DREAM MOUNTAIN
about
DREAM MOUNTAIN is a new musical about sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s obsessive dedication and fourteen-year odyssey to create the Mount Rushmore National Monument.
A larger-than-life individual with a matching ego, Borglum, a Rodin-trained artist was a sought after and celebrated sculptor. A first generation American, he was a passionate patriot who dreamed of creating a colossal shrine, a monument to democracy.
DREAM MOUNTAIN tells the tale of Mount Rushmore’s creation unflinchingly, warts and all, including Borglum’s checkered relationship with racism, the desecration of the Lakota Sioux’ sacred land, and the decision to include four white men’s faces on the monument.
The musical also offers glimpses into the compromises Borglum’s family had to make while supporting his incredible dream.
The saga of Mount Rushmore and Gutzon Borglum is fascinating, complex, and rife with conflict.
While today’s world is increasingly aware of the tarnished images of many of America’s founding fathers, in Borglum’s time and to his mind, these men were towering heroes who shaped the greatest nation on the planet.
DREAM MOUNTAIN views Borglum’s actions through his eyes and within their historical context.
The score by composer Gary William Friedman and lyricist Will Holt is an Americana musical quilt woven with symphonic, country and jazz styles, reflecting (and befitting of) the bold and brazen Gutzon Borglum.