Elaine Pechacek-Cotignola to Present THE LADY JULIANA Concert Reading at Theatre South Playhouse

Orlando composer, playwright, and vocal educator Elaine Pechacek-Cotignola will present a special concert reading of her original musical, The Lady Juliana, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at Theatre South Playhouse.

The one-night-only event will serve as a fundraiser for sarcoidosis research, a cause with deeply personal significance for Pechacek-Cotignola, who was diagnosed with the inflammatory disease in 2020.

The musical has received developmental presentations and performances in the United States and internationally, with its journey taking the work to England, Australia and France. The October 10 Orlando performance brings the musical back to Central Florida for a special concert reading featuring professional and community performers from the Orlando theatre scene.

For Pechacek-Cotignola, the evening also intersects with another unlikely chapter of her own story: distance running. After facing significant health challenges from sarcoidosis, she transformed her health and eventually began running endurance races-something she once could not have imagined doing. On November 1, just weeks after the concert, she will take on the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, using the journey to raise funds and awareness for sarcoidosis research. The October 10 event is part of her effort to reach a $4,000 fundraising goal.

Pechacek-Cotignola is a longtime Central Florida vocal educator, composer, playwright and music director whose career spans nearly three decades. Her catalogue includes five original musicals and more than 180 published songs, and her work has been presented both nationally and internationally.

The evening will begin with a 30-minute showcase featuring young vocal students, celebrating the next generation of musical-theatre performers before the concert reading begins.