THE PORCH ON WINDY HILL Extends at Urban Stages

Following a sold-out run and an overwhelming audience response, Urban Stages,led by Founding Artistic Director Frances Hill and Associate Artistic Director Antoinette Mullins, has announced a limited encore extension of The Porch on Windy Hill. Originally scheduled to close on February 22, the production will now continue through March 8, 2026, due to popular demand and strong critical acclaim. 

Urban Stages is thrilled to extend this encore of the New York premiere of The Porch on Windy Hill, a heartwarming and musically rich theatrical experience written by Sherry Stregack Lutken, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Morgan Morse, and David M. Lutken, which has captivated audiences across the country.

The celebration continues beyond the stage. The production is also proud to announce that its popular partnership with American Whiskey (247 West 30th Street) will extend throughout the run, with Sunday post-show Hootenannies continuing after each performance. Following the show, cast members will gather at American Whiskey and invite audiences to join them for an informal, music-filled jam session. Guests are encouraged to bring a musical instrument and join in on the fun. The event is free of charge.

Conceived and directed by Sherry Stregack Lutken, the play is set against the rolling landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains and infused with timeless American folk music. The Porch On Windy Hill tells a tender, funny, and deeply moving story of family, belonging, intolerance, and the hope of redemption -- and the power of music to heal wounds that words alone cannot.

The production features a dynamic cast of actor-musicians: Tora Nogami Alexander (NBC's “Rise”), David M. Lutken (IRT's Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie; Broadway's Inherit the Wind, The Civil War, Ring of Fire, The Will Rogers Follies), and Morgan Morse (The Public's Southern Comfort).

“Great storytelling, like great music, has a way of taking us from raw emotion to shared understanding,” said Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director of Urban Stages. “The Porch on Windy Hill begins in places that are honest and jagged, and through music, memory, and human connection, it becomes something unexpectedly luminous. This production reminds us why we gather in a theatre in the first place, to listen, to feel, and to be changed together.”

Developed during the pandemic by its original team of actor-musicians, The Porch on Windy Hillpremiered at Ivoryton Playhouse (CT) in 2021 and earned four CT Critics' Circle nominations, including Outstanding Director, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress, and Best Ensemble. Since then, the show has enjoyed acclaimed productions at Northlight Theatre (Chicago), Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Weston Theater Company, and People's Light, with critics repeatedly praising its soul-stirring music, emotional generosity, and irresistible humanity. This past fall,  the show received its New York debut with Urban Stages. Across the country, audiences and critics have been raving: