WILD CHILD to Make World Premiere at Penn State Downtown Theatre

Penn State will present the first ever production of the new musical Wild Child June 11-13 in the Penn State Downtown Theatre.  With Book & Lyrics by Dan Marshall and Music by Julianne Wick Davis, the show is a developmental co-production between Penn State Centre Stage, Penn State Musical Theatre, and The Breathe Project. Evan Bernardin Productions are Producing General Managers. Performance times are June 11-13 at 7:30pm and June 13 at 2pm.

John Simpkins directs.  Music Direction is by Noah Landis, with choreography by Trent Soyster. The cast features Nalia Ahmed, Kyler Beck, Zayna Darres, Johnny Fenton, Anna Garcia, Spencer Kearns, Andre Lajevardi, Kenikki Thompson, Antonio Urrutia III, and Katie Walsh.

Wild Child is a musical adventure about figuring out who you are, where you belong, and what it means to connect in a chronically online world. Two anxious teens, Rina and Darin, meet as avatars in a game. No real rules. No real names. Without warning, they're shipped off to a remote wilderness therapy program IRL. No phones. No WiFi. Just nature and each other. As their digital personas start to fall apart, they're forced to confront the truth about themselves without screens. With a pop-driven score, Wild Child is a thrilling new musical that asks: Is healing a solo quest, or the ultimate multiplayer game?

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Direction of a Play - Top 3

1. Joe Mantello - Death of a Salesman

21.2% of votes

2. Duncan MacMillan, Jeremy Herrin - Every Brilliant Thing

15.5% of votes

3. Whitney White - Liberation

9.9% of votes

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