The Director

Production History

Work on “First Freedom”—the new musical by Emmy Award winning composer Sam Cardon, and award-winning playwright Rob Lauer—began in November 2003.

This work included intense historical research into the public and personal lives of numerous Founding Fathers and early American religious leaders—with a focus on the evolution of ideas regarding religion, individual freedom and Natural Rights during the American Enlightenment (1750—1815).

An advisory committee of some of the nation’s most respected historians was formed and consulted as the script was developed. Among the historians consulted were in Ralph Ketchum (the nation’s foremost Madison scholar, author of the critically acclaimed book, “James Madison: A Biography”) and Merrill E. Peterson (the nation’s foremost Jefferson scholar and author of the groundbreaking work, “Jefferson and the American Mind.”) Early drafts of the script were read by these and other respected historians—receiving praise not only for its historical accuracy but also for making the complex political and philosophic debates of the 1770’s accessible and entertaining.

Not content with historical accuracy alone, the various drafts were submitted to theatrical professionals from around the country—producers, directors, dramatists, composers and actors. From the beginning, the main objective was that “First Freedom” be first and foremost good theatre—entertaining and challenging.

In 2006, it was decided that the time had come to get “First Freedom” up and on its feet. The Musical Theatre Department of Western Wyoming College (in Rock Springs, Wyoming) was chosen as the producing organization for a workshop production--a first look at “First Freedom.” Overseeing a crew of faculty and student technicians as well as a cast of talented young students, the college’s Theatre Department head, Jamie Young, brought “First Freedom” to life on stage in November of 2006.

Playwright Rob Lauer, who came in from New York for this workshop production was impressed by the reaction of audiences:

During the three weeks that the show was being performed, I was approached by audience members from amazingly diverse backgrounds — Evangelicals, liberal Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, Wiccans, Agnostics and self-professed atheists—all of whom praised the show. Given their religious, political and social differences, I wouldn’t expect these people to agree on anything, but they all liked the show and agreed with its message. On one particular morning as I sat in Starbucks reading the newspaper, a local Pentecostal and later a local Wiccan priestess both introduced themselves and thanked me for the show’s message. If a Pentecostal and Wiccan could both say that, then I figured we must have done something right with the script.”
—Rob Lauer

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Looking back on the experience, the director of the workshop production, Jamie Young said

One of the things that I have tried to do as a Director is to without offending the audience, finding a way to convey the importance of protecting a secular government. You know, all of the collaborators involved in this project are devout Christians, yet we have seen through the work of Madison and Jefferson, that without a secular government, we would not be able to practice our religions to their fullest, that we would not be able to have our own personal convictions be at the level they are without that freedom. So it is our hope to show the audience that it is important to protect those religious freedoms by maintaining a secular government today.
—Jamie Young