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Presented Remotely by Jacob Allen July 7, 2020, 5:30 pm (Falmouth, Massachusetts): Highfield Hall & Gardens is pleased to announce “The Musical Almost Never Came to Be” With gratitude to the Woods Hole Foundation that generously provided funding for this program, and the entire CLOC series, present week three of ON THE CLOC with Jacob Allen, an experienced director with CLOC since 2012. On Tuesday Allen will share how a chance encounter with a naked old man in the woods paved the way for one of Broadway’s most iconic musicals. Jacob Allen currently serves as Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Memphis. As a director and performer Jacob has worked extensively throughout the Midwest and New England. Productions include My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Mamelles de Tiresias, El Capitan, Helen of Troy, Little Shop of Horrors, The Last Five Years, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, La Traviata, The Consul, Ruddigore, Naughty Marietta, Merrily We Roll Along, Anything Goes, Jekyll and Hyde, Kiss Me, Kate, Children of Eden, and The Winter's Tale. As an artist Jacob is an advocate for American Lyric Theatre and Art Song. He has recently performed in the premiere of Lee Hoiby's This is the Rill Speaking and directed the first staged production of Jake Heggie's For a Look or a Touch. In 2003 he premiered David Thurmaier's cycle of songs for Baritone, Three American Songs based on texts by Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and Edward Arlington Robinson. He has also been featured in many recordings of early American musical theatre and operetta in English translation on the Albany Records label, and DVD's of his work as both performer and director are available through the American Operetta Foundation. As a teacher Jacob is fascinated by the challenges faced by young singers in their development as theatrical performers and is dedicated to the integration of acting and singing. He was the 2014 recipient of the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation award for excellence in teaching, the University of Memphis' highest honor for excellence in the classroom. Tuesday July 7, 2020 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Free Participants will be provided the FaceBook streaming link for the pre-recorded lecture, and a separate Zoom link to participate in the optional Q&A session with Jacob immediately following the lecture. Registration required visit www.highfieldhallandgardens.org Gallery Hours: Highfield Hall will follow health safety protocols by restricting the number of people in the gallery at one time. The Gallery is closed until the reopening of Phase III About Highfield Hall & Gardens The house is a rare surviving example of transitional Stick Style architecture, containing beautiful gardens located in the heart of Falmouth, Massachusetts. It is a unique combination of a historic house, expansive gardens and trails, and a vibrant cultural center. Built in 1878 as the summer home for Boston's Beebe family, the house sits on 5.5 pristine acres surrounded by nearly 400 acres of conservation land and public walking trails. Highfield Hall & Gardens is not your typical historic estate. It is an example of a historic building saved by grassroots community organizing. An effort of tenacity and vision that continues as new research on the structure and its story of the people who lived here add to the building's significance. It offers world-class music, international art exhibitions, culinary classes, family programs, and year-round special events. For more information, visit highfieldhallandgardens.org. Mission Highfield Hall & Gardens' mission is to honor the beauty and historic significance of the house and grounds by providing high-quality artistic, cultural, and educational programs for the enrichment of our community and visitors of all ages.