Klise wrote the lyrics for the performance, with Ruell Chappell writing the music, creating what Ozarks Lyric Opera calls a “musical tale.”
Back in 2001, Chappell and Klise worked together on another piece created by Klise and performed at Springfield Little Theatre. “So I knew Kate and I worked well together. We just have a real symbiotic relationship,” said Chappell.
Klise is the author of “Stand Straight, Ella Kate,” a children’s book about Ewing’s life written in 2010.
“2010 was quite a while ago, but I wasn't finished with her and Ella wasn't finished with me. I knew even as I was writing it that I wanted to see it come to life,” said Klise.
“The story sounds like a fairy tale,” she added. “The idea that an ordinary farm girl in Missouri would then start growing at a remarkable rate and didn’t stop growing until she was 8 feet 4 inches tall.”
According to the story, Ewing was subject to harassment by her peers, to the point where her parents began hiding her at home. But her life changes when a man comes to her door and asks if she would like to join the circus.
“Dream Big” was created with help from the Missouri Humanities Council, which provided a $25,000 grant to support the production.
“The Missouri Humanities Council was looking to fund projects that told the story of America through a Missouri lens,” said Klise. “I had been kicking around this idea for a couple of years, and then this grant opportunity came available and it was like, what could be more appropriate than a story of someone who doesn't fit in?”
“We are a country of oddballs and misfits,” Klise added. “The question is whether you make those people feel like outsiders or do you welcome them in and celebrate them?”
“Klise wrote a wonderful play from start to finish, showing how Ella went from a disastrous point in her life to an extremely successful point in her life,” Chappell added.
Performances of “Dream Big” will take place May 15 and 17.
Tickets for performances are available on the OLO and Gillioz websites.
Ozarks Lyric Opera can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.
