MUSIC
Explore the music of Helianthus.
Kaitlyn Davis, composer. Emma Grimsley, lyricist.
OPENING/ FRAMES THEME
Alice, in her late twenties, and Lois, seventy-seven, appear side by side though there are hundreds of miles between them. Above and around them hang empty picture frames.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
IN MY DAY
Lois and Alice struggle to connect over FaceTime.
Feat. Luretta Bybee and Kaitlyn Davis
I MISS THE WORLD
Alice shares with Lois how much she misses the small things about life before but ultimately how glad she is that they’re both safe.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis and Luretta Bybee
HELIANTHUS
Lois shows Alice a picture she keeps by her bed. A drawing of a sunflower that Alice did for her in second grade with the latin classification “helianthus” scribbled across the bottom.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
DRAW THE MONSTERS
Alice remembers her childhood fears and how Lois taught her to draw. Full of fear about the pandemic, Alice resolves to draw the things about it she doesn’t understand.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
DRAW THE MONSTERS (Orchestrated)
Arr. Kathryn McCreary & John Evans
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
I WANT TO SHOW YOU
Alice calls back a few days later with new artwork she’s excited to show to Lois.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
COOKING FOR ONE
The first of Alice’s drawings we get to see is of a person quarantining alone and encountering the challenges of total isolation.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
SPONTANEOUSLY
Another of Alice’s drawings shows a high school teacher struggling to adjust to distance learning and reflecting on what they misses most about the classroom.
Feat. Emma Grimsley
FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
The next drawing Alice shows Lois is one she’s done of a little girl staring out her window, all of her stuffed animals wearing face masks she’s crafted out of whatever she can find.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
PROMISE
One of Alice’s drawings is of a nurse calling her family to say goodnight during a rare quiet moment in her shift.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis
FLY AWAY
The last drawing Alice shows Lois is one she did specifically for her. It shows Lois and a friend from her nursing home who may be seriously ill. Lois can’t visit her in the hospital. Alice has drawn them as birds.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis and Emma Grimsley
I WANT TO SHOW HER
Lois longs to show Alice a drawing she’s finished.
Feat. Luretta Bybee
SOMETHING TO SAY Finale
A drawing of Alice in a field of sunflowers comes to life. She longs for a new start, a blank page, and a chance to share that she has something to say.
Feat. Kaitlyn Davis and Luretta Bybee