Written and scored collaboratively by Sherry Stregack, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutken.
The Porch on Windy Hill was developed during the pandemic by conceiver and director Sherry Stregack Lutken and its original cast. The play premiered at Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut in 2021, where it received four Connecticut Critics’ Circle nominations including Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Director, and Best Ensemble.
The show has since enjoyed acclaimed productions at Northlight Theatre in Chicago, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Weston Theater Company, and People’s Light, with critics consistently praising its soul stirring music and emotional resonance.
In fall 2025, the production made its New York debut at Urban Stages, where strong word of mouth led to two extensions during its sold out run.
Generations divided. Songs that reconnect them.
A reunion shaped by history, memory, and place.
Extended runs. Sold out houses. A community beyond the theatre.
Critics call it deeply moving, funny, and powerful. See what audiences and reviewers are saying.
Deeply pleasurable and powerfully moving. The Porch on Windy Hill is an affecting new play with old music.
A glimpse into the music, story, and spirit of the play that audiences are calling powerful, moving, and unforgettable.
Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Porch on Windy Hill tells the story of family, identity, and reconciliation through the power of traditional American music. Blending intimate storytelling with live performance, the play explores how songs carry memory, history, and the possibility of healing.
Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Porch on Windy Hill blends live traditional folk and bluegrass music with a deeply human story about identity, heritage, and reconciliation. The play explores how music can bridge generational and cultural divides.
Premiering at Ivoryton Playhouse, the show earned four Connecticut Critics’ Circle nominations for its performances and direction.
Traditional folk and bluegrass are performed live on stage, weaving music into the emotional journey of the story.
Through the Hootenannies, audiences join musicians to share songs and stories beyond the stage.
From powerful storytelling to traditional American music, The Porch on Windy Hill brings together history, identity, and reconciliation in an intimate theatrical experience.
A reunion in the Blue Ridge Mountains forces a family to confront history, identity, and long-buried truths.
Traditional American folk and bluegrass are performed live, shaping the emotional rhythm of the play.
Three performers bring the story to life through music, storytelling, and deeply personal performances.
The show’s Hootenannies invite audiences to share songs, instruments, and stories beyond the stage.
A young classical violinist and her ethnomusicologist boyfriend leave their Brooklyn quarantine for the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, searching for the roots of Appalachian music.
What begins as a musical exploration becomes a deeper journey through family history, identity, and the surprising harmony that music can create.
