For more than two years, junior creative writing major and music student Joel Nelson worked on a script and songs for his original rock musical, The Burrow Bar and Grill. From an idea spawned while he was performing in the campus production of Godspell, to its fruitful performances in Riverside Theatre the second weekend in February 2026, Joel worked tirelessly, composing sixteen original songs and a full-length script for eight student performers. His process included workshops, a critiqued designer run, and a two-month rehearsal period that required coordinating schedules for eight actors and six musicians. Beyond the sheer amount of work poured into this original project was a great deal of thought about how to connect to the audience with carefully intertwined themes of family, friendship, forgiveness, and personal growth. Future projects include recording an original cast album. Attendees at Joel’s presentation would benefit from learning about his creative process in mounting this successful project that resulted in a world premiere of an original musical on the UW-Eau Claire campus.
