big River; Elmer Gantry; Finian’s Rainbow; Fire On the Mountain; Lost Highway; Buddy; Pump Boys and Dinettes; Mark Twain’s River of Song; Almost Heaven, The Porch on Windy Hill (Best Actor nomination, Connecticut Critics’ Circle Awards) and many more. His most recent, favorite performance is the 10-hour Audiobook recording of his late father, Peter K. Lutken, Jr.’s, Memoir: “A Thousand Places Left Behind: One Soldier’s Account of Jungle Warfare in WWII Burma”, available on Audible, libro.fm, and other audiobook platforms.

  • EJ Zimmerman (she/her): Weston debut! Broadway: Les Misérables (Eponine u/s, Ensemble). National Tour: Avenue Q. Other favorites: Oliver! (Goodspeed Opera House); The Perfect Game (Off-Broadway); Cabaret (Gulf Shore Symphony); Miss Saigon (Riverside Theatre, Arvada Center - Henry Award); Once (Geva Theatre, BTG); A Christmas Story (Pioneer Theatre); Writing Kevin Taylor (Meadow Brook Theatre); Rent (Oguma Playhouse); The Porch on Windy Hill (Merrimack, Ivoryton); Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria (O’Neill Center, The 5th Avenue Theatre); and all the roles originated and developed in workshops, festivals, and readings. Extra love and gratitude for my parents, Avalon Artists Group, and especially the Lutkens. Representation matters. 

    @ejzimmerman47

  • ROB MORRISON is honored to return to the Porch after playing the role of Beck at Merrimack Repertory Theatre. Off-Broadway: Assassins, Frankenstein (CSC), Avenue Q, Nevermore, Pinkalicious (New World Stages). Regional: Where the Mountain Meets the Sea (Signature, VA), The 12 (Goodspeed), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Cincinnati Playhouse), Working (Berkshire Theater Group), Wild Fire (Denver Center), Nerds (Philadelphia Theater Company), Jesus Christ Superstar (North Carolina Theatre), Big River (Goodspeed). Rob voices Doodle on Nickelodeon’s “Sunny Day”, and many characters on PBS’ Emmy-winning “Peg + Cat.” TV/Film: “Unforgettable,” “Alpha House,” Freedom. As composer: Frankenstein (stage score), Sun Belt Express (film score). A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Rob is a member of the folk bands Booklights and the Hollows. He creates ambient music under the artist name Moonrooph. BFA, Emerson College. Love to Lauren. @therobmorrison