Spells of the Sea
An original musical about Finley Frankfurter, a 15-year-old fisherwoman who embarks on a magical journey to find the Elixir of Life. Best for 8 year olds, 18 year olds, and 80 year olds — and everyone in between! Produced by Metro Theater Company and filmed live at the Grandel Theatre in February 2023.
Where to watch
Spells of the Sea was available to stream on demand from February 24 until March 12, 2023.
theatrical history
A new musical for young audiences by Guinevere “Gwenny" Govea about a fifteen-year-old fisherwoman, named Finley Frankfurter, who embarks on an adventure with a grumpy lighthouse keeper to find the Elixir of Life in order to save Finley’s father from a mysterious illness.
Gwenny Govea is an award-winning writer, performer, and podcaster. She studied Theatre and Dance, along with Journalism, at the University of Texas at Austin (UT).
During the 2020 lockdown, Govea was in the third year of her double major and her roommate Anna Pickett were in quarantine in their dorm room. Missing the ability to travel, her friends, live theatre, and also grieving for those dying from COVID, Govea decided to “turn those feelings into songs.”
Spells of the Sea was initially envisioned as a show for an intimate theatre space. Due to COVID restrictions, the musical was adapted into a five-part podcast.
Gwenny Govea is an award-winning writer, performer, and podcaster. She studied Theatre and Dance, along with Journalism, at the University of Texas at Austin (UT).
During the 2020 lockdown, Govea was in the third year of her double major and her roommate Anna Pickett were in quarantine in their dorm room. Missing the ability to travel, her friends, live theatre, and also grieving for those dying from COVID, Govea decided to “turn those feelings into songs.”
Spells of the Sea was initially envisioned as a show for an intimate theatre space. Due to COVID restrictions, the musical was adapted into a five-part podcast.
Directed by Anna Pickett, the podcast was released via the UT Cohen New Works Festival, and on Spotify and Anchor Podcasts, on April 12, 2021.
The biennial Cohen New Works Festival aims to celebrate “new, bold, risk-taking, future-thinking, cutting-edge, no-holds-barred, adjective-filled, original performance” by UT students. The 2021 festival was entirely virtual, and in an attempt to combat “screen fatigue,” each production provided additional resources for audiences to engage with. Spells of the Sea resources included transcripts, coloring sheets, craft activities, online games, and teacher/parent guides.
The cast and crew of the Spells of the Sea podcast featured UT students Emily Watson (Finley Frankfurter), Will Derden (H.S. Crank), Kathleen Guerrero (Mermaid, Elixir), Gabriella Bastek (Shopkeeper, Coach, Townsperson #1), Jayla Ball (Princess Kelp, Doctor), Ben Cervantes (Captain Serpent Tyde, Townsperson #2), and Michael Williams Martinez (Ferris Frankfurter, Assistant to the Pirate Captain). Alex Titsworth and Kasey Durham provided sound design, Conner Darnell was the sound mixer, and Mallory Maybin served as dramaturg.
The podcast was nominated for, and won, multiple B. Iden Payne Awards in the 2020-21 season. The awards are an initiative sponsored by the Austin Creative Alliance and the B. Iden Payne Awards Council (BIPAC) in an effort to support theatre on Austin stages.
Dr. Megan Alrutz, interim chair for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin, shared the podcast with Julia Flood — her friend and former colleague and artistic director of the Metro Theater Company. Flood believed the podcast was the perfect stage musical for MTC’s 50th anniversary season, and was also excited to support young women artists.
The biennial Cohen New Works Festival aims to celebrate “new, bold, risk-taking, future-thinking, cutting-edge, no-holds-barred, adjective-filled, original performance” by UT students. The 2021 festival was entirely virtual, and in an attempt to combat “screen fatigue,” each production provided additional resources for audiences to engage with. Spells of the Sea resources included transcripts, coloring sheets, craft activities, online games, and teacher/parent guides.
The cast and crew of the Spells of the Sea podcast featured UT students Emily Watson (Finley Frankfurter), Will Derden (H.S. Crank), Kathleen Guerrero (Mermaid, Elixir), Gabriella Bastek (Shopkeeper, Coach, Townsperson #1), Jayla Ball (Princess Kelp, Doctor), Ben Cervantes (Captain Serpent Tyde, Townsperson #2), and Michael Williams Martinez (Ferris Frankfurter, Assistant to the Pirate Captain). Alex Titsworth and Kasey Durham provided sound design, Conner Darnell was the sound mixer, and Mallory Maybin served as dramaturg.
The podcast was nominated for, and won, multiple B. Iden Payne Awards in the 2020-21 season. The awards are an initiative sponsored by the Austin Creative Alliance and the B. Iden Payne Awards Council (BIPAC) in an effort to support theatre on Austin stages.
Dr. Megan Alrutz, interim chair for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin, shared the podcast with Julia Flood — her friend and former colleague and artistic director of the Metro Theater Company. Flood believed the podcast was the perfect stage musical for MTC’s 50th anniversary season, and was also excited to support young women artists.
In June 2022, Spells of the Sea received a workshop at the Pegasus PlayLab, a festival dedicated to developing plays by emerging playwrights. The workshop was a collaboration between UT Austin’s Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities Program and Metro Theater Company.
The Pegasus PlayLab reading was directed by Julia Flood, with sound design by Casey Deiter, Scene Design Response by Sonya Smith-Tembe and Jeanna DelVecchio, Lighting Design Response by Alex Russell, Costume Design Response by Karina Rodriguez-Toledo, Design by Michelle Habeck and Adriana Serrano, Choreography by Giana Blazquez Bultman and Julia Veiga, Music Direction by Chandler Caroccio, Stage Management by Elana Treiser, with Deborah Wicks La Puma serving as Music Advisor and Pianist. The cast included Bethany Post (Finley), Drew Stark (H.S. Crank), Andre Braza (Dad/Pirate Captain), Renita James (Shopkeeper/Mermaid/Elixir/Sea Monster), Madilynn Crown (Princess/Townsperson (Kid)/Pirate #1), Hannah Schorr (Teacher/Assistant To Pirate Captain/Townsperson #2), Mia Hammond (Doctor/Queen/Townsperson #1) and Bellamy Kopesec (Pearl/Stage Directions/Understudy).
Following further development, Spells of the Sea had its world premier on February 10, 2023 at the Grandel Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri as part of MTC’s 50th anniversary season. See Filmed Production Notes below.
Spells of the Sea is expected to have an off-Broadway run in the fall of 2023.
The Pegasus PlayLab reading was directed by Julia Flood, with sound design by Casey Deiter, Scene Design Response by Sonya Smith-Tembe and Jeanna DelVecchio, Lighting Design Response by Alex Russell, Costume Design Response by Karina Rodriguez-Toledo, Design by Michelle Habeck and Adriana Serrano, Choreography by Giana Blazquez Bultman and Julia Veiga, Music Direction by Chandler Caroccio, Stage Management by Elana Treiser, with Deborah Wicks La Puma serving as Music Advisor and Pianist. The cast included Bethany Post (Finley), Drew Stark (H.S. Crank), Andre Braza (Dad/Pirate Captain), Renita James (Shopkeeper/Mermaid/Elixir/Sea Monster), Madilynn Crown (Princess/Townsperson (Kid)/Pirate #1), Hannah Schorr (Teacher/Assistant To Pirate Captain/Townsperson #2), Mia Hammond (Doctor/Queen/Townsperson #1) and Bellamy Kopesec (Pearl/Stage Directions/Understudy).
Following further development, Spells of the Sea had its world premier on February 10, 2023 at the Grandel Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri as part of MTC’s 50th anniversary season. See Filmed Production Notes below.
Spells of the Sea is expected to have an off-Broadway run in the fall of 2023.
Film history
Spells of the Sea was scheduled to open in February 2023 at Metro Theater Company's Grendel Theatre in St. Louis. The musical was a co-production between Metro Theater Company and Megan Ann Rasmussen Productions, and marked MTC’s first collaboration with commercial producers.
Under the direction of Julia Flood, the creative team included musical director Deborah Wicks La Puma, associate music director and orchestrator Fernanda Douglas, choreographer Tyler White, scenic designers Margery and Peter Spack, costume designer Cynthia Nordstrom, lighting designer Jayson M. Lawshee, sound designer Rusty Wandall, dramaturg Dr. Megan Alrutz, and stage manager Jimmy Bernatowicz.
The cast included Molly Burris (Princess and Others), Syrhea Conaway (Teacher and Others), Hannah Geisz (Pearl, Finley Frankfurter (understudy), and Others), Jon Gentry (H.S. Crank), Guinevere Govea (Finley Frankfurter), Mitchell Manar (Assistant Pirate Captain and Others), Colin McLaughlin (Ferris Frankfurter and Others), Noah Laster (Pirate Captain and Others), and Tyler White (Mermaid, Shopkeeper, and Monster).
The production was initially slated to use backing tracks, however following auditions, it was decided that the music would be performed live by actor-musicians in the cast.
Spells of the Sea was scheduled to open on February 5, but was delayed owing to an outbreak of COVID in the cast. It opened a week later at the Grandel Theater on February 10, 2023.
The production received warm reviews with critics praising Julia Flood’s direction, Tyler White’s choreography, the clever book and score, Deborah Wicks La Puma’s music direction, and the overall performances of the cast.
BroadwayWorld reviewer, and long-time patron of MTC, Steve Callahan stated that although the production spoke down to children “just a little,” he felt the “this new show is right up there with their [MTC’s] best.” Callahan praised the “imaginative staging” and cast of “gifted performers.” He described Guinevere Govera as a “very bright spirit with a lovely clear musical-theater voice…” and stated that Tyler White “is marvelous as a sort of spiritual M.C. of the evening… She has such grace and poise, and she has the world's most astonishingly fine diction.” Callahan also made note of Govera’s “clever lyrics.”
Writing for Riverfront Times, Tina Farmer praised the cast for their strong performances, and noted that “The entire show is lifted up by the inventive and often whimsical scenic design of Margery and Peter Spack.” Farmer concluded “Crafted with an eye to kindness and hope, the enchanting Spells of the Sea proves a thoroughly engaging and uplifting new musical for family audiences.”
Spells of the Sea was filmed live by Higher Education Media during the first week of its run on February 14, 2023. The capture was part of the PNC Art Alive’s funded MTC Remote initiative which aims to make theatre more accessible across the St. Louis region and beyond. The program allows MTC to stream all mainstage productions in their 2022-23 season.
Spells of the Sea was available to stream on demand February 24 - March 12, 2023.
Under the direction of Julia Flood, the creative team included musical director Deborah Wicks La Puma, associate music director and orchestrator Fernanda Douglas, choreographer Tyler White, scenic designers Margery and Peter Spack, costume designer Cynthia Nordstrom, lighting designer Jayson M. Lawshee, sound designer Rusty Wandall, dramaturg Dr. Megan Alrutz, and stage manager Jimmy Bernatowicz.
The cast included Molly Burris (Princess and Others), Syrhea Conaway (Teacher and Others), Hannah Geisz (Pearl, Finley Frankfurter (understudy), and Others), Jon Gentry (H.S. Crank), Guinevere Govea (Finley Frankfurter), Mitchell Manar (Assistant Pirate Captain and Others), Colin McLaughlin (Ferris Frankfurter and Others), Noah Laster (Pirate Captain and Others), and Tyler White (Mermaid, Shopkeeper, and Monster).
The production was initially slated to use backing tracks, however following auditions, it was decided that the music would be performed live by actor-musicians in the cast.
Spells of the Sea was scheduled to open on February 5, but was delayed owing to an outbreak of COVID in the cast. It opened a week later at the Grandel Theater on February 10, 2023.
The production received warm reviews with critics praising Julia Flood’s direction, Tyler White’s choreography, the clever book and score, Deborah Wicks La Puma’s music direction, and the overall performances of the cast.
BroadwayWorld reviewer, and long-time patron of MTC, Steve Callahan stated that although the production spoke down to children “just a little,” he felt the “this new show is right up there with their [MTC’s] best.” Callahan praised the “imaginative staging” and cast of “gifted performers.” He described Guinevere Govera as a “very bright spirit with a lovely clear musical-theater voice…” and stated that Tyler White “is marvelous as a sort of spiritual M.C. of the evening… She has such grace and poise, and she has the world's most astonishingly fine diction.” Callahan also made note of Govera’s “clever lyrics.”
Writing for Riverfront Times, Tina Farmer praised the cast for their strong performances, and noted that “The entire show is lifted up by the inventive and often whimsical scenic design of Margery and Peter Spack.” Farmer concluded “Crafted with an eye to kindness and hope, the enchanting Spells of the Sea proves a thoroughly engaging and uplifting new musical for family audiences.”
Spells of the Sea was filmed live by Higher Education Media during the first week of its run on February 14, 2023. The capture was part of the PNC Art Alive’s funded MTC Remote initiative which aims to make theatre more accessible across the St. Louis region and beyond. The program allows MTC to stream all mainstage productions in their 2022-23 season.
Spells of the Sea was available to stream on demand February 24 - March 12, 2023.
cast & creative credits
Theatre: Grandel Theatre
Producer: Metro Theater Company and Megan Ann Rasmussen Productions
Book/Music/Lyrics: Guinevere Govea
Additional Creative Contributions: Anna Pickett
Director: Julia Flood
Assistant Director and Co-Writer: Anna Pickett
Musical Director: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Associate Music Director, Orchestrations, Copyist: Fernanda Douglas
Choreography: Tyler White
Scenic Design: Margery and Peter Spack
Costume Design: Cynthia Nordstrom
Lighting Design: Jayson M. Lawshee
Sound Design: Rusty Wandall
Dramaturg: Dr. Megan Alrutz
Stage Manager: Jimmy Bernatowicz
Cast:
Molly Burris (Princess and Others),
Syrhea Conaway (Teacher and Others),
Hannah Geisz (Pearl, Finley Frankfurter (understudy), and Others)
Jon Gentry (H.S. Crank)
Guinevere Govea (Finley Frankfurter)
Mitchell Manar (Assistant Pirate Captain and Others)
Colin McLaughlin (Ferris Frankfurter and Others)
Noah Laster (Pirate Captain and Others)
Tyler White (Mermaid, Shopkeeper, and Monster)
Producer: Metro Theater Company and Megan Ann Rasmussen Productions
Book/Music/Lyrics: Guinevere Govea
Additional Creative Contributions: Anna Pickett
Director: Julia Flood
Assistant Director and Co-Writer: Anna Pickett
Musical Director: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Associate Music Director, Orchestrations, Copyist: Fernanda Douglas
Choreography: Tyler White
Scenic Design: Margery and Peter Spack
Costume Design: Cynthia Nordstrom
Lighting Design: Jayson M. Lawshee
Sound Design: Rusty Wandall
Dramaturg: Dr. Megan Alrutz
Stage Manager: Jimmy Bernatowicz
Cast:
Molly Burris (Princess and Others),
Syrhea Conaway (Teacher and Others),
Hannah Geisz (Pearl, Finley Frankfurter (understudy), and Others)
Jon Gentry (H.S. Crank)
Guinevere Govea (Finley Frankfurter)
Mitchell Manar (Assistant Pirate Captain and Others)
Colin McLaughlin (Ferris Frankfurter and Others)
Noah Laster (Pirate Captain and Others)
Tyler White (Mermaid, Shopkeeper, and Monster)
awards & nominations
B. Iden Payne Award
- Conner Darnell for Outstanding Editing (winner)
- Guinevere Govea for Outstanding Original Script - Feature Length (winner)
- Outstanding Production
- Anna Pickett for Outstanding Direction
- Will Derden and Emily Watson for Outstanding Lead Performer
- Jayla Ball for Outstanding Featured Performer
- Outstanding Large Cast
- Mallory Maybin for Outstanding Dramaturgy
- Alex Titsworth for Outstanding Sound Design
- Guinevere Govea for Outstanding Music Direction, Outstanding Score
Podcast
Research sources
Books
Articles
Websites
Other
- Spells of the Sea Playbill, Accessed via: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d9ba3ed345f220d52b36971/t/63e3c91fe65c326f0fe5bb58/1675872560896/Spells_Playbill_FINAL_Digital_Feb2023.pdf
Articles
- Steve Callahan, “Review: SPELLS OF THE SEA at Metro Theater Company,” BroadwayWorld (Feb 14, 2023)
- Dana DiPiazza, “Adventure awaits center stage with Metro Theater Company’s premiere of magical musical,” KSDK (Jan 24, 2023)
- Tina Farmer, “Review: Metro Theater’s Spells of the Sea Spins a Little Magic,” Riverfront Times (Feb 17, 2023
- Uncredited, “2020-2021 B. Iden Payne Award Nominees and Winners,” The University of Texas at Austin: Theatre and Dance: College of Fine Arts (Nov 9, 2021)
- Uncredited, “PNC Arts Alive Grant,” Metro Theater Company Blog (2021)
Websites
- Guinevere Govea, “Spells of the Sea Podcast,” Accessed via: https://www.guineveregovea.com/spells-of-the-sea-podcast
- Issuu, “The 2021 Cohen New Works Festival,” Accessed via: https://issuu.com/uttad/docs/nwf_guide21_issuu_v1
- Metro Theater Company, “Spells of the Sea,” Accessed via: https://www.metroplays.org/spells-of-the-sea
- Spells of the Sea, “About,” Accessed via: https://www.spellsofthesea.com/about
- University of Central Florida: UCF School of Performing Arts, “Pegasus PlayLab 2022,” Accessed via: https://performingarts.cah.ucf.edu/theatre/pegasus-playlab/
- The University of Texas at Austin: Theatre and Dance: College of Fine Arts, “The 2021 Cohen New Works Festival,” Accessed via: https://theatredance.utexas.edu/2021-cohen-new-works-festival
Other
- Interview with Joe Gfaller, Filmed Live Musicals podcast (January 2023)
- Interview with Julia Flood and Guinevere Govea, Filmed Live Musicals podcast (January 2023)
- Metro Theater Company [@MetroTheater]. “UPDATE! Due to a COVID-19 case within our cast, we are postponing the opening of Spells of the Sea until Friday, February 10 at 7 pm. If you have tickets for the February 5 performance, we will gladly reschedule your tickets to a date of your choice…” Twitter (Feb 3, 2023), www.twitter.com/MetroTheater/status/1621636406304018433?s=20&t=KJsxOBQUoBVlwcDf4b_nJA
Written by Luisa Lyons (February, 2023)