‘Horizons of Gold’ turns 10: Locally written musical will have national premiere

Show is inspired by the Bible’s Ruth and is set in America during Great Depression.
Some of the cast of 'Horizons of Gold" are seen rehearsing. The musical is being performed this weekend and next at Matthews Auditorium in the Princeton Performing Arts Center, 150 Viking Way, Cincinnati. CONTRIBUTED

Some of the cast of 'Horizons of Gold" are seen rehearsing. The musical is being performed this weekend and next at Matthews Auditorium in the Princeton Performing Arts Center, 150 Viking Way, Cincinnati. CONTRIBUTED

“Horizons of Gold,” an original musical written and produced by local talent, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a production that will open Friday. The show will also be making its nationwide premiere this year.

“I would encourage the community to come and see the show to support locally-written art, but also, because this show is incredibly redemptive and inspiring in a world that can be so hopeless, sometimes. It provides a little bit of hope and joy,” said Ava Ramsey, marketing coordinator for Inspiring Arts Productions.

“Many theaters across the Midwest have now done this show. Inspiring Arts Productions wanted to celebrate how it’s grown and where it’s gone through this 10th anniversary performance,” said Ramsey.

Appropriate for the entire family, the full-length musical was written and produced by Inspiring Arts Productions. Beth Kenniv (playwright and director), Jeff Smith (composer), James Kenniv (composer) and Dave Thompson (lyricist) collaborated to bring the production to the stage.

According to Beth Kenniv, the show’s director and playwright, “Horizons of Gold” was inspired by the biblical story of Ruth and is set in the heartland of America during the Great Depression. She described it as a powerful story that is retold in the context of American history.

As a former teacher, Kenniv said she was constantly looking for things that were clean, family-friendly and educationally challenging. She said sometimes it was difficult to find such productions and that is what inspired her to write “Horizons of Gold.”

With striking parallels to the original story, “Horizons of Gold” is set in the 1930s and explores themes such as famine and a family that moves to a foreign land. Rose, a young Mexican migrant is looking for a second chance when she crosses paths with Margaret Thomas, a displaced Dust-Bowl farmwife in California. The plot unfolds in each scene as the two women journey to Margaret’s home in Kansas.

“I’m proud of the way this piece moves people, and it’s really been a true inspiration to people. Audiences have responded in very amazing ways. People have fallen in love with the story and the piece itself,” Kenniv said.

She said the show has been performed in more than 10 theaters in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

“The production has really taken hold in a lot of theater companies, and it’s become a favorite of theirs. So, we wanted to bring it back around to our theater company this year, because that’s where it all started,” Kenniv said.

In addition to the six performances, there will also be a VIP event for directors, producers, choreographers, and those who are interested in licensing the show. Those interested in the VIP event can sign up via the link on the website, inspiringartsproductions.com. The VIP event will take place prior to each show, along with a 30-minute Q&A following the evening performance with members of the cast and creative team.

“We are relaunching ‘Horizons of Gold’ to the nation through this whole production. It’s really exciting. We are not only producing the show for our current audience, but we are also initiating all sorts of connections with theaters across the nation,” Kenniv said. “We would like to see ‘Horizons of Gold’ be able to be produced in high schools, at colleges, in community theaters and professional theaters.”


How to go

What: “Horizons of Gold”

When: Two consecutive weekends: 7 p.m. July 28-29 and Aug. 4-5; 3 p.m. July 30 and Aug. 6

Where: Matthews Auditorium in the Princeton Performing Arts Center, 150 Viking Way, Cincinnati

Cost: Tickets range from $15 (reserved,) $18 (reserved) to $25 (premium.) Group tickets are also available. Tickets will be available the day of the show.

Online: inspiringartsproductions.com

About the Author