Writer

music and lyrics by Taylor Pearlstein​

book by Shannon Molly Flynn

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Synopsis

Through the friendship of Jordon and Avery, WAKE YOU UP examines the loss we must endure in this life and in what ways we carry each other through. While one clings to life in the hospital, we cascade in and out of their collective memories; the heartbreak of unexpected loss, the comfort of found family, and the harsh reality of our inability to take everyone through this physical life. However, Jordon and Avery ultimately discover that these collisions just might happen for a reason.

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The Show

Wake You Up is a new musical unique in its ability to be a story any artist can tell. This narrative of loss is, at its core, a universal one, which is why we are excited to continue developing it as one of the first musicals with the ability for complete body-neutral casting. By stripping away the barriers of gender-specific casting and offering transcriptions of the songs in any key, we provide accessibility to storytelling that we rarely, if ever, see in musical theatre. I’m excited by how any decision and performance of gender in casting will tell its own unique perspective of this story. Jordon and Avery can belong to anyone. With our experimental goal of allowing these roles to be played by anybody, there is a pathway to a world-premiere workshop.