Dear Friends,

Welcome to Seattle Rep! We open our 2026/27 Season with the world premiere of Freak The Mighty, a new musical about friendship, imagination, resilience, and the impact we have on one another.

For more than 60 years, Seattle Rep has played an active role in developing new American theater. Through commissions, workshops, residencies, staged readings, and productions, we invest in new plays and musicals across years of development. Freak The Mighty marks Seattle Rep’s 67th world premiere. That legacy includes the beloved musical Come From Away, which was developed at Seattle Rep before becoming a Broadway and international success, as well as recent premieres like Lauren Yee’s Mother Russia (2025) and Larissa FastHorse’s Fancy Dancer (2025).

Based on Rodman Philbrick’s acclaimed 1993 novel, Freak The Mighty has connected with generations of readers through its story of friendship, courage, and belonging. More than 30 years after publication, and following the 1998 film adaptation, the novel remains widely read in classrooms across the country and is a touchstone for readers of all ages.

^{The cast of Freak The Mighty (2026) at Cleveland Play House. Photo by Roger Mastrioanni.}

This musical is the result of years of collaboration between book writer and lyricist Anthony Drewe, composer Ryan Fielding Garrett, and producers at Junkyard Dog Productions, best known for championing Come From Away. Drewe—whose work includes Disney’s Mary Poppins and the Olivier Award-winning Honk!—brings a gift for stories that resonate across generations. Together, the team has created an adaptation that beautifully honors Philbrick’s original novel while finding a theatrical language of its own.

Produced in partnership with Cleveland Play House, Freak The Mighty premiered in Cleveland earlier this summer before continuing its creative journey here in Seattle. Cleveland audiences responded  enthusiastically, and the creative team has arrived with refinements informed by what they learned in performance. As one of the early audiences to experience this new musical, you are also part of its creation story.

At its center are two teenagers who rarely get to be featured in a musical. Kevin is brilliant with language, defiantly confident, and medically complex. Max is physically imposing for his age, is labeled as having a learning disability, and is living with a traumatic family history. Both feel like outsiders, underestimated by the world around them. Yet through their friendship, they discover joy and purpose neither could have imagined alone.

^{Cornelius Kittrell, Netza Jimenez, and the cast of Freak The Mighty (2026) at Cleveland Pay House. Photo by Roger Mastrioanni.}

Based in part on the friendship of two real-life friends Philbrick encountered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Freak The Mighty reminds us that our lives are often changed by people who see our strength and potential before we see it in ourselves. What if we all moved through the world looking a little more closely for the best in those around us?

Whether you are here with children, grandchildren, family, friends, or on your own, I hope this story reminds you of the relationships that have shaped your life, and the lasting impact we can have on one another.

—Dámaso Rodríguez, Seattle Rep Artistic Director

Now's your chance to experience Freak The Mighty for yourself! Playing July 30–September 6, 2026.

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