Blue Gate Musicals, LLC (BGM) was formed in 2010 to create relevant, meaningful, and entertaining original musicals. Founding Partner Mel Riegsecker and President and Dove-Award winning producer Dan Posthuma oversee the operations of BGM, which includes nine hugely successful Broadway-caliber musicals, from the heart of Amish Country:  The Confession, Half-Stitched, Josiah for President, The Home Game, Our Christmas Dinner, Christmas in Paradise, Stolen, A Simple Sanctuary, and The Christmas Tree Ship with two more on the way!

 

Blue Gate Musicals is proud to have three partners presenting these musicals.  Shipshewana, IN led the way in 2010, followed by Bird-in-Hand, PA in 2011 and Sugarcreek, OH in 2012.

 

The Confession, BGM’s first musical based on Beverly Lewis’s Confession Trilogy, has sold well over 200,000 tickets since its premiere.  Due to the overwhelming popularity of this musical, BGM opened Half-Stitched, based on the novel The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club by Wanda Brunstetter.  Half-Stitched launched a second successful run in all three venues in 2014 with almost 1,000 performances to date.  That year also saw the world premiere of Josiah for President, based on a novel by Martha Bolton, which resulted in a long-running series of sold-out shows in all three theaters.  

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BGM's fourth hit musical, The Home Game, came in 2016.  This original show by Martha Bolton, which combines baseball and a new twist on the age-old prodigal son story, quickly became a home run and has now been on all three stages multiple times.  Following The Home Game in the winter of 2016 was BGM's first 90-minute holiday show, Our Christmas Dinner. This fun and hilarious story was created by Wally Nason and adapted for the stage by Wally Nason and Martha Bolton.  Audiences loved our first Christmas show so much that a second holiday musical, Christmas in Paradise, premiered in 2017 - also an original story by Wally Nason and adapted for the stage by Wally Nason and Martha Bolton.

 

BGM premiered Stolen, the musical, which is a fast-moving and engaging mystery full of twists and packed with laughter, in 2018 at both the Blue Gate Theatre and Ohio Star Theater.  Stolen is based on Wanda Brunstetter's Daughters of Lancaster County series and is sure to keep our audiences on the edge of their seats.  In 2019, BGM premiered two brand-new shows, A Simple Sanctuary based on Beverly and David Lewis's novel Sanctuary and The Christmas Tree Ship, inspired by a true story and adapted for the stage by Martha Bolton.  

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2020 brought us three new 90-minute musicals with original stories by Wally Nason. 
The GÜT Life, The GÜT Life – Christmas, and Best Of Me all premiered and added to the diverse list of stories and songs our audiences have grown to love.  Also in production to premiere in 2021 - at the Blue Gate Theatre - is the hilarious new musical originated by Martha Bolton,
Dear Solider Boy.  This brand-new, full length musical is a hilarious story of a young Amish girl who just wants to be support our troupes – even going against the wishes of her father.  She decides becoming a letter writer is innocent enough, but ends up with multiple relationships to juggle.  Hilarity ensures, but who will she choose?  How will she reconcile with her father? 
This show is a must-see! 

 

BGM continues to create original musicals with a central Amish character that share the beauties and challenges of the plain life while presenting uplifting and entertaining shows for our audiences of over 700,000 to date.