Composer David Getz first began sketching Ruth in November of 2011. Getz was currently a senior Music Education major at Illinois Wesleyan University at the time, but his love for composing led him to write and premiere several works during his undergrad. Ruth was his first large-scale work of musical theater.Getz completed Ruth in the spring of 2018, and he organized a public concert-style performance of the music with himself performing the accompaniment on piano that June. To the amazement of Getz and the small group of performers, over 1,200 people attended the public workshop, and there was such a positive reception that two more concert-style performances were given in September 2018. While the music has received an excellent reception, Ruth has never been produced as a fully staged musical. In September of 2020, Getz partnered with Midwest Food Bank and helped raise $20,000 in donations for their East Africa Division by making the show’s music available on YouTube for one weekend only. It is Getz’s dream to see this show produced by a professional organization and for the music and story of Ruth to be shared with as wide an audience as possible.For information about the development of the show, and to stream the audio of the musical, visit www.theruthmusical.com.
