Creative Panel: The Kilbanes

Join Peter Cipkowski for a conversation with Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses of The Kilbanes, the acclaimed musical duo currently adapting Willa Cather's My Ántonia into an original stage musical. Commissioned by Theater Latté Da in Minneapolis, their adaptation reimagines Cather's masterpiece through their distinctive blend of storytelling and music. The panel will explore the Kilbanes' creative process, their decision to bring My Ántonia to the stage, and how their musical style shapes the emotional and narrative contours of the work.

The discussion will also consider the creative challenge of adaptation itself: what it means to transform a beloved literary classic into a new form, and what questions arise when a masterpiece known as one thing becomes something entirely new.

This event is free to attend thanks to the generosity of Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

The Kilbanes (Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses) are a married composing and performing team and recipients of the 2024 Jonathan Larson Grant. Their rock musical Weightless (WP Theater, A.C.T., Public Theater's Under the Radar) was nominated for Lucille Lortel (Best Musical, Drama Desk (Best Music), and Off-Broadway Alliance (Best New Musical) awards in 2023. Other works include A Whynot Christmas Carol (A.C.T., Pam McKinnon dir.), The Code (A.C.T.), My Ántonia (Next Generation Commission, Theatre Latte Da in Minneapolis - upcoming), As You Like It (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), and Eddie the Marvelous (American Music Theater Project (AMTP) O'Neill National Music Theater Conference; Berkeley Repertory Theater's Ground Floor). In addition to giving a talk on their creative process, the Kilbanes will perform compositions from their upcoming My Ántonia musical as this year's spring conference banquet entertainment!