"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair."

Dear Wagon Wheel Pen Pal, 💌

Hello there! My goodness, I have so much to fill you in on. First thing's first, Wagon Wheel Community Theatre’s Father of the Bride opens next Friday at 7:00, and I cannot wait to share this beloved story with you. It's funny, heartwarming, and such a charming 1960s throwback.

Click HERE to RSVP to the wedding of Kay Banks and Buckley Dunstan (see what I did there?). 💒

If you're a returning Pen Pal, you've heard me say this before, but it's always worth repeating: Community Theatre is so important to us here at Wagon Wheel and to our entire community. These are the people you know. You see them at church, at the grocery store, and around town. They are incredibly talented, and now they get to shine on the famous Wagon Wheel stage! How cool is that? Community Theatre matters, and it changes lives. I'll see you at Father of the Bride. Cool? Cool. 😉

🗓️ Coming up at the Wheel...

Okay, okay. Where do I even start? Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many people and organizations in our community, I get to share some exciting news. We have a BRAND NEW initiative called The Wagon Wheel Artist in Residence.

Starting Monday, a professional alumni actor will be living right here in Warsaw, working with Wagon Wheel through our Conservatory program, and spending time in our community.

Our very first artist in residence is none other than fan-favorite Abigail Storm from the great state of Texas! You'll remember Abigail as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act, Truvy in Steel Magnolias, Jan in Grease, and so many other roles over the past two summers here at the Wheel.

The best part? Abigail is staying in Warsaw through Elf: the Musical! While she's here, she'll work with our Conservatory classes and help us develop new curriculum, elevate the programming we already have in place, and combine her love for both performing and teaching. (I would also not be surprised if she ends up helping with the Halloween Junior show too. The kids love her, and so do I!)

If you see Abigail around town, promise me you will give her that warm Midwestern welcome we're famous for, alright?

🎙️ Out and About in the Community 🎹

It’s not often that we take the show out of the theater, but Pen Pal, we’ve got a very special night planned! On Saturday, October 4, Kira Lace Hawkins, Thomas Hall, Abigail Storm, and yours truly will be performing at Anthology Whiskey Room in downtown Warsaw as part of Downtown Warsaw Fashion Weekend. We’re teaming up with our friends at Main Street Warsaw and Glam Boutique to bring you some of our favorite jazz standards for a late-night concert you won’t want to miss! Click HERE for more details.



🎭 Wagon Wheel Conservatory

Conservatory classes are in full swing, and we are hosting a showcase right here on the Wagon Wheel stage on Sunday, October 5 at 3:00. This free event is a celebration of talent, growth, and education. It is a chance to show our community the power of developing a passion you have always had or trying something completely outside your comfort zone. And guess what? This year we have a brand-new addition to the showcase: concessions will be open! (Exciting, right?) I’ll see you there! And yes, Abigail will be there too! Sorry, I’m still so excited we’re doing this "Artist in Residence" thing. Isn’t it amazing!?

🧙‍♀️ Wagon Wheel Junior

Mark your calendars! Trial of the Wicked Witch: The Musical takes the stage October 24, 25, and 26. And if you’re new to the Wagon Wheel Junior scene, let me fill you in: before every Junior performance, we host our Not-So-Haunted House: one of our most treasured (and not-at-all-scary) Halloween traditions. Come early for the spooky-fun, then stay for the show! And I’ll say it again because it’s true: Wagon Wheel Junior is just professional theatre...on tinier shoulders.

🪱🐦 The early bird gets a discount on Wagon Wheel tickets!

Have you locked in your favorite seat for our 2026 professional summer season? Here’s what’s waiting for you: Cats, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel, Footloose, Dial M for Murder, and Cole Porter’s Anything Goes.

Let me break down the math for you. If you call Carol and Tammy in the Box Office before September 30th, you get the Early Bird Special where each of our five shows is just $39 a ticket. (Mind? Blown. Wallet? Full.)

Wait…what’s that??? Yeah, the math is definetly mathing! It is actually more affordable to become a season subscriber than to buy tickets for just a few shows individually next summer.

And if you need an extra push, here is a little testimonial for you. Someone who was a brand new subscriber this past summer already renewed for 2026! Selfishly, if they had not been a season subscriber, I might never have met them in the lobby this summer and we might never have become Wagon Wheel besties. That's my favorite kind of friendship! 😊 Check it out:

"This was our first summer as Wagon Wheel season subscribers! I knew to expect great shows, music, and a few laughs (maybe even some tears), but I didn’t expect to completely fall in love with a cast of young performers who made me forget the world outside and left me cheering like I was rooting for friends.

Week after week, we got more invested. Sitting in the same seats, bumping into familiar faces, and swapping stories turned the summer into more than theater — it became a community.

The Wagon Wheel is special. Its performers aren’t just talented, they’re magnetic — the kind who make you forget you’re watching actors at all. For two hours every couple of weeks, we could escape the world and get lost in the magic. When these performers take their place on Broadway someday, I’ll remember applauding them here first.

When the season ended, I felt a real pang of sadness. But we’ll be back next summer — same seats, same excitement — ready for the magic all over again."

This offer is only good over the phone (just so we make sure no details slip through the cracks!), so give us a call at (574) 267-8041 and reserve your favorite seat today! 📞

⭐ Alumni Spotlight: "It's the Circle of Life!" 🦁

There are a few Wagon Wheel alumni that my friend Kira Lace Hawkins just can’t stop talking about, and this month’s featured alum is one of them! Say hello again to the incomparable Leanne Antonio, who wowed us during the summers of 2017, 2018, and 2019. THREE whole summers of Leanne on our stage? Yes, please! You'll remember her from...

⭐ Newsies - Medda ⭐

⭐ Footloose - Rusty ⭐

⭐ The Crucible - Tituba ⭐

⭐ All Shook Up - Lorraine ⭐

⭐ One Man, Two Guvnors - Dolly ⭐

But here’s the real treat: Leanne recently shared a gorgeous cover of “If I Loved You” from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel. And since Carousel is part of our 2026 professional summer season, I thought you might enjoy this little sneak peek of what you'll hear next summer.

Click HERE to watch Leanne’s stunning performance! (I can't help but daydream about which unknown rising star Scott Michaels will discover and cast to sing it next summer here at the Wheel...) And of course, Leanne has a special video message just for YOU! Click below to watch:

This girl does 👏 it 👏 all,👏 and I mean 👏ALL!👏 WOW! Leanne has been in more performances of The Lion King on Broadway than I could possibly count (seriously, don’t make me count, that number is ridiculously high). She toured Japan in 2024 as Joanne in RENT, crushed it in Paper Mill Playhouse’s Murder on the Orient Express, performed in A Wrinkle in Time at Arena Stage in D.C., AND played Rusty in Footloose at Broadway Music Circus, which is WILD, because she also played Rusty right here at Wagon Wheel!

She’s booked and busy, telling powerful stories for audiences all over the world, and it all started right here in Warsaw, Indiana. The best part? She loved it here so much that she came back for three whole summers to share her talents with all of us.

That, my friend, is the Wagon Wheel difference. 🩵

That's all from me for now! Stay safe, stay kind, and I'll see you at Father of the Bride next weekend.

🎪 There's no place like Wagon Wheel,