Jonathan Larson Grant Winner Abs Wilson Premieres Concert Reading of Kelly Nowak at Adelphi PAC
Garden City, NY (09/08/2026) — Adelphi University's Performing Arts Center (Adelphi PAC) will open its Fall 2026 season with a concert reading of Kelly Nowak, a new musical by 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Abs Wilson and composer Adam LaPorte. The performance will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. in Adelphi's Olmsted Theatre.
The show is part of Adelphi's The Larson Legacy Concert Series, created in 2015, which celebrates bold, emerging voices in musical theater while honoring the extraordinary creative legacy of Adelphi alumnus Jonathan Larson.
Framed as a true-crime documentary, Kelly Nowak explores the human need to grasp tangible truths, regardless of cost or rationality. One summer day in 2005, a teenager goes missing from her small Michigan town and is never found. Eighteen years later, her family sits for interviews about what they think happened to her. Did Kelly drown in the nearby lake? Is she alive, trapped within a massive conspiracy? Or. . . is she somewhere a little more in between?
Featuring a story, book, and lyrics by abs wilson, alongside music and story co-written with Adam LaPorte, this 90-minute musical offers a gripping and poignant psychological narrative. Cast members include: Gabi Carrubba, George Merrick, Yazmin De Jesus, Veronica Mansour, Adam LaPorte with musical direction from Anessa Marie Scolpini and directed by Alex Olesky.
Since 2015, the Larson Legacy Concert Series at Adelphi PAC has celebrated the work of exceptional musical theater creators, helping nurture the next generation of artists inspired by Jonathan Larson ('82), the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning creator of RENT. Past series features include Pulitzer Prize winner Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), Tony Award nominee Max Vernon (K-Pop), Zoe Sarnak (Galileo, The Lonely Few), and Tony Award nominee Benjamin Velez (Real Women Have Curves).
About Abs Wilson
Abs Wilson is an award-winning playwright, songwriter, and educator based in New York. In addition to receiving the 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant, her recent honors include the 2024 Richard Rodgers Award, the 2025 Lucille Lortel Theatre 121 Project Grant, and selections for the Orchard Project Summer Series, the NAMT Festival of New Musicals, the Eugene O'Neill National Music Theater Conference, and the Rhinebeck Writers' Retreat. Her work has been developed with leading theater companies and universities across the country. Wilson holds an MFA from NYU Tisch's Musical Theatre Writing Program and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, and Maestra.
Event and Ticket Details:
Event: Larson Legacy Concert: Abs Wilson's Kelly Nowak (with Livestream)
Date & Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (Olmsted Theatre)1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530
Tickets & Access: Tickets are available now online at pac.adelphi.edu or through the event link at adelphi.edu/events/larson-legacy-concert-abs-wilson-with-livestream/.
For ticket reservations or inquiries, contact the Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at 516-877-4000 or boxoffice@adelphi.edu. Ticket discounts are available for seniors, students, Adelphi alumni, and employees. Livestream access information is available upon ticket purchase. Box office hours are Wednesday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., as well as two hours prior to ticketed performances.
About Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (Adelphi PAC)
Adelphi Performing Arts Center (PAC) is recognized as one of Long Island's premier cultural arts venues, offering a diverse array of professional entertainment, theater, dance, and music performances. For more information on upcoming events, visit pac.adelphi.edu.
About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning
Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning, and innovative ways to support academic and career success. U.S. News & World Report named Adelphi a 2026 Best National University, Best College for Veterans, and Top Performer in Social Mobility. In addition, Forbes has ranked Adelphi the top private university on Long Island for three past three years.
Adelphi serves more than 7,300 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York-just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities-and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.
More than 125,000 alumni Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.
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Adelphi PAC will open its Fall 2026 season with a concert reading of Kelly Nowak, a new musical by 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Abs Wilson and composer Adam LaPorte.
Adelphi University / New York
Taylor Damian, 516-877-4040, tdamian@adelphi.eduShare this Story
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