Rough Cuts at Nautilus Music-Theater — March 2026
Four NMTE members were featured in Nautilus Music-Theater’s Rough Cuts program — and nearly 50 people showed up despite a March blizzard.
This is Minnesota. We don’t cancel for snow.
What made this Rough Cuts extraordinary was the format: Monday’s open rehearsal meant the creative teams were coaching performers in real time, in front of the audience — a rare window into the collaborative process of building a new musical. By Tuesday’s show, the pieces had been shaped and sharpened. The consensus among everyone involved: this was one of the best Rough Cuts in memory.
NMTE Members Featured
Charles Betz and Josiah Thomas Turner presented two songs from their musical-in-progress Five Minutes on the Low Road:
- “Best for Her” — featuring Josh Row and Jake Endres
- “This Side of Tomorrow” — featuring Norah Long
Robert Elhai and Jim Payne — Two selections from A Song at Twilight:
- “Our Divided Hearts” — featuring Vanessa Gamble and Daniel Greco
- “Funeral Scene” — featuring Josh Row and Daniel Greco
Benjamin Emory Larson — “You’re Not Alone” from Beneath the Ice, featuring Daniel Greco
Brenda Varda — “We Won’t Have to Do a Thing,” featuring Yvonne Freese and Jake Endres
Also on the Program
- Ken Takata — “Sonnet 18,” featuring Yvonne Freese, Momoko Tanno, Josh Row, and Jake Endres
- Sara Brownson and Andrea Leap — “But Most of All,” featuring Daniel Greco, Momoko Tanno, Vanessa Gamble, and Norah Long
- Yan Pang — “The Swallow Bird,” featuring Yvonne Freese and Momoko Tanno
- Dan Rieva — Excerpt from The Mpliad, featuring Yvonne Freese and Jake Endres
- Marya Hart — “Lamento,” featuring Norah Long
Musical Director: Sonja Thompson
Performers
Jake Endres · Yvonne Freese · Vanessa Gamble · Daniel Greco · Norah Long · Joshua Row · Momoko Tanno