WAKEMAN to Make Developmental Debut at New London Barn Playhouse

The New London Barn Playhouse, in collaboration with Lily Dorment of Limehouse Productions, has announced the opening of WAKEMAN, a new developmental work coming to New London.

WAKEMAN is a new folk-rock musical which centers around the true story of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a young woman who presented herself as a man and joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Her adventures are forever captured in a series of letters written to her family chronicling her daily life as Private Lyons Wakeman in the 153rd New York infantry. It is estimated that over 400 women fought in the Civil War. WAKEMAN weaves together the fascinating stories of these untold heroes. Original music, lyrics, and book by Jenn Grinels bring to life this tale of identity and the pursuit of the American Dream.

'New work is the lifeblood of this art form, and WAKEMAN is exactly why The NEST Initiative exists at the Barn Playhouse. Now in our third year of this program, we've committed ourselves to giving bold, original stories the room to grow and then fly away from 'the nest' after their time in New London, and Jenn's original musical is a perfect example of what that commitment can produce. I saw WAKEMAN at the NAMT Festival of New Musicals in 2025 and knew immediately I was watching something incredibly special. I called Keith Coughlin (Executive Artistic Director) before I'd even left my seat and told him we'd found our developmental production for 2026. I couldn't be prouder to bring this piece, and these incredible untold stories, to our stage this summer,' said Elliott Cunningham, Managing Director.

Lily Dorment added 'Building a new musical can be a long, complex and delicate process. The NEST initiative at NLBP has given the creative team of WAKEMAN the extraordinarily rare gift of space, time, and resources to develop our work at our own pace, without any pressure or expectations. We have been so warmly welcomed by our hosts here at the New London Barn Playhouse and we cannot wait to share WAKEMAN with the wonderful audiences here in New London.'

The cast for this production consists of all actors making their Barn Playhouse debut! Reese Cameron* is playing Sarah Wakeman, having been on the national tours of Six and Funny Girl and graduate of Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Jane Bruce* as Sergeant Evans, Broadway credits include Delphi in Harry Potter, The Cursed Child and Jagged Little Pill. Eric Coles* as the Father, with Broadway credits including Beaches, A New Musical, and Rock of Ages. Galyana Castillo* as the Mother, with Broadway credits including Sweeney Todd and national tour of Waitress. Michael Milkanin* as Hiram Sweet with Broadway credits including Chess, Elf, Shucked, Lempicka, Bad Cinderella, and Kinky Boots. Brooke Simpson* as Prisoner with Broadway credits including 1776 and Off-Broadway credits including Blood/Love. Wyatt Anton as Soldier having recently appeared in Fun Home at Huntington Theater and A Man of No Importance and Swept Away at Speakeasy Stage. Marcus A. Brooks as Soldier was in the world premiere of The Chequerboard Watch at Delaware Theatre Company as well as productions at Milton Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, and Wagon Wheel. Lucas Hinds Babcock* as Soldier with credits including the national tour of Hamilton, as well as Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Next to Normal. Jeremiah Garcia as Stephen Wiley is a three-time Drama Desk nominee for Stranger Things! The Parody Musical, plus credits including Carnival Cruise Line, Arizona Broadway, and North Shore Music Theater. Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan has been seen in productions of Flower Drum Song, Next to Normal and Sweeney Todd. And finally, rising star Rowan Box as Robert with credits including Charlie in Willy Wonka, Crutchie in Newsies and Pinocchio in Shrek.

The Creative Team includes a combination of those returning to the Barn Playhouse and those designing here for the first time. Billie Aken-Tyers++, Director, makes her debut here, with Broadway credits including Titanique, SIX, and the national tour of Beetlejuice. Michael Fatica++, Choreographer, is a NYC based choreographer with Broadway credits including Beetlejuice, and on the tour of Spamalot and Matilda. Pete Lanctot, Music Director, has worked with many big names including Jon Cale, Durand Jones and the Indications, and Aaron Frazer, and has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Chika Shimizu^, Scenic Designer, with regional credits at Berkeley Rep, Geffen Playhouse, and Pasadena Playhouse. Dustin Cross^ returns to the Barn Playhouse as Costume Designer, after designing many productions here including Chicago (2026), Mamma Mia! (2022), and Always...Patsy Cline (2021). Keith A. Truax^ also returns to the Barn Playhouse as Lighting Designer, after designing many productions here including Sister Act (2026), RENT (2025), and Wedding Singer (2023). Zachariah Rosenbaum, Sound Designer and Engineer, also returns after being the Sound Engineer here in 2024 and 2025.

Jeff Knaggs as Hair and Wig Supervisor, Paul West as Fight Director, Caitlin Thomas as Transcriber and Music Associate, Scott Sweatt and Jade McLeod as Script Assistant, Clarissa Marie Ligon* as Production Stage Manager and Assoc Director, and returning Barnie Wavyne White* as Assistant Stage Manager. The Band includes Jackie Coleman on Keys and Trumpet, Charles J. Lumar II on Bass, Rick Snell on guitar and banjo, and Daniel Rossi on Drums.

Jenn Grinels is the Book/Music/Lyrics writer for WAKEMAN, a tremendous vocalist, compelling songwriter, and dynamic performer. She is a nationally touring singer/songwriter, and was a finalist for the Kleban Prize in Lyrics in 2024. Her latest album Go Mine was released in November of 2020, featuring elements of soul, jazz, folk, blues, pop, Americana, and rock. WAKEMAN was a Village Theatre Festival of New Works in 2024 as well as a National Alliance for Music Theatre finalist in 2022 and 2023.

WAKEMAN is generously sponsored by members of our NEST initiative: Kathy and David Bashaw, Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, Ginny Gwynn and Jon Bellis, Mary Lou and Dusty Hoyt, Betsy and Dan Junius, Penny and Bill Obenshain, Wynne DeMille, Maggie Ford, Tracy and Mark Wood and Sunapee Stays. WAKEMAN is also partially funded by a grant from the National Alliance of Musical Theatre (NAMT) through their Frank Young Fund for New Musicals.

This production is produced in collaboration with Limehouse Productions and Lily Dorment.

TOUR DATES

WAKEMAN runs September 3rd thru September 6th with all tickets $45.00. All tickets can be purchased online at www.nlbarn.org/wakeman, or by calling the Box Office at 603-526-6710 or visiting the Box Office in person on the porch of the New London Barn Playhouse. Talkbacks with members of the cast and creative team will follow performances on the 3rd, 4th and 5th.

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