Full Length Musical – Single Set – 6 Men, 2 Women
(Photos courtesy of the History Theatre, St. Paul, MN)
Description: A Swedish immigrant farmer discovers a medieval runestone on his land and is accused of carving it as a hoax.
Synopsis: Olof Ohman is a Swedish immigrant farmer who digs up a mysterious runestone on his Minnesota farm in 1898. Encouraged by the mayor in nearby Kensington, Olof puts it on display at the bank in town, bringing both local and national media attention to the artifact. The runes describe a medieval expedition of Goths (Swedes) and Norwegians who reached Minnesota in 1362. The stone gains some academic support, but most runologists declare that the KRS is a hoax and accuse Olof of carving it. Olof and his family are caught up in the controversy. Olof, and later his adult children, defend his honesty and it leads to tragic consequences.
Why It Was Written: I grew up on a farm just a couple miles away from where the Kensington Runestone (KRS) was found. The KRS is a big part of my community’s history, and the debate over the runestone’s authenticity continues to rage on today. My grandfather was a young farmer who knew Olof Ohman in the 1930s, and he always said Olof was an honest man. However, my father was convinced the KRS was a hoax. So I grew up in a “mixed household” where I heard both sides of this debate.
I have several connections to this story. My home church is Solem Lutheran Church, where Olof and his family are buried. Several older members of the congregation knew Olof and shared stories about him. I also attended Concordia College where Johan Holvik, Olof’s main accuser, taught music and Norwegian in the 1930s-1950’s.
But writing a compelling script eluded me. I wrote over twenty versions. (Uff-da) Ron Peluso, artistic director at the History Theatre, suggested I turn my play into a “rock” musical. Composer Gary Rue joined this journey, and together we developed another version. But our director for the History Theatre’s Raw Stages Development Festival, Tyler Michaels King, thought it would be great if the story focused on Olof. Gary and I got into our groove and started carving out this script. After another two-year COVID delay, Runestone: A Rock Musical finally enjoyed its world premiere at the History Theatre in St. Paul, MN in May 2022.
Besides the people I mention above, I owe many others a big thanks. Both Brian Pekol, our music director, and Laurie Flanigan Hegge, our dramaturg, made sure the music and the script kept moving along. Tom Trow shared his thorough hoax research. Kensington historians Ruth Johnson and Mel Conrad passed along Kensington history. My uncle Omar, mother Marlys, and wife Jill encouraged me to keep on. And a big thanks to Ron Peluso and the History Theatre for supporting this project over many years. This rock finally got rolling.
Read the first ten pages: Script Sample