Local entrepreneur pitches musical adaptation of Miracle Town; council signals interest in licensing city‑held rights

A Leavenworth resident and producer asked the council for permission to license city‑held rights to the book Miracle Town for development as a new musical.

John Sutherland told the council he had located the rights and proposed a community‑oriented development process that would include a staged reading, public workshops, local auditions and a potential Leavenworth premiere. He introduced his creative team: director Crystal Longbacher, book writer Vanessa (full name in packet) and composer‑lyricist Christian (full name in packet). Vanessa described the creative roles — she would write the spoken book — and Christian discussed a musical style blending folk and pop rock with dense vocal harmony and a small on‑stage ensemble.

The team said the musical would treat Leavenworth’s long history as a multi‑chapter story, showing how land and natural resources repeatedly drew people to the area; they emphasized public involvement and local casting in early development. Council asked artistic questions about narrative focus and central conflict; the writers replied that they see the project as a character‑driven, place‑based piece rather than a single antagonist‑protagonist story.

On the council’s question, several members signaled interest in pursuing rights: when asked if the council would be interested in licensing the rights, multiple councilmembers responded affirmatively. No ordinance or license was adopted at the meeting. Council asked staff to pursue next steps and indicated willingness to receive a formal licensing proposal and development plan for future consideration.