Musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel will be presented in black box theater.
COLUMBIA, KY. (04/10/2025) When patrons attend the upcoming Lindsey Wilson College Department of Theatre production of the musical Little Women, they will get to know the legendary literary March family quite well.
That’s because the musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel will be presented in a black box theater format, which will include seating on the stage. And that will allow audience members to appreciate the story in a very personal way, according to Lindsey Wilson theatre faculty member Jeremy Cloyd.
“You’re going to be right there, close enough to touch the actors,” said Cloyd, who is co-directing the play with graduate assistant Kassidy Phelps. “You will be living with the March family throughout the show.”
Little Women will be presented April 24-27 in the college’s V.P. Henry Auditorium.
The musical version of Little Women made its Broadway debut in 2005, and the show recently finished a tour of North America. With music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and a book by Allan Knee, Little Women was nominated for several theater awards and has developed a dedicated fan following on the Broadway tour circuit.
Although the musical has usually been presented in a traditional proscenium format, Cloyd said a black box production will give audiences a unique opportunity to appreciate Alcott’s famous story.
“We’re honoring the words, the story, the script and the music, all of which are beautiful,” he said. “And we are keeping the necessary visual elements to maintain the ‘spectacle,’ as Aristotle called it. But when you can pare back the set to what is absolutely necessary to the storyline, you get something that’s more beautiful, because you see the actors’ faces up close and their reactions and responses to one another. It reminds us that there is an intimacy that’s often necessary for these types of stories.”
Cloyd said that while the show’s music by Howland, who has been involved with several other popular 21st century musicals, is “so wonderful,” what makes Little Women an especially powerful show are the songs’ lyrics.
Cloyd said that Dickstein’s lyrics “do such a beautiful job translating Alcott’s words from the novel.”
“The novel itself is very lyrical, it has almost a musical quality to it,” he said. “When you read the novel, you can almost hear music coming through the words, and this show’s lyrics have a very musical quality as well.”
The novel, published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, respectively, tells the story of the March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — as they grow from childhood into womanhood in Massachusetts during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Since its publication more than 150 years ago, the novel has become regarded as an American classic, and reading it is often a rite of passage.
Cloyd said that some of the Lindsey Wilson students cast for the production were at first a bit reluctant to portray a role from a story that is so well-known, not to mention one of the most beloved novels in American history. But once the students embraced the story’s universal themes, that helped liberate them from worries and concerns.
“In looking through and pushing through the music, they found the joy and the fun in the story,” he said. “They realized that this is still a story with a very universal experience. They realized there’s a reason Little Women is a classic story and that people are still in love with it. It was so beautiful to see them discover that and then translate it on the stage.”
The Lindsey Wilson College Theatre Department will present the musical adaptation of “Little Women” at 7 p.m. CT on April 24-26 and at 2 p.m. April 27 in the college’s V.P. Henry Auditorium, 210 Lindsey Wilson St. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to lindsey.edu/theatre or contact the department at theatre@lindsey.edu or 270-384-8044.
CAST
Jo March — Sabrina Ruiz ’26, theatre and arts administration double major from Louisville, Kentucky;
Professor Bhaer — Joseph Kotter ’28, political science major from Columbia;
Amy March — Reilly Wells ’26, media studies and theatre double major from Columbia;
Meg March — Alejandra Formoso Recarey ’27, a theatre and arts double major from Galicia, Spain;
Beth March — Lilly Clauson ’25, elementary education major from Bonnieville, Kentucky;
Marmee March — Gabriella Devore ’25, a human services and counseling major from Knob Lick, Kentucky;
Mr. Laurence — Gage Carnes ’26, theatre and business administration major from Jamestown, Kentucky;
Laurie Laurence — Casey Honaker ’25, history and theatre double major from Lexington, Kentucky;
Aunt March — Zoe Boatright ’27, theatre major from Columbia;
Mr. John Brooke — Brandon Grider ’28, theatre and arts administration double major from Columbia;
Mrs. Kirk — Sarah Sonnabend ’27, English major from Spokane, Washington;
Clarissa — Amanda Skipworth ’26, nursing major from Winchester, Kentucky;
Ensemble — Shiane Lussier ’26, theatre and arts administration double major from Bremen, Kentucky.
and the production assistant and sound operator is Chloe Montgomery ’26, a psychology major from Greensburg, Kentucky.
Lindsey Wilson College students Sabrina Ruiz ’26 (Jo March) of Louisville, Kentucky, left, Alejandra Formoso Recarey ’27 (Meg March) of Galicia, Spain, and Reilly Wells ’26 (Amy March) of Columbia rehearse a scene from the musical adaptation of “Little Women.” The show will be presented April 24-27 in the college’s V.P. Henry Auditorium.
Lindsey Wilson College theatre professor Jeremy Cloyd, right, gives direction to Casey Honaker ’25 (Laurie Laurence) of Lexington, Kentucky, during a rehearsal of the musical adaptation of “Little Women.” Looking on are, from left, Sabrina Ruiz ’26 (Jo March) of Louisville, Kentucky, left, Alejandra Formoso Recarey ’27 (Meg March) of Galicia, Spain, Reilly Wells ’26 (Amy March) of Columbia and Gabriella Devore ’25 (Marmee March) of Knob Lick,
Lindsey Wilson College is a vibrant liberal arts college in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students, and the college offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The college’s 28 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
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(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson College)