The Zeiders American Dream Theater will present Nolan’s Wake by playwright Patti Veconi, directed by Katherine Hammond, opening Thursday, November 14 in the Studio Theater. Performances run Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM, Saturday matinee at 3 PM, and a special Sunday performance on November 16 at 4 PM.
When the death of their matriarch, Rose Nolan, brings a blended family together, the Nolans quickly realize that funeral arrangements are the least of their unsettled business. Old wounds resurface, family ties are tested, and unspoken truths come to light. Set in the final days of 1999, Nolan’s Wake follows five adult siblings through tragedy, a snowstorm, car trouble, and the uninvited presence of one stubborn cat—all while they navigate what it truly means to be family.
“While Nolan’s Wake is a work of fiction, it began with a seed about how the death of a step-mother affected her blended family,” says playwright Patti Veconi. “Coming from a big Catholic family in northern Pennsylvania, I wanted to explore the dynamics of chosen and biological family—and to give voice and agency to characters who, like many neurodivergent people of their generation, came of age before understanding and support were available.”
Veconi’s play was initially developed in Arlene Hutton’s Master Playwriting Class at The Barrow Group, received a development grant from Piper Theatre in Brooklyn, and was a 2025 finalist (top 3%) for Seattle Public Theatre’s Distillery Festival. She credits The Z’s New Works Program as a vital step in her artistic process.
“Working with The Z has been such a blessing and a remarkable adventure in my playwriting journey,” says Veconi. “The company’s unique commitment to supporting the development of new works gave me space to refine this story alongside an incredible creative team.”
Director Katherine Hammond was immediately drawn to the play’s open and human storytelling:
“Patti’s writing gives space for discovery. The play is about people and the landscapes they must navigate as life changes around them—how one moment can shift our entire perspective,” says Hammond. “It’s a family story filled with truth and humor. It takes us to hard places, but does so with love—and maybe a little bit of pain.”
At its heart, Nolan’s Wake is about the family you’re born with—and the family you choose. One pivotal moment, as Hammond and Veconi both note, comes when Amy declares to her sisters:
“You keep defining your family—limiting your family—by blood, but it’s not that simple, Colleen. Mary is my sister. Grace is my sister. You are my sister. And we have no mothers left. We’re all we have. I want to stay. I’m going to stay... I’m staying.”
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