In 1911, Rosealia dreams of a better life.
In 1933, Kai struggles to keep her daughter safe.
In 1955, Hannah finally fights for herself.

Folk Wandering is a sweeping new musical conjured from the hearts and minds of Jaclyn Backhaus (Men on Boats), Andrew Neisler (Charlatan, Clown Bar), and nine emerging singer-songwriters. This expansive story investigates the making and breaking of the American dream across three bygone generations. Join Pipeline Theatre Company and their band of troubadours this spring for an awakening of the hope, heartache, and longing that binds us all together.

From Pipeline Theatre Company, Folk Wandering tells the stories of three different women across three different eras – Rosealia (1911), Kai (1933), and Hannah (1955). Conceived by Andrew Neisler and Jaclyn Backhaus, it’s a sweeping, vibrant piece that raises questions about the American dream, the past, and moving on from tragedy. It’s also got great music: a number of indie/folk-style songs developed collaboratively by a group of singer-songwriters. We spoke with director and co-conceiver Andrew Neisler about the creation process, building a collaborative space, and the incredible detail of some of the show’s props. It sounds like creating this show was a very collaborative process. Was there anything specifically you did with the cast and/or creative team to foster that ensemble-type atmosphere and get everyone comfortable working together? When we first started working on it, about six or seven years ago, it was mostly a community of people that had gone to school together, so we already had a pretty established vocabulary and rapport with each other. I worked with Liz Swados a lot at NYU, and some of the other collaborators on the project also worked with her. And one of the th …Read more