America: Land of Opportunity Musical

A New Musical by Michael Treni

"America: Land of Opportunity" (formerly Bell: The Life and Times of Alexander Graham Bell) received its first performance at the Philadelphia Museum of Science in July of 2000 followed by several Equity staged readings in New York City, and Stamford Connecticut in fall of 2000 and early 2001. A 2-week run at the Stamford Center for the Arts was planned for the spring of 2001 however the production was cancelled when the production company disbanded. In 2003 a full-scale workshop production was mounted at the Williams Center for the Arts in Rutherford, New Jersey. Though it failed to lead to new productions, it did result in this 2009 cast album recording with the work re-titled as "America: Land of Opportunity".

“America: Land of Opportunity” is the true story of Alexander Graham Bell and the invention of the telephone as well as a portrait of the American free enterprise system. Though now only remembered as a large corporate monopoly, The Bell Telephone Company began as most businesses, a fledgling startup and the dream of its founders; Bell and two prominent Bostonians, Gardiner Hubbard, an attorney, and Thomas Sanders, a merchant. Both men risked their personal fortunes in supporting the enterprise and nearly went bankrupt in the process. The enterprise they began touched the lives of millions and brought prosperity to investors, employees, and consumers. In large part it made the free market expansion of the twentieth century possible through the use of telephonic communications.

The themes echoed in the music are especially relevant today as America struggles with self-doubts about its culture and values and the forces of economic and political globalization. “America: Land of Opportunity” is a reminder of what is still possible in America, as long as we hold fast to the ideals set forth at our founding.

CD with 16-page booklet $15.00  

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