By Ashley St. Michel
Staff Writer
    This year, Kennebunk’s musical theater group, the Merry Makers, is celebrating the culture of Southern Appalachia in the early 1900s through music, dance, drama and ritual in their first production, “An Appalachian Winter Serenade.”
    The production reflects the traditions of early Scots-Irish, German and English settlers, including the art of serenading, and their Native American and Black American neighbors.
    “We decided we wanted to focus on and explore American culture,” said Clair Unsinn, producer, writer and group coordinator, adding the music of Appalachia also sparked the group’s interest.
    Unsinn said the show takes place in an Appalachian “holler” or hollow, which is a small narrow valley with a creek running along the bottom of it, and focuses on a family preparing for Christmas festivities. The family is in the midst of an unusually warm Christmas Eve and they decide to move their party to the backyard.     
    One tradition during the holidays in Appalachia, Unsinn said, is serenading neighbors, which consists of groups of people sneaking up on a neighboring house and making as much noise as possible in an effort to get invited inside. Unsinn said serenading is similar to caroling, except people don’t always sing songs. Once the group is invited inside they eat, dance, sing and tell stories while enjoying the presence of the holidays.     
    The production also showcases Native American music. Unsinn said these pieces reflect Native American’s vision of the Earth as something sacred people need to take care of. Among these pieces, Unsinn said are some beautiful shape note songs, which don’t carry the same beat throughout the song.
    Music Director Amanda Day said the production is a nice way for people to celebrate the holidays without going to the “same old concert.” The show, Day said, is different from other concerts because of the Appalachian music and the participation of the audience. Day has continued her interest in opera and art song with the Bay Area Opera Summer Theater Institute in San Francisco. She also teaches voice at River Tree Arts in Kennebunk and has a private voice studio in Portland.   
    “As the music director it has been really fun shaping the music for this show,” Day said. “From where we started to where we are now, it’s always an exciting thing to experience.”
    The production calls for singing participation from the audience in afew of the songs. Unsinn said the group decided to include lyrics for a few of the songs, including “Deck the Halls” and “Joy to the World,” in the program for the show so the audience can join the adult and children’s chorus.
    Merry Makers consists of 26 adults and 12 children, many play various instruments including a fiddle, a banjo and a guitar.
    In February 2007, Unsinn organized a reunion party for her former musical theater group, Wassail-By-The-Sea. She said Wassail was a popular group in Kennebunk during the 1990s and was inspired by Revels theater group from Cambridge, Mass.     
    The Revels, a nonprofit performing arts company founded in 1971, produces musical theater, recordings and educational materials, according to their Web site. They concentrate on various cultures they want to explore and celebrate. The Revels explored various cultures including Celtic and Medieval England. Unsinn said the group was inspired to revive musical theater productions and revamp the Wassail group into Merry Makers.
    The interested members hosted auditions in June and September to recruit more people, who could carry a tune, to join the group. Unsinn said most of the members are residents of Kennebunk, Wells and York.
    Some of the goals of Merry Makers, Unsinn said, include celebrating cultural events, particularly those centered on the seasons, exploring traditions of other cultures and creating a venue for non-professionals and professionals in Kennebunk to express their talents.
    Unsinn isn’t a stranger to musical theater groups either. She has been a member of Voices from the Heart, a 200-woman chorus in Portsmouth, N.H. The chorus sings music from different cultural and musical traditions, including African-American and Korean songs. Unsinn was also involved in Villagers All in York and said she attended many Revels performances. She is also a fiber artist, a medium that makes use of textiles, knitting and weaving to create exhibits. Unsinn will showcase her pieces at River Tree center for the Arts in Kennebunk in December.
    Unsinn said one difference the Merry Makers have from the Wassails is their involvement in giving back to charity.
    “We decided we wanted to choose a charity or some kind of organization to donate part of our proceeds,” Unsinn said. “I had heard about the fuel assistance program through church.”
    Unsinn said when she donated food to the St. Martha’s Food Pantry drive she noticed a sign asking for donations to the fuel assistance program. The church collects money to be exchanged for fuel vouchers which are given to people in need during the holidays.
    “We thought since the production is a winter celebration the fuel assistance program seemed like an appropriate cause,” Unsinn said, adding the percentage of the proceeds to be donated hasn’t been determined yet.
    Unsinn said the quilt which is being used as part of the set will be raffled off along with a few other items of the production during the intermission. The show will be held at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Kennebunk Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Marlowe’s Gift Shop on Main Street, at the Unitarian church or at the door.