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Tales of Tila Program

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Carolyn Chatwin Murset, Playwright, Composer, Tila

  Carolyn is a singer/songwriter/actress and has lived in the Hurricane Valley, Utah with her husband and five children since 1983.  She was  honored to work with the late Wilford Brimley  where she learned of their common New Mexico connection. 

   He listened to her Tales of Tila on CD, fell in love with the stories, and declared, “I’m going to put you on stage!” Thank-you, Wilford and Beverly! She has produced four CD’s of her original music, plays guitar, piano, mandolin, and banjo. Find her online:  mycarolynmurset.com.  In her  podcast, you can listen to more of Tila’s tales.

   Carolyn is a family history enthusiast. After reading her Grandma Tila’s difficulty in making the family’s tortillas as a young girl, and of her plea for divine help in making them, Carolyn was  convinced that she needed to bring Tila’s story to life. She found juicy tidbits in the family ledger, and interviewed other family members for even more details and stories of their lives. Tales of Tila was a 2019 AML Drama Award nominee. It is produced by special arrangement with Premiere Theatricals on behalf of Zion Theatricals. 

 

 

 

Wilford and Beverly Brimley, mentors and original producers.

         

Wilford was a former Marine, born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He first worked as a ranch hand, wrangler, and blacksmith. He began shoeing horses for films and television and began his acting career in the 1960s as a riding extra and stunt man in Westerns. He continued his work in films at the encouragement of his friend, Robert Duvall.

   Mr. Brimley starred in many films including The China Syndrome, Cocoon I and II, The Thing, Crossfire Trail, Absence of Malice, Ewoks: The Battle For Endor, Hard Target, The Electric Horseman, High Road to China, End of the Line, The Stone Boy, Hotel New Hampshire, Country, Blood River, Brigham City,Tender Mercies, Brubaker, Borderline, Harry & Son, Last of the Dogmen, The Good Old Boys,The Firm and The Natural. Wilford sadly passed away August 1, 2020..

 

 

Scenes and Musical Numbers

Tortilla Tale, scene one (1912)

My Name

My Prayer

Tortillas by Tila

Boarding School for Girls, scene two (1916-1917)

Thank-you

Silencio

The Great War, scene three (1917-1919)

Home, Home, Home

The 1st Wonderful Thing

Oh, Juan Manuel

El Presidente Trujillo, scene four (1919-1951)

The Life of the Wife

No, He Did Not

Trujillo, Trujillo

The Life of the Wife, (reprise)

Ask a Taoseña

Intermission

La Familia, scene five (1928-1940)

It Should Have Been Springtime

Chow Chow

Children of a Shepherd

The Secret City, scene six (1941-1948)

To the Movies

Post Office Box 1663

The Pickup

The Temple & the Ledger, scene seven (1948-)

Pobrecito

The Photo

The Price We Paid

My Name (reprise)

 

.Tales of Tila Soundtrack Musicians

Rhythm guitar: Carolyn Murset

Classical guitar: Lisle Crowley

Mandolin, Bouzouki: Ryan Tilby

Bass guitar, accordion, harmonica, piano keyboards:

John Houston

Percussion: Gordon Strang

 

 

Lauretta Swansborough, Director

Lauretta enjoyed any art that brought passion and joy into her life. She was a singer-songwriter, actor, director, painter, crafter, seamstress, cake decorator and soloist for The John Houston Gospel Choir, and  recently threw her hat into the stand-up comedy circle. She loved and greatly appreciated the support of her sweet husband, nine children, 18 grandchildren and one great grandchild. She sadly passed away May 3, 2023.

 

DIRECTORS NOTES: “I am delighted and honored to be asked to direct Carolyn in this spellbinding work of hers. Being a wordsmith she has expertly taken the writings from her grandmother’s journal and set them free to dance from the page to the stage. The ordinary events of life turn magical with such depth and passion, spelled out in story and song.It’s not often that one has the privilege of being part of such an engaging work of art. Thank you my dear friend Carolyn, for trusting me with this piece of your heart.”

 

 

 

Many Thanks to:

Zion’s Camp and Cottages (Iota, LLC)

Rich Murset, Husband,  Sound Board Operator and Roadie

Tyler Murset, QR code creation

Kevin Murset, NYC Off-Broadway Soundboard Operator

Tony Beatty , La Verkin Stake High Council

Susan, Stephen and Brent Peterson

Los Luna, New Mexico Stake

Bishop John Miera, Taos Ward

Presidents Stokes, Allen, Lockwood, Santa Fe, New Mexico Stake

Daniel Rushton, Santa Fe , New Mexico Stake High Council

Irene Francis, Cathy Lindblom

East Valley High School, Mesa, AZ

Tio Jesse A. Trujillo, 

(the late)Tia Lula Cantu, research

FamilySearch.org

Davy Crockett, website guru 

Miriam Rawson, poster artist 

 

Trails of Tila (the sequel) eBook, Paperback and Soundtrack are available on Amazon. The Soundtrack is also available on iTunes.

 

Tales of Tila Soundtrack is also available on Amazon and iTunes.

Listen and subscribe to my podcast here at mycarolynmurset.com It’s FREE! Find my other music online @ iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Cdbaby.com.

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Tales of Tila, March 2022 at Broadway Bound Theatre

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I had the privilege to present Tales of Tila at Broadway Bound Theatre, in Washington City, Utah this spring. I love this intimate venue that accommodates close to 200 guests. It had been three years since being able to perform my original one-woman musical for a live audience, due to the pandemic.

I’ve performed on this stage many times including Broadway Bound Theatre’s Summer 2021 production of Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. I played, Madame, Cinderella’s stepmother.

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Earth Mom :| 23

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Hello! And welcome! You’re listening to Song Stories, Quiet Stories podcast episode 23, Earth Mom. I’m your long lost host, Carolyn Murset. 

Today is Blue Can Recycling Day in my little town in southwest Utah.  I look forward to this every other Thursday morning event that  began here just a few years ago, so much that I wonder why I haven’t had my picture taken beside that royal blue  43 inch high polyethylene hinged bin. Wouldn’t it be cool if it were made from recycled materials?

My environmentally conscious, almost tree-hugging inclination began with a fire. In 1969, the Taos New Mexico Plaza Movie Theatre caught fire.

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Remember 2020? : | 22

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Hello, and welcome! You’re listening to Song Stories, Quiet Stories episode 22,  Remember 2020? I’m your host, Carolyn Murset. It’s been a while since my last visit here, in April. The new isolated lock down quarantine period here and throughout most  of the world had been going on for a little over a month  then, and was already feeling old to most of us.

Here in the southwestern part of the United States, excluding the west coast, Covid-19 cases weren’t as high in number as they were on the east coast, and in California.

Nevertheless, most of us chose to follow the safety guidelines. At my last visit here, I made a plea for help with the local homeless teen population. Thank you for your support. My grandson completed his Eagle Scout Project of gathering supplies for hygiene kits for fifty teenage girls and boys, and donated them to Youth Futures. He was even featured on the local TV news station.

Wouldn’t you know it, that after I’d been coordinating a local face mask group of 19 sewers, then sewing 25 sets of pajamas for the homeless shelter, I caught the virus! I had let me guard down once as I volunteered at a venue that wasn’t as safety conscious as they’d claimed and ended up in bed for several weeks.  I was wearing a face covering and gloves when I caught it, but the others that I had to come into contact with throughout the night were not.  They were either pre symptomatic or asymptomatic.

Oh well, I feel much better now, and am grateful I didn’t need hospitalization. I’m grateful my husband didn’t contract the virus, and I’m grateful for the showing of love from family and friends.

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Homeless Teens in Crisis : | 21

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Hello, and welcome! You’re listening to Song Stories, Quiet Stories, episode 21, Homeless Teens in Crisis. I am your host, Carolyn Murset.

Who would’ve thought as 2019 drew to a close that in a few short months our world as we knew it then would  be turned upside down and almost unrecognizable. Not unrecognizable due to a natural geological or weather related disaster, but unfamiliar due to public buildings, places of worship, national and city parks, schools, and higher institutions of learning  being closed to the public.

Unfamiliar with new phrases such as Social Distancing, COVID-19, Stay Home, Stay Safe, CDC, PPE, Wash Your Hands, Don’t Touch Your Face being spoken and heard several times a day.  We now know the difference between a surgical mask and an N95 mask. Having a televised news conference every afternoon from our nation’s capitol and our state capitol. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing. Stock market trading, plummeting

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Twelfth Night : | 20

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Happy 2020!  (Instrumental Guitar music credit: Chris Richter)

Today’s the very last day of the year. If you’re familiar with the Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, according to the original tradition, today would be the seventh day of Christmas. Many, including retailers have taken this 12 day tradition and used it as a countdown before the beloved holiday. Many have used it as a challenge to find 12 people or families to secretly leave gifts for on the doorstep. Every year, including this one, my husband and I have found gifts on our doorstep from givers who identify themselves and from givers who don’t. Thank you all. We appreciate your thoughtfulnes!

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Mary Lee Bland : | 19

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Hello, and welcome! You’re listening to Song Stories, Quiet Stories episode 19, Mary Lee Bland. I’m your host, Carolyn Murset.

 

Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers arrived into the Salt Lake Valley of the American West, on July 24, 1847, where the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois, and other locations in the eastern United States.

 

Before I continue with Mary Lee’s story, I will first explain: Following the Mexican War which ended in 1848, Utah became an official territory of the United States in 1850, and in 1896 became the 45th state to join the union.

 

Pioneer Day is an official holiday in Utah commemorating the arrival Brigham Young and that first group of Mormon Pioneers. Celebrations include parades, rodeos, fireworks, dressing in pioneer clothing, and re-enacting a trek.  If you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and live outside of Utah, your local congregation probably observes the holiday, too.

 

My dad was raised in northern Utah, and his ancestors crossed the plains shortly after Brigham Young did with that first group of saints.

There is a monument at the mouth of Emigration Canyon named in honor of Brigham Young’s famous statement, “This is the Place”, honoring the Mormon Pioneers as well as the explorers and settlers of the American West. 

One of these explorers, Don Bernardo Miera y Pacheco is my fifth great grandfather from my mom’s Hispanic family, and was the map maker for the Dominguez Escalante Expedition in 1776. This multi talented renaissance man drew the first map of Utah. My next podcast episode will be about him. 

Now, today you’ll learn about Mary Lee Bland my well loved Great, great, great grandma. She told her remarkable story  to an unnamed grand daughter who later transcribed and typed it, thus making it easier to read, copy and share. I first enjoyed reading it when I perused the stacks of family records and histories that I inherited a few decades ago. Listen to this story!

 

1817- I, Mary Lee Bland was born to Sarah Caldwell Lee and John Bland Jr.  in Kentucky

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Silver Curls : | 18

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Hello, and welcome! You’re listening to Song Stories, Quiet Stories, episode 18, Silver Curls. I’m your host, Carolyn Murset.

Every night for years, Tom, my father in law sat at the head of the dinner table. And every night after eating the last bite, he scraped the plate with a fork. And scraped. And scraped, until his wife Mary, who wore the pants in the family exclaimed, “Thomas! That’s enough!”

Even though one doctor had told him he was diabetic, he managed to eat a quart of vanilla ice cream every night at bedtime. He scraped and scraped that bowl clean, too. It was one of the few little things he did to..  delight her.

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