This fall, One Year Lease Theater Company will premiere WAKE, a poetic, magical, and deeply human play by Brooke Shilling and Leon Ingulsrud — four years in the making, created with the voices, songs, and stories of dozens of artists from around the world.

Set in a kitchen that is both ordinary and enchanted, WAKE is a meditation on grief and the ways we gather, remember, and heal. Characters from multiple generations — living, departed, and somewhere in between — come together in a space where the smell of brisket can summon a memory, where a single word can break your heart, and where the ordinary objects of daily life hold the extraordinary.

In an age when many of us are navigating loss — personal, cultural, and collective — WAKE offers us ways to connect with one another. It invites us to sit together, listen, and imagine how we might carry what we’ve lost into the future without losing ourselves.

WHY WE NEED YOU:

Mounting a new play in New York has always been a high-wire act, but in 2025 it is harder than ever. Rising production costs, shrinking arts funding, and the aftershocks of the pandemic mean that companies like OYL must rely on the generosity of our community to bring ambitious, heartfelt work to life.

We believe theater is not a luxury — it is a gathering place, a mirror, and a call to action. For more than two decades, One Year Lease has created work that builds bridges: between cultures, between generations, and between artists and audiences. Our residency programs have connected communities in Greece, Japan, India, and the US; our productions have told stories that speak across borders. WAKE is the next chapter in that journey.

YOUR SUPPORT WILL DIRECTLY FUND:

* Paying our actors, designers, and crew a fair wage

* Building the magical kitchen at the heart of WAKE

* Lighting, sound, and costumes that transform the everyday into the extraordinary

* Subsidized tickets to ensure the show is accessible to our wider community

One Year Lease is a non-profit with 501(c)3 status and every donation to the company is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.

WE CAN ONLY DO THIS TOGETHER:

Every dollar you contribute brings us closer to opening night and ensures that WAKE is made not just for New York’s theatergoers, but with them — with you. Please join us in making this production possible. Let’s gather, let’s listen, and let’s share a moment of connection in a time when it is most needed.

CREATIVES:

Cast:

Alex J. Gould, Christina Bennett Lind, Adesola Osakalumi, Cristina Pitter, Brooke Shilling, Akyiaa Wilson

Leon Ingulsrud & Brooke Shilling Playwrights
Ianthe Demos Director
Natalie Lomonte Movement Director
Rinde Eckert Original Music
Ren Kosaka / Accovio Original Music
Brendan Aanes Sound Design
James Hunting Set Design
David Shocket Lighting Design
Kenisha Kelly Costume Design

WAKE is the product of the contribution of countless artists between 2021 and 2024, including:

Brendan Aanes, Jessica Kaplow Applebaum, Danny Bernardy, Sarah-Jane Casey, Tatiana Collet-Apraxine, Hannah Cornish, Amanda Culp, Major Curda, Sam Dellert, Ianthe Demos, Rinde Eckert, Rachel Gatewood, James Hunting, Nathaniel Kent, Christina Bennett Lind, Natalie Lomonte, Leon Ingulsrud, Meropi Papastergiou, Violeta Picayo, Cristina Pitter, Richard Saudek, Brooke Shilling, Henri Sudy, Georgia Tsangaraki, Akyiaa Wilson, Susannah Wilson

For Tickets and more Information on the November run of WAKE at 59E59 Theaters please visit this link: https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/wake/

Help Bring WAKE to New York this November

OYL Theater Company presents a new play about loss, love, and transformation

Team Members