3 months ago
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Posted On: July 12th 2026, 09:14 pm
The last few days brought plenty of curveballs—and a whole lot of creative beauty.
I’m incredibly grateful to Duncan Sheik, who missed the madness of the Spring Awakening NYC open call auditions to honor his commitment to our rising stars in Franklin, TN. When LOLO landed an exciting role with Music City: The Musical, Duncan graciously invited our talented students (and me!) to join him onstage. What was undoubtedly a challenging night for him without his full crew became the memory of a lifetime for these young performers.
Huge thanks to The Franklin Theatre, esp. their outstanding backstage production team for navigating every challenge with kindness and professionalism. And endless appreciation to my brother Rob Burger, who learned an entire catalog in a day via phone-to-ear, and to Abigail Levy, who knocked it out of the park as both star vocalist and musician.
I couldn’t have been more proud of every student who performed—Caroline, Bennett, Carter, Emma, Emma, Laila, Abigail, Jake, of course, and our wonderful dancers, especially Maddie and Lucy for their beautiful choreography. Beyond the performances, they were supportive, pro stagehands and runners too.
Duncan then also visited The Gift of Song’s production of Spring Awakening, which was absolutely phenomenal. He spent time speaking with the casts and left some great advice: keep it tight, it’s only rock & roll, things will go wrong—what matters most is how you handle the moments and the connection you make with your audience.
I’m humbled by Duncan’s generosity with his time, wisdom, and music. /// Swipe for part 2 about @upcloseandcampy in August
If this idea speaks to you, I’d love for you to check out what we’re building with Up Close & Campy.
August 21–23 at Camp Starlight (PA), Duncan returns with friends including Sophia Anne Caruso, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Nick Fradiani, Krystina Alabado, Tema Siegel, MORGXN, and LOLO for an intimate weekend of performances, audition stories, master classes, campfires, singalongs, meals together, hiking, volleyball, yoga, archery, s’mores, and genuine connection.
No stage doors or VIP lists. Just a small group of passionate fans and remarkable artists spendin
I’m incredibly grateful to Duncan Sheik, who missed the madness of the Spring Awakening NYC open call auditions to honor his commitment to our rising stars in Franklin, TN. When LOLO landed an exciting role with Music City: The Musical, Duncan graciously invited our talented students (and me!) to join him onstage. What was undoubtedly a challenging night for him without his full crew became the memory of a lifetime for these young performers.
Huge thanks to The Franklin Theatre, esp. their outstanding backstage production team for navigating every challenge with kindness and professionalism. And endless appreciation to my brother Rob Burger, who learned an entire catalog in a day via phone-to-ear, and to Abigail Levy, who knocked it out of the park as both star vocalist and musician.
I couldn’t have been more proud of every student who performed—Caroline, Bennett, Carter, Emma, Emma, Laila, Abigail, Jake, of course, and our wonderful dancers, especially Maddie and Lucy for their beautiful choreography. Beyond the performances, they were supportive, pro stagehands and runners too.
Duncan then also visited The Gift of Song’s production of Spring Awakening, which was absolutely phenomenal. He spent time speaking with the casts and left some great advice: keep it tight, it’s only rock & roll, things will go wrong—what matters most is how you handle the moments and the connection you make with your audience.
I’m humbled by Duncan’s generosity with his time, wisdom, and music. /// Swipe for part 2 about @upcloseandcampy in August
If this idea speaks to you, I’d love for you to check out what we’re building with Up Close & Campy.
August 21–23 at Camp Starlight (PA), Duncan returns with friends including Sophia Anne Caruso, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Nick Fradiani, Krystina Alabado, Tema Siegel, MORGXN, and LOLO for an intimate weekend of performances, audition stories, master classes, campfires, singalongs, meals together, hiking, volleyball, yoga, archery, s’mores, and genuine connection.
No stage doors or VIP lists. Just a small group of passionate fans and remarkable artists spendin
Comments (1)
11 days agoboardgamersteph
It was a great show and I am thankful to have gotten to go to it (and Spring Awakening the following night) where I met Duncan just 70 days ago. So sad to hear the news today. 😢
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