Pioneer Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Ten Brave Seconds from January 30-February 14, 2026. The production, with music & lyrics by Will Van Dyke and book & lyrics by Jeff Talbott, is described as follows:
Mike is having a very big day. He’s been holding onto a secret for awhile, and today his secret is totally coming out. It’s also a big day for the country – huge decisions are being made all over, and at the center of it is one family teetering on the brink of…everything. Ten Brave Seconds is a bright and vital new musical, infused with infectious pop melodies and rooted in a big-hearted examination of one day in the life of a kid, a family, and a community stepping bravely from the dark unknown into the daylight together.
The Cast
Reprising their roles from PTC’s Fall 2025 insider reading of Ten Brave Seconds are Tony Award Nominee John Cariani* (Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof; Caroline, or Change; The Band’s Visit) as Mr. G. and Carson Stewart* (Broadway’s The Notebook) as Mike. Both actors make their PTC mainstage debuts with this productions.
They are joined by Will Blum* (Broadway’s Beetlejuice, Torch Song) as Carl; Luke Kolbe Mannikus* (Broadway’s Matilda, Pippin) as Tim; Jessica Money* (Spelling Bee at Arden Theatre Co., The Color Purple at Theatre Horizon) as Gabby; and Heidi Farber (Medea at the Salt Lake Greek Theater Festival, Sweeney Todd at the Grand) as Becky.
The ensemble is comprised of Nick Eibler* (Broadway’s The Prom); Zachary Daniel Jones* (Broadway’s Gypsy, Wicked); PTC alum Jalen Michael Jones* (PTC’s The Prom, Bye Bye Birdie at The Kennedy Center); Laura Leo Kelly* (West Side Story International Tour, Regency Girls at The Old Globe); and PTC alum Jordan Cruz (PTC’s Jersey Boys, Waitress).
Harrison Timm, a senior in the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program; and Sydney Rudel and Ella Mei Williams—both seniors in the U’s Musical Theatre Program—join the production’s ensemble as 2025-2026 Season PTC Interns. Ariana Bagley and Kaden Conrad will serve as swings.
The Creative Team
Both Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott are alumni of PTC—Van Dyke was the composer of incidental scores for Noises Off, The Lehman Trilogy, Ass, i, and The Messenger. Talbott has been featured both onstage (The Lehman Trilogy, Oslo, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Doubt, and The Odd Couple) and as playwright of the PTC world premieres of i and The Messenger. Together, they have written the musicals fuzzy, Imagine Harry, Wintersong, Seven Broken Hearts, and The Circle and the Wheel.
Ellie Heyman, who helmed the PTC Insider Reading of Ten Brave Seconds as well as the recent world premiere of Van Dyke and Talbott’s fuzzy at Barrington Stage, directs Ten Brave Seconds. Other credits include: (Still) Asking For It (The Public Theater); Space Dogs (MCC); ThisTree (Prototype); Dinner with Georgette (New York Theater Workshop, Next Door); Jason Craig & Dave Malloy’s Beardo (Drama Desk Award Nomination; Pipeline Theater) Erin Markey: Boner Killer (Under the Radar/The Public Theater); and Becca Blackwell’s They, Themself and Schmerm (Under the Radar/The Public Theater).
Reed Luplau serves as Choreographer for Ten Brave Seconds. A graduate of the Australian Ballet School, his choreography has been featured in productions including Spring Awakening (Skylight), Head Over Heels (Australia), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Santa Fe Opera), and events such as PHISH at Madison Square Garden and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Additional credits include work for The Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, and West Australian Ballet.
Patrick Sulken serves as Music Director, having also music directed the world premiere of fuzzy. Other credits include music direction of Broadway’s Pretty Woman: The Musical and Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream; Off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors, Teeth, and We Are the Tigers.
Rounding out the Creative Team are Scenic Designer James Noone (PTC/ATC’s Dial M for Murder, Broadway’s Sunset Boulevard); Costume Designer Brenda Van der Wiel (PTC’s Jersey Boys, Sweeney Todd); Lighting Designer José Santiago (PTC’s Prayer for the French Republic, Bonnie & Clyde); Sound Designer Aaron Hubbard (PTC’s Dear Evan Hansen, Sweeney Todd), and Hair & Makeup Designer Kate Casalino (PTC’s Noises Off, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical). James O. Hansen is Production Stage Manager. Casting is by Andrew Fem (Casting by Them).
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Tickets
Ten Brave Seconds plays Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre from January 30-February 14, 2025. Tickets are now on sale via the link below or by calling the Pioneer Theatre Company Box Office at 801-581-6961. Tickets for patrons in grades K-12 are half-price Monday through Thursday.
