Interview: Mikah Meyer of CANYON CHORUS - A RIVER RAFTING JOURNEY at The Main Theatre

Mikah Meyer is a adventurer, music performer, and filmmaker who recently released his latest project, Canyon Chorus – A River Rafting Journey, which can be watched online for free here and is also playing on the big screen with Minneapolis' "Movies in the Parks" alongside Wicked this July 23. More information here. 

We caught up with Mikah to talk about his love of music, his background in theatre, and the inspiration behind his new film.

What inspired you to make this short film "Canyon Chorus - A River Rafting Journey with Mikah Meyer"?

Tricking straight people into watching a film about gay people.

After 2020, the same outdoor publications that seemed afraid of sharing a story about a gay person to a very bro-y culture, suddenly were ramping up their diversity (as was all of America). And it felt like outdoors media coverage about my work was, "Gay Guy Does Gay Travels For Gay People To Be More Gay." 

Nobody who doesn't already support gay people is gonna click on that article or watch that film. And swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction to clearly check a box didn't seem like the way to attract the "moveable middle" toward accepting gay people in adventure spaces.

So the goal was to make a film designed around #1 Outdoor Adventure and #2 Mentorship, so it would relate to and attract an audience who wouldn't click a "gay story." Then, once we captured their attention and related to them on non-identity topics, hit them with the gay Gay GAY! 

Hopefully attracting new audiences to feeling empathy for queer people in the process.

What was your favorite moment in the process of creating this film?

Watching the first draft! I got it right before flying home from a work trip in Portugal, and I was obsessed with it. It was so good that I kept watching it on loop. Basically the whole flight home to Minneapolis.

The final edit is just as good. I still watch it every time I'm at a public screening of it, even as other filmmakers tell me they can't watch their own film one more time!

What do you hope the audience takes away from seeing this film?

That they should go on a multi-day rafting trip! Seriously. I spent 5 years trying to get my then-75-year-old mentor to go rafting, and he had every excuse in the world to not go.

He was too old. He'd get injured. He'd slow people down.

Then once he went on the trip, he admitted it was life-changing. Even a quarter century away from 100.

"Canyon Chorus" has been equally life-changing for people who watch it. With even straight people telling me it finally helped them see the walls they put up around their own life, and helped break them down.

And that's what I hope every audience member takes from watching this film.

What are your top favorite musicals?

Ragtime, Pippin, Aida, Godspell, Parade, apparently anything with a one word title! 

What is a musical role you’d like to play?

I DREAM of playing The Witch in Into The Woods. I'm a countertenor (male-soprano, which you hear proved pretty clearly in the end of "Canyon Chorus"!)  so it'd actually be the perfect bit to have me in all The Witch's Act 1 ugly, haggard makeup and outfits--and no one would know I'm a man. Then have me come out as a beautiful woman, in drag, in the 2nd Act when the Witch transforms into a beauty.

Children Will Listen, and the audience will gasp, when I have my Mary Sunshine/Chicago wig-snatched moment! Producers, call me!

Do you have a favorite musical song you like to listen to and sing?

According to my iTunes, my Most Played musical theater song is Kristin Chenoweth's version of The Wiz's "Home," from the TV show GLEE. 

And yes, I can hit her C6 high note at the end! Proved for all the doubters in this recording of me performing "Here's Where I Stand" from the movie-musical CAMP.

What are your favorite spots in Minnesota? 

Birches on the Lake has my favorite beer in the world, a Blood Orange Sour, along with a completely cozy vibe next to Long Lake. Which is near Lake Minnetonka, but without the crowds. And Pho 79 on "Eat Street" is the tastiest, and fastest served, pho I've had anywhere.

Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the most unique urban areas in America, because we have a National Park Service site running through the entirety of the metro area! The Mississippi National River & Recreation Area is one of the 400+ U.S. National Park Service sites I talk about visiting in "Canyon Chorus," so The Twin Cities has a national park easily accessible, that I go running along daily, and take my kayaks onto whenever possible. If you're only enjoying your water sports on the Cities' lakes, you're missing out!

Lastly, I love MSP Airport. It's one of the main reasons I moved to Minneapolis, because I travel 75% of the year for speaking gigs, film screenings, and to adventure travel, and it's consistently rated one of the best--or the best airport in North America, with the 2nd most direct flights on Delta after the world's busiest airport, Atlanta!

Whether playing "Canyon Chorus" at a local church before flying out on my next adventure, or traveling to sing live after a screening of "Canyon Chorus" on the Banff World Tour, MSP Airport has made my Rick Steves-style career possible as an Adventurer, Performer, and Advocate.

And that, is "Minnesota Nice."

Thank you Mikah for your time! For more information, please click the ticket link button below.

Minneapolis / St. Paul Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL (Eagan Summer Theatre)

13.7% of votes

2. URINETOWN (Buffalo Community Theatre)

10.6% of votes

3. CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES (Rags to Rags Productions)

8.2% of votes

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