The Price of Freedom - About the musical

About The Price of Freedom

By August 2002, composer Rob Gardner had been playing with the idea of writing a musical presentation about World War II for a while. Gardner had done only a little research into the idea and plucked out a couple of melodies when he pitched the idea to friend and songwriter McKane Davis. Immediately, they decided it was something they wanted to collaborate on and they set to work: Davis working primarily on the lyrics and Gardner on the music.

For weeks, Gardner and Davis poured over letters and writings from the "greatest generation." Ultimately, it was decided that the presentation would follow several key characters from the war: a mother and her 2 sons, a soldier and his new bride, and others.

Three months later, on Friday, November 22, 2002, The Price of Freedom premiered at Mountain View High School Auditorium in Mesa, AZ.

About a year after that, most of the original cast got together to record an album of The Price of Freedom on Gardner's nonprofit Spire Music label. Click here to find out more about the CD.

The Price of Freedom tells the stories of soldiers who fought in the war and the loved ones they left behind. The action of the musical plays out through letters from the soldiers and their loved ones. Most of the letters and songs are based on actual correspondence from the war. The stories are real, and so are many of the characters. The performance also includes actual newsreel footage from the war, which serves as a backdrop to the central story, which is the story of the individuals themselves.




About The Price of Freedom By August 2002, composer Rob Gardner had been playing with the idea of writing a musical presentation about World War II for a while. Gardner had done only a little research into the idea and plucked out a couple of melodies when he pitched the idea to friend and songwriter McKane Davis. Immediately, they decided it was something they wanted to collaborate on and they set to work: Davis working primarily on the lyrics and Gardner on the music. For weeks, Gardner and Davis poured over letters and writings from the "greatest generation." Ultimately, it was decided that the presentation would follow several key characters from the war: a mother and her 2 sons, a soldier and his new bride, and others. Three months later, on Friday, November 22, 2002, The Price of Freedom premiered at Mountain View High School Auditorium in Mesa, AZ. About a year after that, most of the original cast got together to record an album of The Price of Freedom on Gardner's nonprofit Spire Music label. Click here to find out more about the CD. The Price of Freedom tells the stories of soldiers who fought in the war and the loved ones they left behind. The action of the musical plays out through letters from the soldiers and their loved ones. Most of the letters and songs are based on actual correspondence from the war. The stories are real, and so are many of the characters. The performance also includes actual newsreel footage from the war, which serves as a backdrop to the central story, which is the story of the individuals themselves.