FARMINGTON -- University of Maine at Farmington theater students will have the chance to stage the premiere performance of a new musical this week and in the process, learn about the creative process with its seasoned playwright and composer.

Theatre UMF will present "Route 66," a love story put to music that unfolds on the well-known highway that stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles. Performance dates are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at UMF's Alumni Theater.

"Premieres are always an event. Audiences enjoy being in on something new and it makes the whole thing a lot more fun for everyone," said the musical's co-author, William Squier, in an interview from his Connecticut home.

Squire and lyricist Jerold Goldstein will be in Farmington this week to watch the rehearsals, work with the cast and to sit in the audience for the debut of their latest work.

Directed by UMF's Andrea Southard, with musical direction by Patricia Hayden and choreography by Lauryn Thomas, "Route 66" tells the story of journalist Liz Mitchell, who is hired by a chic magazine to write an article for a photo essay about this historic American highway.

Frustrated with her stalled writing career, she jumps at the chance, even though it means spending a week on the road with a complete stranger -- Arizona photographer Andrew "Drew" Garrett.

"It is a story that celebrates rural America and is one that people in Maine can relate to," Southard said. "The highway is a metaphor for a journey of self-discovery. It's about finding yourself and accepting that what you originally may have thought might indeed turn out to be something quite different. It's about finding a highway home."

"It is very exciting, especially for the students," said Hayden. "It is a great experience to work with professional composers and lyricists but it is also a bit scary that we will be the first ones to interpret what the writers envisioned."

Squier and Goldstein together and separately have written dozens of musicals that have been performed around the country and off-Broadway. The composer is Fred Stark, a top New York recording studio singer. Opening night will represent a culmination of a six-month collaboration between Southard, Hayden and the producers.

"When I first heard about this musical at a workshop last summer, I just knew UMF had to launch it," Southard said. "After I approached the producers, we successfully worked together -- they even wrote a new song for the show."

Squier said there is a growing trend on college campuses to stage new works.

"Universities have discovered that theater departments are very popular and are revenue producers for the college," he said. "For them to be competitive with other programs, they have to come up with interesting and different things to offer students.

"For us, we like academic settings for these productions because they have a decent budget and you can continue working and developing it while it is being produced," he said. "And it gives students a chance to work on something that is still changing."

Goldstein and Squier will present a talk about the creation and theatrical debut of "Route 66" at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in UMF's Thomas Auditorium, located in Preble and Ricker Halls.

Tickets are free for UMF students with a student ID, $8 for adults, $6 for other students, and $4.50 for senior citizens and children under 13. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Theatre UMF box office at 778-7465.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com