White Rose: The Musical Tickets

By: Brian Belding
Songs by: Natalie Brice (music) and Brian Belding (lyrics)
Director: Will Nunziata
Cast list: Jo Ellen Pellman (as Sophie Scholl), Mike Cefalo (as Hans Scholl), Kennedy Kanagawa (as Christoph Probst), Laura Sky Herman (as Lila Ramdohr), Paolo Montalban (as Professor Kurt Huber), Sam Gravitte (as Frederick Fischer), Cole Thompson (as Willi Graff), Ellis Gage, Dani Apple
Design: James Noone
Costumes: Sophia Choi
Lighting: Alan C. Edwards
Sound: Elisabeth Weidner
Other info: Music direction and arrangements by Sheela Ramesh, movement direction by Jordan Ryder, orchestrations by Charlie Rosen

The real-life White Rose Resistance Group began its non-violent campaign in Munich on June 27, 1942. Led by Sophie and Hans Scholl, this group fearlessly battled Nazi propaganda by anonymously distributing defiant leaflets raising awareness of the injustices of the oppressive Nazi regime. Members of the group also graffitied "Down with Hitler" and "Freedom" on the walls of universities and other buildings throughout Munich to further mobilize civilians. Their activism continued until the Gestapo arrested the core members of the group on February 18, 1943, and executed them days later.

The White Rose's six leaflets boldly denounced the regime's atrocities, including the persecution and mass murder of Jewish people. They distributed 15,000 copies of their writings in total. Their efforts have inspired numerous activists and storytellers, including Brian Belding and Natalie Brice, who created the White Rose musical.

What to watch for

• Bookwriter and lyricist Brian Belding spent almost 20 years as a high school teacher and sports coach, which informed his approach to writing this musical about students. He describes the show on his LinkedIn as one about “young people finding their way in an unfair world and finding ways to come together as a team and fight against adversity.”
• Composer Natalie Brice is also a teacher. She leads group musical theatre workshops and offers private lessons in piano, voice, and other musical topics. The White Rose is her third musical, following her previous musicals Asher Child and Hell on Earth.
• Director Will Nunziata spent two decades singing professionally with his twin brother, Anthony Nunziata. They performed at the esteemed Carnegie Hall alongside the NY Pops Symphony Orchestra.
• The story of the White Rose Resistance Group captivated other theatremakers more than 20 years ago. Argentinian playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag wrote a non-musical play, titled The White Rose, about the group’s activism, which was produced in New York in 1991.