Her name was Rattlesnake Kate, and her story stuck in my head because it was so much stranger than fiction. When someone tells me, “I hate musicals,” I think, “Well, then you just haven’t seen the right one.” There are so many different kinds of musicals. Whiskers 6. Because the story goes, Kate came upon a rattlesnake whereas attempting to find her supper again in 1925. Her story is one of strength, determination, and creative fun. Neyla Pekarek hadn’t played her cello much during her college years. I felt very out of place until I found my like-minded, weirdo drama kids. As we continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our patrons, artists, volunteers, staff and community, we have canceled or postponed most theatrical programming through the end of 2020. I feel like everything that’s good in my life is because of those teachers. Former member of The Lumineers and Colorado native Neyla Pekarek wrote a folk opera about Slaughterback called Rattlesnake. Best Podcasts Recommended by us. “Rattlesnake Kate” Music and lyrics by Neyla Pekarek, book by Karen Hartman, directed by Chris Coleman Feb. 5-March 14, 2021, Wolf Theatre. Neyla Pekarek: So I have always been a fan of musical theater. I grew up in Aurora and went Overland High School. Neyla Pekarek, the cellist and classically trained vocalist formerly of The Lumineers, was in college when Rattlesnake Kate first rocked her world. Pekarek’s album, Rattlesnake, has some legendary origins. A collection of songs inspired by Rattlesnake Kate, a badass frontierswoman who fought off 140 snakes to protect her young son. The album is set to release on 11th January 2019 on S-Curve Records. The Perfect Gown 8. Learn more. Before Neyla Pekarek became a third of The Lumineers, she saw Rattlesnake Kate’s famous dress and read the story while she attended the University of Northern Colorado. Neyla Pekarek: While I feel very lucky to have had my experience with The Lumineers, it only makes me come into this opportunity with even more appreciation. But the character she is playing right now is more Neyla. Cellist / vocalist Neyla Pekarek—formerly of the Grammy®️-nominated indie-folk band the Lumineers—certainly chose a compelling muse for her 2019 solo debut, Rattlesnake. I think it works really well. Her play Good Faith: Four Chats about Race and the New Haven Fire Department premieres later this year at  Yale Repertory Theater. Neyla Pekarek: I was so excited to be asked to perform at Hattitude. ... Colorado—the story of Rattlesnake Kate. It’s also about how this record is a next step for me. Sometimes they back each other up. It takes programming the work. I could not stop talking about her. Whiskers 6. WOMEN'S TEE INFO: I know.” And so through some magic, last summer I got partnered up with Karen Hartman to write a script to go with my music. She’s the creator of this world. Curated Podcasts Recommended by … We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Type: Musical, World Premiere. Official website of Neyla Pekarek. Arsenic 9. They were so influential in me becoming who I am. Brownie: Ode To A Horse 7. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. A collection of songs inspired by Rattlesnake Kate, a badass frontierswoman who fought off 140 snakes to protect her young son. First, she used her gun to fend them off. To be treated as an equal. The Attack 3. Support our $4 million goal with a gift to our Recovery Fund. Rattlesnake Kate, or Katherine McHale Slaughterback (also, for a time, Kate Garner), was born in 1894 in a log cabin in Colorado, and has a history worthy of any Western legend. In order to protect herself and her 3-year-old son, who was mere feet away on horseback, she proceeded to kill 140 rattlesnakes. She is known for her “handling” of rattlesnakes during the snake migration in the 1920s. Neyla Pekarek: I went there as a musical-theater major but about halfway through I decided it was probably a good idea to get a music-education degree. BUY TICKETS. … Each one is like its own journey. I’ve got my live show where I can do my show-pony thing and sing all the songs myself. Neyla Pekarek: But the story of Rattlesnake Kate goes so far beyond the rattlesnake encounter. This is Neyla’s album. There have been moments in the rehearsal room where we all have been just in shock at how raw and how immediate these songs sound. In October of 2018, after touring the world behind a Billboard number two album and the chart-topping Cleopatra as a member of the Lumineers, cellist/singer Neyla Pekarek announced that she was parting ways with the Grammy-nominated Americana group. I say they just don’t know the right books to read. Whiskers 6. It takes trusting that audiences like to see stories about women. Rattlesnake is a concept album that will indeed center around Rattlesnake Kate. It’’s clear why Neyla Pekarek found the ideal subject matter in Rattlesnake Kate. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Here is more of DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore’s conversation with Neyla Pekarek and Karen Hartman: Neyla Pekarek in ‘The Tomato Plant Girl’ at the University of Northern Colorado. To forge a future for herself and for other women like her. She bravely killed over 100 of the snakes, fashioned a dress out of their skins, and was promptly nicknamed “Rattlesnake Kate”. This is your Hamilton.” And Neyla felt like, “Well, I don’t have to be Kate. And so all these things came together like a creative lightning bolt strike in my brain. Karen Hartman: It is, and it seems to be working quite well. She happened upon the true story of the frontierswoman, who singlehandedly killed 140 snakes as they encroached on her and her son, at Greeley, CO's History Museum. The new album Rattlesnake is out now. It's a concept album based on the true story of Colorado's Rattlesnake Kate, who rescued herself and her 3-year-old adopted son from an attack by killing more than 140 snakes in 1925. Karen Hartman: I would also say that it’s just such a good move for Chris Coleman’s first commission to go to a global Colorado artist who is writing a Colorado story. You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Get to Know Desiree Sanchez, Artistic Director at Aquila Theatre. John Moore: And then you went to the University of Northern Colorado. Field-wide, the Women’s Voices Fund is way out ahead of the pack. I have felt very silenced by men in my life. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. John Moore: What kind of music were you into growing up? I listened to five notes of the first song of Neyla’s record and I was just hooked. Click on the different category headings to find out more. In this daily five-part series for the DCPA NewsCenter, we introduce you to the plays and playwrights featured at the Denver Center’s 2019 Colorado New Play Summit through February 24. One even could say that Pekarek is shedding her skin and taking on a new form with “Rattlesnake,” which was themed around the legend of Colorado pioneer Kate McHale Slaughterback. Brian Cronan) 5. John Moore: What about the way she lived her life speaks to you 100 years later? Today: Neyla Pekarek and Karen Hartman, writers of ‘Rattlesnake Kate.’. Hot Podcasts Popular shows today. My record is full of harmony as well, and I wanted to keep that in the stage musical. Neyla Pekarek: I think I might be too much of a Virgo to confidently say spirits came to me, but I do fully believe Rattlesnake Kate was my muse. With her shotgun, horse, and toddler in tow, the single mother is confronted by a rattlesnake migration. Producing Partners: Peggy Finley, Alan & Katie Fox, Ruth Krebs & Peter Mannetti, Ted Pinkowitz & Susan Fox Pinkowitz, Integra Financial, Advisory: Contains adult language and violence. Train 2. So a lot of what I’ve been doing is asking, “Well can the verse of this one song belong to Kate and the chorus of this other song belong to the judge in a courtroom? But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. On her headstone, her name simply reads "Rattlesnake Kate," per her request. I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. But she had get a little bit of proof that this happened. That’s something a stage musical can do really easily. When you choose DCPA Event Services, our on-site team of planners, designers and technicians will work with you every step of the way to create the event of your dreams. Music and Lyrics by Neyla Pekarek. You’ve played Paris. Today, Neyla Pekarek, formerly of The Lumineers, has revealed the second new song off her forthcoming solo album ‘Rattlesnake,’ out January 18, 2019 on S-Curve Records. It started out with two guys in their basement asking me if I wanted to get into a minivan and play shows. I just keeping saying to myself: “Wait. Neyla Pekarek: A few years ago, I started writing songs about this woman without an end plan, and it quickly got out of control where I wrote a whole bunch of songs and put them on a record called Rattlesnake. And talking about these issues of inequality tells me that Rattlesnake Kate and Hattitude will be a perfect match. Sometimes the Kates sing together. But seriously, you should just say no when two guys in a basement ask you to get into their minivan. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Neyla Pekarek: It’s an insane honor, especially because I am doing it here. And here you are now at the Denver Center creating a stage musical. Karen Hartman: I said to Neyla: “If you want to be Kate, you’re Kate, obviously. She also found something of a kindred spirit. Rattlesnake was released on January 18, 2019 via S-Curve Records. Karen Hartman: So we start with this album that is really beautiful and it works gorgeously as it is. It’s a dream come true.” So I am happy to help in any way I can. "Neyla Pekarek, the cellist and classically trained vocalist formerly of The Lumineers, was in college when Rattlesnake Kate first rocked her world. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Neyla Pekarek of The Lumineers played to a packed room last night at Lost Lake Lounge. You can check these in your browser security settings. Brian Cronan) 5. The very next day she went back to the scene of the crime, which must have been horrific event. And now we’re making it into this other thing. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. And it’s incredible that Denver Center is taking the lead. Rattlesnake Kate. Around 100 years ago near Greeley, Kate McHale Slaughterback came upon a migration of rattlesnakes while on her horse with her young son. A collection of songs inspired by Rattlesnake Kate, a badass frontierswoman who fought off 140 snakes to protect her young son. LEARN MORE. She’s not really a household name, and I still don’t understand why nobody knows about her. Brian Cronan) 11. She graduated from the Yale School of Drama and is Senior Artist in Residence at the University of Washington. Neyla Pekarek, the cellist and classically trained vocalist formerly of The Lumineers, was in college when Rattlesnake Kate first rocked her world. And because we’re covering this huge span of Kate’s life, I thought we should cast Kate at three stages of her life. And it just grows on you. Discover the inspirational true story that is larger than life and stranger than fiction in this vibrant new musical by Neyla Pekarek (former member of the Grammy-nominated folk-rock band The Lumineers) and playwright Karen Hartman. Ticket agents also are available in person at each theatre one hour prior to each show. Arsenic 9. John Moore: Neyla, when you visited that museum in Greeley, do you feel like Kate talked to you? Ticket agents also are available in person at each theatre one hour prior to each show. Pekarek is currently in the early stages of turning the story of Rattlesnake Kate into a full musical, which is currently being workshopped at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. … Neyla Pekarek: She pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be feminine and what it meant to be a woman. I’m also a Colorado native, from Denver. The singer Neyla told Billboard: “Rattlesnake is about opportunities. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Neyla Pekarek: Yes, six is a lot of marriages. For your background, Rattlesnake Kate was a Colorado pioneering woman of much acclaim. In modern culture. Visit our box office in the lobby of the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, across from Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Intern Profiles – Meet Jannae. I’m very fortunate that I stumbled into this monster machine that became The Lumineers. 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