The Avett Brothers' SWEPT AWAY to be Presented at SpeakEasy Stage
The Avett Brothers musical about a real-life 1888 shipwreck will make its New England premiere this spring in Boston.
SpeakEasy Stage Company will conclude its 35th Anniversary Season with the New England premiere of Swepty Away, featuring a book by Tony Award-winner John Logan (Red) and music and lyrics by the popular folk/rock band The Avett Brothers.
Swept Away tells of four whalers shipwrecked off the coast of New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1888. Stranded on a lifeboat with no supplies, the men are forced to confront their pasts, moral choices, and the limits of human endurance as they fight for survival. Told through the poetic book by John Logan and the hauntingly beautiful music of The Avett Brothers, Swept Away a gripping, heart-rending journey that explores themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, brotherhood, and redemption.
Jeremy Johnson will make his SpeakEasy Stage directorial debut, aided by music director Paul S. Katz, choreographer Ilyse Robbins, and fight director Matt Dray.
The cast is Wyatt Anton, Christopher Chew, Max Connor, Peter DiMaggio, Carson Hollingsworth, Elliot Lazar, Bishop Levesque, Kevin Patrick Martin, Nicholas Papayoanou, Anthony Pires Jr., and Ezra Quinlan. Full bios are available on SpeakEasy’s SWEPT AWAY show page.
The design team for is Janie E. Howland (scenic), Seth Bodie (costumes), Karen Perlow (lighting), James Cannon (sound), and Andrew Reynolds (props).
Swept Away runs for just five weeks, from April 24 – May 23, 2026 in the Virginia Wimberly Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston.
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