WISHING TO GROW UP BRIGHTLY World Premiere is Coming to Theatre Horizon

Theatre Horizon will present the world premiere of Wishing to Grow Up Brightly, a new musical created by Amanda Morton, Matthew Decker, Brenson Thomas, and Josh Totora. The production is loosely inspired by the life of Morton, a three-time Barrymore Award-winning composer, lyricist, and music director, and this inventive work fuses memory, identity, and imagination into an unforgettable theatrical event. Her credits include Broadway’s Operation Mincemeat and Gutenberg! The Musical! as Associate Conductor, and KPOP as Associate Music Director.

The production is directed by Decker, three-time Barrymore Award winner and Theatre Horizon’s Interim Artistic Director, whose theater work includes Theatre Horizon’s productions of The Few, A New Brain, and Into the Woods, and co-writing Broadway’s upcoming La La Land. Wishing to Grow Up Brightly, supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, runs from November 5 to 23.

At once hilarious and heartfelt, the musical follows Amanda Newton (Sami Ma), a Korean-born woman adopted by white parents in the U.S., as she returns home to help her mother, Jean (Marybeth Gorman), pack up their house after the death of her father, Walt (Trey Lyford). Amidst the clutter and grief, Amanda stumbles upon reMEMOREX™, a futuristic company that promises families a way to reconnect with the past. Amanda sifts through boxes both real and virtual, and the boundaries between memory and imagination blur, revealing a story about family, loss, and the inheritance of identity. Powered by a genre-defying score that spans satirical pop and choral requiems, Wishing to Grow Up Brightly explores how we search for connection in the fragments left behind.

“This show explores how we remember—and misremember—the people who shape us,” says co-creator and Theatre Horizon Co-Founder Matthew Decker. “Inspired by Amanda’s story as a Korean-American adoptee, the process of bringing it to the stage revealed something deeply universal about how we grieve, remember, and move forward. We hope audiences leave with a renewed tenderness for their own memories—and for the people who live within them.”

Wishing to Grow Up Brightly’s vibrant cast features new and familiar faces to Theatre Horizon audiences.

Sami Ma (Amanda Newton) makes their Theatre Horizon debut after previously appearing Off-Broadway in Once Upon A (Korean) Time. Regionally, their roles have included productions with the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Cincinnati Playhouse.

Marybeth Gorman (Jean Newton) returns to Theatre Horizon, where she previously appeared in Kimberly Akimbo (Pattie). Her regional work includes roles at Arden Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, and Lantern Theatre.

Trey Lyford (Walter “Walt” Newton) is a Philadelphia-based theatre creator, director, designer, and performer who previously appeared at Theatre Horizon in roles in Head over Heels (Basilius) and Peter & the Starcatcher (Black Stache). Regionally, he has also worked with The Civilians in New York City, Pig Iron Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, 1812 Productions, and Quintessence Theatre.

Katie Boren (Alison “Allie” Park) is a New York-based performer making her Theatre Horizon debut. Previously, she performed in the Broadway production of Lysistrata Jones and understudied in Avenue Q.

Brenson Thomas (Ensemble) returns to Theatre Horizon, where he previously appeared in TOWN (Ensemble). He has been in regional productions at Wilma Theater, Theatre Exile, Arden Theatre Company, and Delaware Theatre Company.

Jacinta Yelland (Ensemble) is a Philadelphia-based Australian physical theater creator, performer, and teacher, who’s returning to Theatre Horizon after previous roles in Oedipus in Seattle and Broccoli, Roosevelt, and Mr. House. Her regional work includes productions at Opera Philadelphia, Quintessence Theatre, Pig Iron Theatre, and People’s Light Theatre.

Hannah Catanoso (Ensemble) is a Philadelphia-based performer making her Theatre Horizon debut. Her regional work includes roles at Media Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Bristol Riverside Theatre, and Walnut Street Theatre.

Francesca Nong (Ensemble) is a New York City-based actor, singer, and dancer who is debuting at Theatre Horizon after appearing on the Broadway national tour of Miss Saigon in the ensemble and as an understudy. Regionally, she has appeared in productions at Arden Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, 11th Hour Theatre Company, and Princeton Summer Theater.

The creative and production team includes Amanda Morton (Book Writer and Lyrics), Matthew Decker (Book Writer and Director), Brenson Thomas (Book Writer), Josh Totora (Lyrics and Music), Brigitte Rottman (Music Director/Conductor), Mikayla Coxe (Associate Music Director/Music Assistant), Niki Cousineau (Choreographer), You-Shin Chen (Set Designer), Thom Weaver (Lighting Designer), Jill Keys (Costume Designer), Damien Figueras (Sound Designer), Jen Burkhart (Set Designer), Sarah Hahm (Cultural Consultant), Alec Ferrell (Stage Manager), D Cousineau (Assistant Director), Karly Amato (Assistant Stage Manager), Harbour Edney (Head Electrician), and AJ Bloomfield (Audio Engineer).