A new musical celebrating our Canadian identity is ready to hit stages across British Columbia and the rest of Canada
“We are excited and ready to take another show on the road with a new Newman & Wright Theatre Company musical Meadows of Stone, announces Producer Richard Wright. Meadows of Stone is an inspiring World War I musical written by Amy Newman and Jim Hodgkinson. Following on 16 years of successful shows on the stage of Theatre Royal in Barkerville and several other ventures, the team is gearing up for the coming season.
The show’s original director, Dirk Van Stralen, wrote, “Inspired by true events, Meadows of Stone was developed with the support of the Sunset Theatre (Wells, B.C.) Exploration Series. Deeply intimate in focus, the work explores the futility of the Great War and questions personal efficacy in the face of aging with the transformative power of music.
“Inspired by the parallels between the current global political climate and our recent one-in-a-hundred-year pandemic event, Amy Newman (playwright) and Jim Hodgkinson (lyricist and composer) have created a work combining the structural dynamics of Billy Bishop Goes to War (and its interactions between performer and player) with a Sondheim-like song structure and lyrics that drive the story seamlessly forward.”
Amy Newman says, “There is camaraderie, laughter and loss, and through it all, music draws the characters together. This musical explores themes of resilience, love and friendship for two people who experience the most exciting chapter in their lives, when they least expect it.”
Today Meadows of Stone has particular resonance as Canadians struggle with outside threats and influences. Some writers have credited World War I with shaping Canada’s identity. We emerged a proud nation, with more autonomy and international recognition.
Producer Richard Wright is preparing to take the show on the road to a variety of venues with potential tour dates of October and November 2026 and 2027.
If you are interested, please reach out to us for more information.