The Great Marsh lies on the Essex coast between the village of Chelmbury and the ancient Saxon oyster-fishing hamlet of Wickaeldroth. It is one of the last of the wild places of England, a low, farreaching expanse of grass and reeds and half-submerged meadowlands ending in the great saltings and mud flats and tidal pools near the restless sea.
[The first paragraph of The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk by Paul Gallico]
CLICK TO WATCH Donna Lynn Hilton read an excerpt from The Snow Goose
HATCHING THE GOOSE
The origins of The Snow Goose date back more than 80 years to 1940, when Paul Gallico’s short story The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk was first published in The Saturday Evening Post.
The story was later expanded into a novella and published on April 7, 1941. More than 44 years later, Goodspeed’s Artistic Director Donna Lynn Hilton was given that novella for Christmas in 1985 and instantly fell in love with Gallico’s beautiful prose.
encounters an isolated and reclusive man called Philip Rhayader. The two of them begin to heal the bird together. A friendship is formed that not only changes their lives but impacts the entire community and saves the lives of many as the story progresses. It’s a parable about friendship, ultimately, and more deeply, our connection to the natural world and our place in it.”
MAKING IT SING
hile developing the musical, Claire and Scott decided to take a research trip to a little fishing town on the Essex coastline. Claire explains, “We went to a local pub where there’s a big tradition of singing folk songs and telling stories in a communal setting.” Inspired by what they heard, the pair started to write their own folk song that was heavily inspired by that English tradition.
“I have always felt it could sing,” mused Hilton. And in 2020, she banked on that instinct when she needed a big idea to pitch to the board of trustees at her interview to become Goodspeed’s first Artistic Director. Clearly the trustees were impressed, because Hilton was hired. In 2022, she optioned the book and commissioned Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie to write the musical.
“Since then,” said Hilton, “we have lovingly developed the show through multiple readings and workshops as well as a very popular appearance in our 2024 Festival of New Musicals.”
Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie are recent recipients of the prestigious Jonathan Larsen Grant and have written, developed and produced over 20 new works together, including Hi, My Name Is Ben which had a developmental production at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in 2019.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The Snow Goose tells the story of Frith, a girl who finds a wounded snow goose in the marshlands surrounding her home on the Essex coast of England. Scott Gilmour explains, “She finds the wounded bird, and, panicked, looks for somewhere to take it to be healed. She runs to a nearby lighthouse and
“From there, it has expanded into a slightly more epic score,” says Claire. “And our goose, obviously has its own sound. We’re using instruments like the English horn to represent that character as well as a box harmonium, which is very much like the reeds and the sound of the English countryside.”
“Claire and Scott’s score is an extraordinary example of music supporting the needs of scene work, and it truly soars,” says resident music director Adam Souza. “Goodspeed’s onstage 9-piece orchestra will bring this evocative sound to life, featuring a blend of contemporary art song and English traditional music with an exciting pop sensibility. I’m most excited to bring a new sound to our audience and to be onstage with our company of actors to tell this touching story.”
WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE?
Director Marshall Pailet describes the musical as “a sweeping tale of love, purpose and the value of life featuring a character who is... well... a snow goose.” But we can’t train an actual goose and bring it on stage, so we had to figure out how to represent this very important character (named Princess). That’s when acclaimed puppet designer Nicholas Mahon joined the team.
“One of the things I love about working with Marshall is that he approaches the creative process by asking, 'What does this want to be?' rather than 'What should this be?’” says Mahon. “It begins with the belief that the characters and the story already carry a soul of their own, and our work is to listen for it. That spirit guided our initial puppetry workshop. I built a simple prototype—less a finished design than a gathering of ingredients—so we could play, experiment, and discover what felt alive. Different materials and gestures emerged for different moments, each chosen for the emotion it could express. The performers themselves became an essential part of the design, their presence woven into the life of the puppet. In creating the next version of Princess, we continue in that same spirit: bringing together objects, materials, movement, and human presence until something unexpected begins to breathe—until a collection of parts becomes a living story.”
“She will fly above the stage, around the balcony, and directly over your head—she will bring you joy and tears, but never will you lose sight of what truly brings her life: a community of artists,” says Pailet.
AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION
The character of Philip is described in the first pages of the novel as “…a lonely man. His body was warped, but his heart was filled with love for wild and hunted things. He was ugly to look upon, but he created great beauty. Is it about him, and the child who came to know him and see beyond the grotesque form that housed him to what lay within, that this story is told.”
Donna Lynn Hilton explains, "Research suggests many possible explanations for Philip’s physical presentation. That said, given the novel was penned several decades ago, and the words we use to describe disability and difference are wildly different today than they were at that time, it is likely we will never know Philip's diagnosis. But it is true that Philip’s physical presence is a factor in the story. Early in the development of the musical, we committed to authentic representation by physically disabled artists for the stage production."
"Portraying disability on stage is not just about representing circumstance, it's about representing culture," said Talleri McRae, the accessibility consultant for The Snow Goose. She continued, "When a theatre casts an actor who lives with their disability every day, who understands the nuances of being disabled by inaccessible environments on a regular basis, their performance is so often light years ahead of a performer who is 'putting on' a disability only for the time they are on stage. Furthermore, the design, direction, and other storytelling elements often benefit from authentic casting as well. Responsible representation lives in the details—and casting actors with disabilities is a great way to explore the nuts-andbolts specifics of what having a disability looks like and feels like in a tangible way—and then share that with an audience."
"This is not the first time recently that Goodspeed has committed to authentic representation across our work," says Hilton. "Audiences will recall seeing that choice reflected in Private Jones and A Complicated Woman at The Terris, and at The Goodspeed with South Pacific, to name just a few. These choices require that our entire organization—from the front of house team to the production team, the marketing team, to the creative team in the rehearsal studio— consider a wide variety of perspectives, and allow those perspectives to shift our practices. That we become comfortable working through the fear that we may not get it ‘right’. That we learn, and grow, and become more compassionate humans by working
to see things through the eyes of people whose lived experiences might be very different from our own in some ways, and very similar in others.”
As an accessibility consultant Talleri McRae’s job is to advise organizations, productions and creative teams, in order to meet the needs of artists and audiences. She explains that for The Snow Goose, she has “supported the good work of the writing and directing team, and offered lots of language to the casting team, the production team, and Goodspeed staff members.” She remarks, “It’s interesting, isn’t it, that as a society, we don’t have a lot of practice talking about disability? Sometimes folks just need permission to say the words.”
In the rehearsal room, McRae “supports the creative and stage management teams to be sure that artists with disabilities have as many of their needs met as possible. It’s a dream job for me—I get to be a part of rehearsal, witness a story coming together, and support people as they come up with creative, accessible solutions.”
Hilton affirms that “The commitment to authentic representation has enriched The Snow Goose immeasurably. In truth, it is defining The Snow Goose. And, as a result, we are creating a piece of theatre unlike anything ever experienced at The Goodspeed.”
THE GOOSE TAKES FLIGHT
After years of writing, rewriting, and development, The Snow Goose will finally begin its world premiere flight on August 28. “We’re thrilled that we actually get to premiere the show for the first time at Goodspeed very soon,” said Scott Gilmour. “It’s an exciting time and I can’t wait to see the goose fly.”
“If you are a fan of new musical theatre, you absolutely don’t want to miss the show,” says Hilton. “It brings together a great number of elements to tell a beautiful, heartfelt story. There’s puppetry, there’s a magnificent score, and there’s beautiful staging by Marshall Pallet and Misha Shields. Goodspeed audiences who loved Anne of Green Gables and Maggie are going to love this show and be part of helping us move it to the next stage of its life. Now you will be able to say: ‘I saw it first at Goodspeed.’ Thrilling, isn’t it?”
THE SNOW GOOSE runs Aug 28 - Oct 18
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PHOTOS: (Top left to bottom) Director Marshall Pilait discusses his vision for the musical with the company and staff at the first day meet-andgreet; writers Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie perform a song during the first read thru; Eric Graise (Philip Rhayader), Sam Sherwood (The Bard), and David Aron Damane (Garrick) at the first read through; Amy Hillner Larsen (Ms. Rumsey) at the first rehearsal. Photos by Diane Sobolewski.