Hey there, Wagon Wheel Pen Pal! It’s Sam. 👋😊
Can you believe it’s been exactly ONE WHOLE YEAR of these Pen Pal letters from me to you?! It feels like it’s only been 2 weeks!
Okay, buckle in because a lot has happened since the last time we talked. I just got back from New York, we’re launching a brand new Conservatory program, we’re in the middle of Elf rehearsals and everything is “sparklejollytwinklejingley”, and our Year-End giving campaign is underway. It’s been a week, let me tell ya.
So. New York. I didn’t get to see Hamilton this time, but I did get something even better. Morgan Anita Wood, who you’ll remember from her Wagon Wheel days back in 2016, invited me to hang out with her backstage after one of her evening performances. Yes, backstage at Hamilton. Yes, I’m still in disbelief.
I got to stand on the actual Broadway stage where Morgan brings Eliza Schuyler to life 8 shows a week. It was one of those moments that hits you right in the heart. I kept thinking about how wild it is that the marketing guy from Wagon Wheel ended up in a place like that, soaking in this incredible full circle moment with one of our own. It was powerful, humbling, and something I will never ever forget.
When you sit in our little hometown theater and watch a Wagon Wheel show, you’re witnessing something that simply cannot be contained from our 836 seats. You’re watching dreams begin. You’re cheering for someone who might someday change lives in a big, fancy Broadway show the way Morgan does.
Artists like Morgan carry the legacy of shows that literally shift culture. Every performance of Hamilton changes someone’s life. It sparks something. It heals something. It flips a switch in someone who maybe really needed it that day. That is what your support makes possible at Wagon Wheel. You’re not just supporting a local theater. You are supporting the possibility that one of our own will go out and change the world, one audience at a time.
Anyway, thanks for letting me get mushy for a second. Let’s talk about what’s coming up!
🏆 Wagon Wheel is Nominated for Regional Awards 🏆
First up, did you hear the big news? Wagon Wheel scored a bunch of BroadwayWorld regional award nominations this year. If you saw any of our professional shows this summer, or Miracle on 34th Street last Christmas, we need your vote! You can vote for your favorite performers, your favorite productions, and at the very end, your favorite theater. I trust you’ll make the correct choice. Click HERE to vote!
🎧 Scott and Jen are on a Podcast 🗣️
And in case you missed it, Scott and Jen sat down with Matt Deuel at DreamOn Studios for a brand new episode of “Stories That Move”. If you’ve ever wished you could sit those two down and just hear them talk about their Wagon Wheel journeys, their favorite memories, the stuff that happens behind the curtain, and what their dreams are for the future of Wagon Wheel, this is the episode you want to witness. Click below to watch! 🎬 ⏯️
🎭 Broadway 360 & Wagon Wheel Junior Auditions 🎭
Now, before we get to Elf, I have to tell you about something I am ridiculously excited about. We’ve officially launched Wagon Wheel Conservatory’s Broadway 360, our brand new pre-professional musical theatre training studio for ages 12 to 19. This is something we’ve dreamed about for years. It gives young artists real, intensive, industry-level training right here in Warsaw. Think advanced coaching, masterclasses, and a full-circle approach that meets students where they are and helps them grow in ways they maybe didn’t even know were possible. If you know a teen who eats, sleeps, and breathes musical theatre, send them our way. The best part? Auditions for Broadway 360 are the exact same date and time as auditions for our 2026 February Wagon Wheel Junior musical. (NEWSLETTER EXCLUSIVE: It’s The Rockin’ Tale of Snow White!)
Auditions for both Wagon Wheel Junior AND Broadway 360 are on Saturday, December 13, with ages 9-11 auditioning at 10:00 AM, and ages 12-19 auditioning at 11:30 AM!
Questions about Wagon Wheel Junior? Email kira@wagonwheelcenter.org.
Questions about Broadway 360? Email ianbconnor@wagonwheelcenter.org.
❄️ Get Your Tickets for Elf the Musical ❄️
Next time we talk, Elf will be open. I know. I’m not ready either. What I am ready for is this cast. You’re going to see faces you love, and brand new actors who you’re going to fall in love with. Scott is in his happy place directing this one, so you already know it’s going to be magical. I can’t wait to see you from the stage during the pre-show speech! Click HERE to get your tickets.
⭐ Wagon Wheel’s 2nd Annual Gala ⭐
Now, Year-End Giving. We’re officially in it. But before I start talking dollars, let me tell you about something really special tied to this campaign.Our 2nd Annual Gala, Great Performances, Greater Purpose, is happening Thursday, December 11 at 7:00 PM, with a cocktail hour in the lobby, hosted by our Board of Directors, beginning at 6:00 PM. This is the one night every part of Wagon Wheel comes together on one stage. Professional Theatre. Junior Theatre. Community Theatre. Conservatory. Symphony of the Lakes. All of it, all at once. Plus a silent auction with pieces from our archives and other treasures that have never been available before. I’m hosting again with my friend, Kira Lace Hawkins, and honestly, it is the most glamorous night we do all year. You’ll want to be there. Click HERE for your tickets.
💌 Year-End Giving: It’s the Most Generous Time of the Year! 💌
Okay, real talk for a second. Year-End Giving is officially here, and we need to raise $100,000 by December 31st to ensure every spoke of the Wheel can thrive in 2026.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Wagon Wheel can only thrive because of you. Your donation supports our Junior kids, it allows us to continue hiring the best professional talent in the nation year after year, it provides Conservatory scholarships, it gives our Community Theatre the resources they deserve, it sustains our incredible Symphony, and most importantly, it allows us to keep serving this community in ways we simply cannot without you.
If you’ve ever sat in the audience and felt that undeniable Wagon Wheel magic, this is the moment when I am asking you to step in and give. The reason you walk out of a Wagon Wheel performance transformed, inspired, or speechless is because of you. Ticket sales alone will never be enough to sustain this magic, and your donation is tax deductible. (Hooray!)
So here is my direct ask. If Wagon Wheel has ever been part of your life, please make a gift today and help us reach our goal of $100,000. Click HERE to gift your donation online, give us a call at (574) 267-8041, or stop by the Box Office and say hello!
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