What if the most transformative theater in your life isn’t in Times Square, but under a 70-year-old roof in Indiana—where the stage is a circle, the audience is inches away, and young artists get their first lead before they ever see a Broadway dressing room? We sit down with artistic director Scott Michaels and managing director Jen Dow to explore how Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts built a national reputation from a local heartbeat.

Scott shares how an athlete’s mindset made him a choreographer obsessed with process and problem solving—especially in the round, where there are no wings, no fly system, and no hiding. Jen traces a path from gymnastics and choir to a portfolio career—performer, wig designer, producer, teacher—that grew wherever the theater had a need. Together, they’ve created a culture that functions like a team: no bench players, just collaborators who learn fast, lead early, and carry the work with pride.

We dig into the youth pipeline behind the theater’s national impact, from Wagon Wheel Jr. intensives to college performers earning first contracts that become springboards to tours and Broadway. Hear the story of Morgan, who led Sister Act in Warsaw and later starred as Eliza in Hamilton, returning to surprise a new Dolores and remind today’s cast what’s possible.

As a nonprofit, the theater is shifting from ticket-heavy revenue toward a healthier mix of contributions and community support. We talk year-end giving, a cabaret-style gala featuring Symphony, alumni spotlights, and kids onstage, plus the long game of sustainability, facilities, and keeping the round sacred. If you’ve never experienced theater where actors move around you and emotion hits from all sides, now’s the time.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves live performance, and leave a review to help more people find these stories. Ready to feel the difference a round stage makes? Grab tickets at www.wagonwheelcenter.org and tell us which show you’re seeing next.

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