Wild Man of the Wynoochee

Book by Jessica Welsh, Music by Linda Dowdell, Lyrics by Jessica Welsh and Linda Dowdell

It’s SWEENEY TODD meets Sasquatch: step into the wild world of this thrilling new musical!

LOGLINE: In the wilds of turn-of-the-20th century Pacific Northwest, a nature-loving hermit accused of the murder of his nephew fights for his way of life and the safety of his loved ones after finding himself the target of a sensational manhunt. (Inspired by true events surrounding the real life Wild Man, John Tornow).

CAST SIZE: 6 actors (4 male/2 female) playing 14 roles (expanded version for bigger cast in progress)

SETS: 4 locations (production with unit set possible)

RUN TIME: approximately 2 hours; 2 acts

MUSIC: elements of folk, rock; HADESTOWN meets FLOYD COLLINS

JESSICA WELSH (book, lyrics) – is a UK-raised, LA-based writer for film, television and the stage. She has written projects for most major studios, including 30+ episodes of TV. Most recently she was a staff writer on the Peabody-winning/ Emmy-nominated series STILLWATER for Apple TV+. Her feature screenplay SHANIA! was selected for the 2021 Black List of “most liked” un-produced scripts in Hollywood and is currently set up at Sony. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University as an English major/Film minor and holds a certificate in Lyric Writing from Berklee College of Music, where she received the Matt Marvuglio Scholarship awarded to promising certificate students. She is a member of the Writer’s Guild, Animation Guild, Dramatists Guild and BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. Jessica-Welsh.com | IMDB: imdb.com/name/nm8973363/

LINDA DOWDELL (music, lyrics) – With roots in both jazz and classical music, Linda Dowdell toured the world from 1988-98 as musical director of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project as well as the Mark Morris Dance Group. She is the composer/lyricist of the award-winning musical SPIRIT OF THE YULE, a retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, set in the Pacific Northwest. Additional awards include Meet the Composer, ArtsWA, the James Irvine Foundation, and BMI’s Harrington Award. Bandleader of Friends of Brubeck, a jazz quartet. Performances with Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, commissions from Northwest Women’s Chorale. Her music has been described as “an eclectic vein of high jazz; she plants words with exceptional clarity and to great effect” (Financial Times); “…elegant, free-wheeling, economical” (The Sunday Times, London); “…an unflagging, unflinching, buoyant sense of rhythm” (Boston Globe). Currently musical director at Key City Public Theatre in Port Townsend, WA.