WICKED Star Taylor Quick to Headline Farewell Fort Salem Concert

Direct from the national tour of Broadway's Wicked, Taylor Quick will headline Farewell Fort Salem, a one-night-only concert celebrating more than five decades of live entertainment at Fort Salem Theater, on Saturday, September 26 at 8:00PM.

Quick, who has performed the iconic role of Glinda in Wicked in cities across the country, will be joined by popular Fort Salem guest artists Rebecca Paige and Janelle Farias Sando, with Capital Region musician and Fort Salem favorite Dan Galliher at the piano.

The special concert comes at a pivotal moment for the historic Washington County theater. Fort Salem recently concluded its regular producing operations while its owners, Kyle and Jared West, continue searching for the next person or organization to take the reins of the venue. Rather than quietly bringing the current chapter to a close, the Wests are inviting audiences back into the MainStage for one more major celebration.

“Fort Salem has always been about so much more than the shows on our stage,” said Executive and Artistic Director Kyle West. “It has been about the people who have walked through these doors, the artists who have made incredible work here, and the audiences who have supported this theater for generations. We wanted the chance to fill this room one more time, celebrate what we've shared together, and hopefully look ahead to a future where someone new gets to fall in love with Fort Salem.”

The evening will feature Broadway favorites, selections with special connections to Fort Salem's history, and a few fun behind-the-scenes stories. Ticket holders will be greeted with a complimentary pre show beverage in the lobby, and following the concert, will be invited onto the Fort Salem MainStage for a special farewell toast with the artists, with a unique opportunity to gather together in the heart of the theater before the evening comes to a close.

Headliner Taylor Quick joined the national tour of Wicked in February 2025 and made her debut as Glinda the following month. She has since stepped into the role in cities including Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Before Wicked, Quick toured nationally with Anastasia (as Young Anya, playing the title role at select performances) and performed leading roles at some of the country's most respected regional theaters. Her credits include Anna in Frozen at Fulton Theatre, Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street (Carbonell Award Nomination) at Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Katherine in Newsies at STAGES St. Louis, Laurey in Oklahoma! at Ogunquit Playhouse, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie at Goodspeed Musicals.

Joining Quick is Rebecca Paige, a familiar face to Fort Salem audiences both onstage and behind the scenes. Paige most recently directed, choreographed and costume designed (oh, my!) Fort Salem's Kinky Boots. As a performer, she starred in the title role of The Drowsy Chaperone and appeared as Diana in Next to Normal. Her extensive credits also include Man of La Mancha, Jekyll & Hyde, Evita, Oklahoma!, Urinetown and Thoroughly Modern Millie, along with work at Radio City Music Hall and as a voice actor for many popular anime shows.

Janelle Farias Sando, named one of American Theatre Magazine's “20 Theatre Workers You Should Know,” returns to Fort Salem after previously bringing her one woman show Getting Over That Rainbow to the theater. Local audiences may also recognize Janelle from Great Barrington Public Theater's “Night At the Speakeasy.” A recipient of the Sammons Center Cabaret Artist of the Year Award, Dallas Voice Actress of the Year Award and a DFW Theater Critics Forum Award, Sando's credits include Broadway Backwards at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow and The Boy From Oz, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, and a recent Off Broadway appearance in The Price.

At the piano will be Dan Galliher, who recently music directed Fort Salem's Godspell and Salem Under the Stars, the latter featuring Broadway performers Brennyn Lark and Nathan Lucrezio. His Capital Region credits include Spring Awakening, Songs for a New World, The Wild Party, In the Heights, Cabaret and Seussical.

While the title Farewell Fort Salem acknowledges the conclusion of the theater's current era, West emphasizes that the event is not intended as a declaration that Fort Salem Theater itself has reached its final curtain.

The search for a new owner and leader for the historic venue continues, with hopes that its stages will once again welcome artists and audiences under new stewardship.

“We're saying farewell to our chapter, but we're still hopeful this isn't goodbye to Fort Salem,” West said. “There is so much life left in this building. If this concert reminds people how special this place is, fills the theater with music and laughter one more time, and maybe even helps the person who will write its next chapter discover us, I can't imagine a better way to celebrate.”

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