John Cariani, Ben Crawford and More to Star in TEN BRAVE SECONDS Reading at Pioneer Theatre Company

Pioneer Theatre Company will present a developmental reading in advance of its upcoming world premiere of Ten Brave Seconds by Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott. The one-night only event, taking place on Tuesday, September 9th at 7:00 PM in the Meldrum Theatre, will offer a limited number of tickets to the general public, and will allow a first hand exploration into the creation of a brand-new musical. A conversation with the creators and PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg will occur onstage immediately afterward. The reading (as well as the 2026 world premiere) will be directed by Ellie Heyman and music directed by Patrick Sulken. The new musical is described as follows:

Mike is having a very big day. He’s been holding onto a secret for awhile, and today his secret is totally coming out. It’s also a big day for the country – huge decisions are being made all over, and at the center of it is one family teetering on the brink of…everything. Ten Brave Seconds is a bright and vital new musical, infused with infectious pop melodies and rooted in a big-hearted examination of one day in the life of a kid, a family, and a community stepping bravely from the dark unknown into the daylight together.

CAST & CREATIVE

Leading the cast is Carson Stewart* (Broadway’s The Notebook) as Mike. He is joined by Tony nominee John Cariani* (Broadway’s Something Rotten!, Fiddler on the Roof) as Mr. G; PTC alum Ben Crawford* (PTC’s Next to Normal and Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables) as Carl; Jake Pedersen* (Broadway’s Parade, Wicked) as Tim; and Khadija Sankoh* (Off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors) as Gabby. PTC alum Maggie Scott (Les Misérables, Elf - The Musical) will play Becky.

The ensemble features PTC alumni Makenna Ashby and Jordan Briggs (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Ariana Bagley (Annie). They are joined by newcomers Kaden Conrad, Adam Moore, Sydney Rudel, Harrison Timm, and Ella Mei Williamson.

Final casting for PTC’s world premiere of Ten Brave Seconds will be announced at a later date.

The reading will be directed by Ellie Heyman, who helmed the recent world premiere of Van Dyke and Talbott’s fuzzy at Barrington Stage. Other credits include: (Still) Asking For It (The Public Theater); Space Dogs (MCC); ThisTree (Prototype); Dinner with Georgette (New York Theater Workshop, Next Door); Jason Craig & Dave Malloy's Beardo (Drama Desk Award Nomination; Pipeline Theater) Erin Markey: Boner Killer (Under the Radar/The Public Theater); Becca Blackwell's They, Themself and Schmerm (Under the Radar/The Public Theater); Adrienne Truscott's THIS (Bessie Award Nomination for Outstanding Production; NYLA) and cult classic, music-fiction podcast Dreamboy (Night Vale Presents).