New Musical KANNON GETS THE WIGGLES Presented By Actors Theatre Of Indiana's LAB Series

The Actors Theatre of Indiana LAB Series returns with Kannon Gets the Wiggles by Gavin Thomas Drew and Chapman Shields, Music by Rolin Mains, Lyrics by Gavin Thomas Drew and Rolin Mains. This show is adapted from the book “Sometimes I Get the Wiggles” by Andee Cooper.

Synopsis: Kannon is just like any other 2nd grader. He loves his mom, his dog Murphy, and comic book superheroes. When Kannon has a seizure at his new school and is diagnosed with epilepsy, he has to find the courage to face this battle as Super Kannon and empower others to be epilepsy heroes as well. This touching and funny theatre-for-young-audiences piece teaches everyone that with friends, family and courage you can face any battle! 

History:  The musical is adapted from a book titled “Sometimes I Get the Wiggles” by Andee Cooper. Cooper wrote the book based on the true story of her son, Kannon, who has a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox Gastaut Syndrome. Chapman Shields has known the Cooper family for years and thought that the book would be a great piece of educational theatre. 

Writing began in January of 2022. A reading of the first draft was held at Oklahoma State University on April 27th, 2022, and was attended by Cooper, who gave her blessing to continue development. The show will make its first full production debut in Shields and Cooper's hometown of Bristow, Oklahoma in the summer of 2025, followed by a school tour to raise epilepsy awareness. 

Gavin Thomas Drew (playwright) is an accomplished actor, singer, director, and playwright. He attended Oklahoma City University to study Musical Theatre and Directing. His adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, written with frequent collaborator Chapman Shields, is performed annually at Summit City Music Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is an active member of the Dramatists Guild, and his newest play, Equals, co-written by Dakota Norman, made its world premiere in March of 2024. As an actor, he has performed professionally in commercials, movies and on the stage. Select acting credits include Snoopy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!, Gomez Addams in The Addams Family, Leo Bloom in The Producers (Summit City Music Theatre), Bert in Mary Poppins and Arles, in Greater Tuna (Freeland Center for the Performing Arts).  

As a recipient of Cochlear implantation, he spends a lot of time advocating for accommodation and disability integration within the fine arts. He currently serves as the Artistic Director at Summit City Music Theatre. 

Chapman Shields (playwright) is a theatrical director, writer, and designer from Oklahoma. As a playwright, he has written projects such as A Christmas Carol with his frequent writing partner, Gavin Thomas Drew. A Christmas Carol plays in Fort Wayne yearly to sold-out crowds. Recent directing credits include Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins and Greater Tuna.  He was director for Ordinary Days at Canterbury Theatre; Disney's The Little Mermaid, Snow White: The Musical, and A Christmas Carol for Bristow Theatre; Robin Hood for Cushing Theatre; Director for The Door and Assistant Director for The Theory of Relativity and Charlotte's Web at Oklahoma State. Recent design credits include Scenic Design for Beauty and the Beast, Elf: The Musical  and Lighting Design for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Bristow Theatre; A Christmas Carol at Summit City MT; and The Play That Goes Wrong and Hillary in Clinton at Studio Theatre. He did Lighting Design for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Arsenic and Old Lace at Town and Gown Theatre, Lighting design for Stop Kiss at Oklahoma State University. 

Chapman also serves in several positions of theatrical leadership around the state of Oklahoma and beyond. He served as the founding president of Oneiric Theatre Company, guest artistic director for Cushing Theatre, and is currently a board director of the Freeland Arts Council, and founding member of Divergence Theatre Company. Chapman also serves on the Oklahoma Arts Council grants committee and instructor at Tulsa's premiere acting studio Overture.

Rolin Mains (Composer/ Lyricist) has worked as a self-employed musician for over 35 years. He has played keyboards on concert tours (Sandi Patty, Donna Summer), recorded in studios from Indiana to Nashville, produced award-winning records (Best Instrumental Dove Award, 1998), recorded his own record (A Time to Dance), produced concerts for shows at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in NYC, composed and arranged for churches and dance companies and has conducted and music directed for musical theater in the Nashville area for over 15 years, including The Nashville Repertory Theater, Street Theater Company, Chaffin's Barn and Dinner Theater, and Circle Players. 

During his time in New York City, Mains music directed shows for Montclair State University and St. John's University and was an accompanist at Steps on Broadway. He was named “Best Music Director” by the Nashville Scene in 2011. He has underscored live improvised music for several non-musical theatrical productions including Nashville Shakespeare Festival's Twelfth Night, King Lear, Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Tempest. Mains moved to Fort Wayne in July of 2021 and has since music-directed two shows and teaches at the Academy of Music at Sweetwater. He is a full-time Lecturer at PFW.

The LAB Series program is Actors Theatre of Indiana's way to show commitment to nurturing new plays and playwrights. Chosen plays enjoy a reading and a talk-back session with Actors Theatre of Indiana audiences, staff, cast and the playwright at the Carmel Clay Public Library. Kannon Gets the Wiggles will be presented on March 15 at 2 pm at the library. 

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