Nearby FarawayTickets on sale now for July 22, 23, 24 and July 29, 30, 31

Lake George, NY — In the 32 years it took to bring “Nearby Faraway” to the stage, Neal Herr and Catherine Reid had a family, raised their children, divorced and developed a friendship that brought them back to the project. The premier performance of the original musical will headline O’Keeffe Festival 2022, a celebration of iconic American artist Georgia O’Keeffe on the beautiful shores of Lake George, where she vacationed.

“O’Keeffe is known as a Southwest artist, but she started out up here in Lake George,” said Herr, who first thought about writing the musical when he read Roxana Robinson’s “Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life.” “As I read the bio, I thought, ‘This is a perfect topic’ — we have two larger than-life adults in a romantic but turbulent relationship. And I also knew they had a connection to Lake George, so I thought I could write a musical and my wife will do the music.”

Life got in the way for Herr and Reid. “I spent around 12 years reading, interviewing people in Lake George who actually knew them, and visiting the properties they visited. I spent a long time writing it, then we had kids, we got divorced and now, 20 years later, I have the chops to produce it.”

Funded in part by grants from Warren County, LARAC and the Touba Foundation, “Nearby Faraway” is part of an “O’Keeffe-Fest,” a month-long region-wide collaboration celebrating the life and artwork of O’Keeffe (1887-1986), who summered in Lake George for many years. “Catherine has done a lot on poets and painters, so this was a perfect subject for her,” Herr said. “She has worked with all the best singers in the area, she’s one of the best music directors, and so I said, ‘You pick your dream cast,’ and we got everybody we wanted.” The musical features regional standouts including Anthime Miller, Laura Roth, Gisella Montanez, Camille West-Wodicka, Emma Otto, Hannah Nolan, Mark Collier, John Benware and Alan Dunham, and stars Actors Equity actress and Lake George native Hillary Parker as O’Keeffe. Adirondack Scenic designed the set.

Dozens of regional artists also contributed works inspired by O’Keeffe for inclusion in the play by Projection Artist Jonathan Phelps. Stephen Satterfield choreographed it. “Nearby Faraway” will be performed July 22-24 and 29-31 at Fort William Henry’s Carriage House Theater in Lake George, a mile from where Georgia spent 16 summers 100 years ago.

Other offerings in O’Keeffe Festival 2022 include:

  • July 1-31: Artists from the Guild of Adirondack Artists present “Inspired by Georgia

O’Keeffe” at Caldwell-Lake George Library.

Learn more at lakegeorgelibrary.sals.edu.

  • July 19: Learn more about Alfred Stieglitz, the man credited with “discovering” O’Keeffe and her husband, in a lecture by Glenn Long at 7 p.m. at Bolton Historical Museum. Visit boltonhistoricalmuseum.org to learn more.
  • July 21, 22, and 26: Artist Patrice Jarvis-Weber offers “paint your own”

workshops, inspired by O’Keeffe’s works from 6 to 8 p.m. July 21 (“Lake George”); 1 to 3 p.m. July 22 (“Blue Morning “Glory”); and 6 to 8 p.m. July 26 (“Austrian Copper Rose”), all at Caldwell-Lake George Library.

Pre-register at lakegeorgearts.org.

  • All summer: Warren County Historical Society and Lake George Historical Association

each offer O’Keeffe exhibitions throughout the summer.

Learn more at www.wcnyhs.org or www.lakegeorgehistorical.org.

“When you look at an O’Keeffe landscape, usually you’re not just looking at a hill or mountain, you’re looking at her feeling for it. That makes you feel immediately like you’re familiar with O’Keeffe and the place,” Herr said. “That’s really why we call the show ‘Nearby Faraway’: You immediately feel familiar, nearby, intimate, but it’s also often a distant landscape.”

For tickets and more info, visit nearbyfaraway.org.

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Media Contact: Cam Cardinale, cam@advokate.net, 518-309-8616