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INTERVIEW: Jenny LeDoux and Nautilus’ Bluestem

by Amy Donahue -

A promotional image for Nautilus Music-Theater’s Rough Cuts reading of Bluestem, a new music theater piece by Eric Anderson and Kim Sherman.

One of the best-kept secrets in the Twin Cities is Nautilus Music-Theater‘s Rough Cuts series – a chance to see riveting, intimate performances of material for the highly affordable price of $10. Did I mention that free milk and cookies are included in that low, low price?

The classically trained singer Jenny LeDoux is 1 of 12 singers in Nautilus Music-Theater’s performance of Bluestem, which runs two nights only June 2-3 in St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN.

Nautilus, which spiritually descends from the early avant garde years of what became Minnesota Opera, is a nationally respected developer of new music-theatre pieces somewhere on the spectrum between pure musical theater and pure opera. It’s also a leading trainer, with artistic director Ben Krzywosz leading workshops across the country on writing vocal music for the stage. The latest installment in the Rough Cuts series – now on its 28th season – runs Monday and Tuesday in the Twin Cities.

A musical reading of BLUESTEM
by Eric Anderson and Kim D. Sherman
Two nights only!
Monday, June 2nd @ 7:30 pm: Nautilus Music-Theater Studio in Lowertown Saint Paul
Tuesday, June 3rd @ 7:30 pm: Sateren Auditorium, on campus at Augsburg University in Minneapolis
Tickets: $10 or pay-as-you-wish
Free cookies and milk are served, and seating is limited: Call 651-298-9913 for reservations, or e-mail staff@nautilusmusictheater.org.
Bluestem is an operatic new music-theater piece by librettist Eric Anderson and composer Kim Sherman, adapted from the writings of Willa Cather. Two stories of artistic outsiders, set in the same small town in Kansas, overlap in space but not time: in 1895, young soprano Thea Kronburg grapples with her artistic future, and 100 years later, internationally-known sculptor Harvey Merrick is mourned by his protegé. Two stories, two artists, two outsiders – Bluestem is a poignant homage to artistic inspiration and life’s possibilities.
The performances, musically directed by Sonja Thompson and with coaching by Jill Dawe, feature a cast of 12 classically trained singers: Jake Endres, Daniel Greco, Mary Laymon, Jenny LeDoux, Trevor Lemon-Todd, Norah Long, Jim Ramlet, Justin Spenner, Felix Tomlinson, Krisanne Weiss, Andy Wilkowske, and Evan Tyler Wilson.
The Arts Reader‘s Amy Donahue sat down with soprano Jenny LeDoux to discuss Bluestem, the intensive collaborative process used by Nautilus to develop new works, and her busy, multi-disciplinary performing career.
Jenny LeDoux as Clara Johnson in a promotional image for Duluth Playhouse’s 2025 production of The Light in the Piazza.

You’ve had a busy season in the theatre across the state. What were some of the highlights?

I was super fortunate to make my debut with the Duluth Playhouse at The NorShor Theatre this winter in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella as the titular role, and just one month later I came back up to play Clara in The Light in the Piazza. Getting to work in this new community of artists was a joy I’ll always be grateful for, and while both pieces carry a special place in my heart, the fact that Piazza is so rarely performed made it extra special. That material is so raw, and getting to dig into the themes surrounding the mother-daughter relationship with the musical theater jewel that is Keri Rodau was life changing, to say the least. 

In a nutshell – what is the work that you’re performing with Nautilus? What is your role in it?

Nautilus Music-Theater is renowned for its Rough Cuts productions led by Artistic Director Ben Krywosz, where new or developing works are presented in a workshop setting for the purposes of further evolving the work, and providing it a space to be heard by audiences. Bluestem is a crossover piece written by composer Kim Sherman and librettist Eric Anderson that tells the story of two different people: Thea Kronberg and Stephen Kadis, who live in the same small, Midwestern prairie town, but are separated by 100 years.

The show is inspired by two Willa Cather stories: “A Song of the Lark” and “The Sculptor’s Funeral”. I play young Thea, whose story starts in 1895, and her story is of a young person who has aspirations to be a singer, but feels overwhelmed by the surge of inspiration and passion within her. Over the course of the show, we witness her discover within herself this “life force”, as Ben Krywosz coins it, and decide (through much contemplation and self-discovery) to chase after where that energy seems to be leading her. 

Jenny LeDoux in a promotional photo for Really Spicy Opera’s The Princess Pirate Party Musical.

You’re no stranger to new music and theatre. How does the process at Nautilus compare to other new works development that you’ve done?

The Nautilus Rough Cuts program is all about pairing composers with live performers, and this experience has been very similar to the work I’ve done with Basil Considine’s opera company Really Spicy Opera, which hosts different chapters of a program known as The Aria Institute, where composers [and librettists] are again paired up with performers. Both spaces really bring about this sense of true collaboration, where the artist can ask direct questions to the composer and vice versa.

This is honestly a really wild experience for singers, especially classical ones, as so often the composers are not with us anymore, and therefore we can’t ask specific questions.

To be able to hear a composer explain to you why they threw a quarter rest into their music instead of an eighth makes a huge difference to the performer, and allows us to find deeper layers within the piece.  

What’s a favorite moment in the show that you sing, and why?

Thea has this aria at the end of Act 1 that’s just the definition of life force – it’s all about fire and the moon and wanting to be free.

Eric did such a particularly great job setting the text of this one to mirror the emotions of an adolescent really coming into their own, and the pulse and harmony Kim has created gives you everything you need as a soprano to sing a full-throated aria full of bridled desires looking to be unleashed. 

What’s a favorite moment in the show that you’re not singing in, and why?I absolutely love listening to the ensemble scenes in this show. The way Kim has written conversational scenes amongst the people of the small town is very real. As a Midwesterner, I can picture real life versions of each of the characters the four ensemble members portray. 

A promotional photo of singer Jenny LeDoux in the early morning light. Photo by Carleen Olson / CarleenCEO Photo & Design.

In addition to opera and musical theatre, you are also in a band. How do you manage juggling the different schedules?

Oh boy, it can be a juggling act for sure!

I work really hard to spread things out and let myself have time to move back and forth between projects. This winter, when I was in Duluth for four months, my Gently, Gently bandmates were incredibly willing to take weeks off or meet without me to keep up the momentum of practicing.

I think the secret to balancing it all is making sure that you surround yourself with really understanding people, and that goes for both your professional and your personal life. I somehow am often lucky enough to get to work with incredible artists who also know that humans are multi-faceted and that none of us can devote all of ourselves to any one thing at any one time, and they’re willing to work out rehearsal schedules if needed.

As for my friends and family, they know at this point: when I’m gearing up for a show or big performance that I’m going to have less availability, and they don’t hold that against me, and support me digging into my work.

Jenny LeDoux singing with the band Gently, Gently. Photo by Marty Lang / Lava Submarine Studio.

What’s up next for you as an artist?

I’m super excited to announce that Gently, Gently will be playing up in Duluth at Bent Paddle Brewing Company on July 19th in their outdoor concert space! We recently made our debut at Art-A-Whirl in Northeast Minneapolis, and it reminded us how much we love to play outside, so we are very much looking forward to July. Come grab a beer and meet us on the patio! 

 

Amy Donahue
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