IU graduates create musical 'Solana'

Creating a musical from scratch has kept the cast and crew of “Solana” on its toes.
Grammy-nominated writing team and IU graduates Michael Hietzman and Ilene Reid wrote the plot and first act of the then-titled “Happily Ever Chloe” last summer. It was re-named “Solana.”

IU’s Department of Theatre and Drama concludes its summer season with “Solana,” the sixth installment in the series “Premiere Musicals: Developing New Musical
Theatre at IU.”

The musical premieres at 7:30 p.m. today at the Wells-Metz Theatre. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults. Additional performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Director, choreographer and Emmy Award-winner George Pinney said the musical continues to change. Yesterday, the day before opening, a new dance was added to allow time for a costume change.

From the initial idea, to writing and execution, Pinney estimated two years of work went into “Solana.” He said IU approached Heitzman and Reid to create the musical, and musical director Ray Fellman brought the production together.

“The music and lyrics are just outstanding, and they’re very catchy,” Pinney said. “I wake up in the morning singing them.”

Recent IU graduate Stephanie Mieko Cohen plays the title character, Chloe, in a cast composed of students, other recent graduates and professional performers. Herman Sebek, Raymond Lee and Cindy Cheung join local cast members for “Solana” from the New York-based Actors’ Equity Association.

After working to develop dances for “Solana,” some, such as one Pinney calls the ninja fight, are choreographed in as little as three hours. During the school year, a dance would take several days to choreograph, he said.

“I’m trying to create a language of Solana,” Pinney said. “It’s full of music, song
and dance.”

Pinney said the students are learning a lot from the process of creating and performing a new musical.

“That is an ongoing process,” Pinney said. “The shaping of this musical will certainly continue after they leave here.”