When Sam Opdahl and Mitchel Wheeler sat down to brainstorm a project they could write together, they aimed for something simple. The first idea they came up with, however, was anything but that.
“We told ourselves we were going to make the project easy,” Wheeler said. “Then, the next words out of our mouths were ‘Let’s make a musical.’”
A type of production Opdahl described as “the opposite of easy.”
Opdahl is a University of Idaho theatre major and Wheeler, who completed his sophomore year earlier this spring, is taking a year-long break from school before returning to study writing.
The two first met in an acting class at UI. Two years later, the production they’ve always talked about writing together has come to fruition in the form of “Isaac & Emily.”
The musical, which runs a little over an hour in length, was named after Opdahl and Wheeler’s friends, Emily and Isaac.
“We knew they would be available this summer and we wanted to work with them,” Opdahl said. “They’re great collaborators and we knew they could both sing.”
Isaac and Emily will play their namesakes, two people who meet in a coffee house at an Open Mic Night. Wheeler said the musical revolves around the friendship the two form and the challenges they face while sharing and writing music with one another.
Among the many challenges that come with producing a musical, Wheeler said helping the cast adjust to new instruments has been the most difficult to overcome.
“With Isaac, part of the challenge when we started was he did not play guitar,” Wheeler said. “All the music in the show is done on guitar, so it was the process of teaching him how to play. Taking that on and learning that has been a challenge for him, but he’s doing wonderfully.”
Although the cast has faced some challenges, Opdahl said the production is moving forward at a steady pace.
“We’re at a good point,” Opdahl said. “We’re getting the play up on its feet, we’re memorized, we’re playing around with what they do during the scenes and it’s coming together.”
The performance will take place at the Shattuck Amphitheater, located outside, adjacent to the Memorial Gym, in the old arboretum on the UI campus. Opdahl said she and Wheeler were looking for unique spaces to hold the musical when they came across the amphitheater.
“It’s a really under utilized space and we thought it would be an interesting place for the story to happen,” Opdahl said.
Seating for “Isaac & Emily” is available starting at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. on Aug. 26 and 27, and Sept. 1, 2, and 3 at the Shattuck Amphitheater. The performance is free and open to the public.
Corrin Bond
can be reached at
or on Twitter @CorrBond