Rattlesnake Kate

Audience Advisory: Please read our updated attendance guidelines.

Feb 4 – Mar 13, 2022 Wolf Theatre MAP

Ages 14+
2 hours and 30 minutes

The cast of Rattlesnake Kate on stage with Alyse Alan Louis, portraying Kate, at center stage. All eyes are on the rattlesnake skin flapper suspended in mid-air.

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A modern musical celebrating the true story of a pioneering Colorado woman the world wasn’t ready for

Around 100 years ago near Greeley, Colorado, frontierswoman Kate Slaughterback fought tooth and nail, armed with a single rifle and a “No Hunting” sign, to save her son from 140 rattlesnakes in one quick-thinking and courageous battle.

After the infamous showdown, “Rattlesnake Kate” became a global sensation. But her battles were far from over: To find a love that would last. To be treated as an equal. To forge a future for herself and for other rugged, rule-breaking women.

In this badass new musical by Neyla Pekarek (former member of the Grammy-nominated folk-rock band The Lumineers) and playwright Karen Hartman, the legend of Rattlesnake Kate soars in heart-stopping harmonies anchored by Pekarek as Kate’s trusty steed Brownie. Larger than life and stranger than fiction, Kate herself appears as three women of different ages and races, singing their forgotten histories and weaving them into a Colorado tale for today.

About the Artists
2019-20 Guggenheim Fellow Karen Hartman writes about humans in the crosshairs of history, including her recent musical collaboration Alice Bliss, based on a contemporary wartime coming-of-age novel. Aurora native Neyla Pekarek is a cellist and classically-trained vocalist who toured and recorded with The Lumineers for 8 years. In January 2019, she released her debut solo album, Rattlesnake, which this musical is based on.

Read the latest reviews

“Rattlesnake Kate may be the most anticipated show of the 2022 theatre season! It’s a true Colorado story and a truly beautiful production.” – OnStage Colorado

“Pekarek’s song are gorgeous. Her music captures the soul of the show. She provides the landscape for soaring female power anthems along with heart wrenching ballads. Kate would be proud.” – BroadwayWorld

“Kate’s story was nearly forgotten but now it is exquisitely brought back to life. A rugged, rule-breaking woman. Not unlike the composer!” – Chris Parente, KWGN-TV

Rattlesnake Kate

Music and Lyrics by Neyla Pekarek

Book by Karen Hartman

Directed by Chris Coleman

Choreography by Dominique Kelley

Premiere Sponsors: Peggy Finley and Ruth Krebs & Peter Mannetti

Spotlight Sponsors: Diana & Mike Kinsey and Ted Pinkowitz & Susan Fox Pinkowitz

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.