The Golden Door

AN ORIGINAL NEW MUSICAL

The Golden Door is an original new musical, with book, lyrics, and score written completely by Lisa K. Hermanson. The musical explores the question of immigration through the lens of Ellis Island in the 1920s, and challenges us to question how much has really changed since then.

The Golden Door was written as Lisa’s Thesis project for her MFA in Theatre Performance/Pedagogy. It received a staged reading in Richmond, Virginia, in April of 2019. A song from the show, “When I Get To America,” was performed at New Mexico State University in February of 2020.

As a new musical, Lisa continues to work on the development and telling of this story. The project was awarded the “Seed Funding: Arts And Sciences” grant at NMSU in Spring of 2022 to continue development. The first act of the musical was workshopped and presented as a part of the High Desert Play Festival at NMSU in Spring of 2024, directed by Mike Wise. Lisa is currently revising the musical for submission to workshops and further development.

For inquiries or more information, please contact us. A video of the 2020 featured performance from Las Cruces, New Mexico, is below. Check back soon for more footage and details!