Synopsis
This thoughtful yet heartwarming musical is based on the life of a real person, Catherine, whose captivating life spanned 102 years. Her story is told both in the Past and the Present, with vibrant staging that crackles across the divide between Youth’s joyful emotions and the reflective poignance of a life nearing its end.
We meet Catherine in swing-era Seattle. She’s bright and determined and wants to go to college – but economic hardship, societal constraints and family disapproval hinder her dream. Catherine’s spirit and drive win out though, and she lands on the Campus of a small Jesuit college. She’s in her element, pursuing her education and enjoying the Student Hiking Club where she meets ‘the one.’ But then multiple tragedies – both historic and personal - blur the landscape…
As Catherine nears her 100th birthday, daughter Ella unpeels never before revealed elements of her mother’s life. We discover how memory, destiny and choice all inform a life’s long, rich journey, from the early years, through parenthood, and finally through the difficulties of aging. You’ll walk in Catherine’s shoes as dreams hit obstacles, doors open and close, fate deals dark times and loss and tragedy are cruel interlopers, yet her resilience and joy are indomitable.
Features
SETTING: Mostly Seattle & Eastern Washington
TIME PERIOD: Circa 1940 & early 2020s
CHOREOGRAPHY: Yes
COSTUMES: 1940s & current
SPECIAL BACKDROPS: Projected digital images
TARGET AUDIENCE: Pre-teen thru Adult
RATING: G-Rated
Cast
20 - 24 Actors
Leads: 3 Females, 70+ | 20's | 50's. Character Sketches
7 students, High School Seniors/College aged, 4 boys 3 girls
3 Adult Men, Jesuit Priest Professors
2 Adult siblings
Townspeople, 3 children (ensemble)
RUN TIME: ~2:00 excluding intermission
BOOK & LYRICS BY: Eileen Voiland (Spokane, WA)
MUSIC BY: Nancy Erickson Lamont (Seattle, WA) | Shawn Schlogel (Seattle, WA) Colin Rhoades (Los Angeles, CA)
Swing-based with contemporary flavors
20 songs
4-5 Musicians
Musical Score
LICENSING: We license directly, and offer flexible licensing arrangements. Contact us for details.
The Sunny Hours Full Length Musical
Premiered 2024
The Sunny Hours Musical Character Sketches - Lead Roles
Young Catherine: (Secondary Lead) A student, at various times high school and college aged. She has an engaging personality and can connect with anyone she encounters; however, she is not an overwhelming, over-the-top personality. She is smart and clever and loves to read. She has red hair. She is responsible and trustworthy but not above sneaking her little brother and sister into the natatorium. As a child she was active, loved roller skating, exploring the city and being in the Great Outdoors. Although growing up in a lower-middle class neighborhood, she adopted a comfortably sophisticated way of carrying herself and has a sense of humor and an informed, clever wit. She adores school but is not a nerd.
Ella: (Secondary Lead) Catherine’s daughter, a woman in her mid-50’s. Although her mother lives independently, Ella is very present in her Mothers’ daily life, assisting with shopping, errands and taking care of household chores. In a very natural way, she keeps her mother’s spirits up as Catherine goes about her more limited life. Like her mother, she carries herself in a young manner, and is sort of a free spirit. She shares with her mother a love of words and a visual sense of humor—they both see funny things in their heads and connect on that level. Ella possesses a slight element of ‘entertaining’ her mother in order to keep things lively and amusing for her. She will employ funny character voices and use other antics in her interactions with her mother. She is quirky but definitely not a caricature. Ella is the youngest of the 12 children and has carved out her own unique approach to life. This role seems to lend itself to an actor who possesses some skills of a physical comedienne, but not in a slapstick sort of way, perhaps more in the vein of Judy Holliday. Ella has an edgeless, easy relationship with her mother; the two share deep conversation and deep thoughts, but they never get each other down—they both will work to find a way upward toward light-heartedness. Ella is a simple person, dressing for comfort instead of fashion and she likes to get things done. She has an air of creativity and imagination and enjoys the banter among her siblings.
Catherine: (Primary Lead) A woman in her mid-90’s who both looks and carries herself as someone much, much younger. She has a delightful voice that does not sound ‘elderly.’ She has carried from her youth a voracious love of reading and loves to talk about the books she’s reading. She is up on current events and, because of her life experiences, has changed with the times and is an amazing and funny conversationalist. Her acute sense of humor is a hallmark trait—and she can throw her head back and really laugh from time to time. She is a humble person who has a sense of ‘true’ that she has carried with her since childhood. Despite being the mother of 12 children, she has never lost sight of her core. A sunny approach to life never fell by the wayside as Catherine aged into her 90’s. Catherine’s hair never grayed; it is the same natural color of her college days, which adds to her radiance.
The Sunny Hours in Concert
Synopsis
This show presents the lively songs, soaring anthems and poignant ballads of The Sunny Hours musical (accompanied by Narration and projections) to whisk the audience along on Catherine’s journey from youth to old age, as described in the full stage production synopsis above.
Features
FORMAT: Concert style with Vocalists singing from stands
MINIMAL ACCOMPANIMENT: Piano only
CHOREOGRAPHY: No
COSTUMES: Evening attire - ladies in gowns, gents in jacket & tie
SPECIAL BACKDROPS: Projected digital images
TARGET AUDIENCE: Pre-teen thru Adult
RATING: G-Rated
Cast
6 Performers
Vocalists: 2 Females, 2 males
1 Narrator
1 Piano Accompanist
RUN TIME: ~1:20 excluding intermission
BOOK & LYRICS BY: Eileen Voiland (Spokane, WA)
MUSIC BY: Nancy Erickson Lamont (Seattle, WA) | Shawn Schlogel (Seattle, WA) Colin Rhoades (Los Angeles, CA)
Selection of songs from The Sunny Hours Music catalog
Vocalists deliver solos, duets and ensemble songs - no dramatic acting required
Musical Score
LICENSING: We license directly, and offer flexible licensing arrangements. Contact us for details.
Performed April 2026
Full production packages include script, piano-vocal score, stage directions and a casting breakdown.