Pioneer Theatre Company’s world-premiere musical ‘Ten Brave Seconds’ tackles a teen’s coming-out story
Coming out of the closet is a major hinge point in the life of any LGBTQ+ person. For teenagers who are also dealing with the pressures of high school and the frightening prospect of outright family rejection, the emotional stakes of coming out are especially heightened.
This dramatic situation is what drives “Ten Brave Seconds,” a new musical receiving its world premiere at Pioneer Theatre Company. It’s co-written by composer and lyricist Will Van Dyke and playwright and co-lyricist Jeff Talbott, two longtime collaborators with many past PTC credits.
“I’ve always been super interested in coming out stories in general and how they are portrayed on stage,” said Van Dyke, who previously scored incidental music for PTC productions like “The Lehman Trilogy,” “Ass,” and “The Messenger.”
“We’ve never seen this told in a musical like this,” said Talbott, whose PTC credits include acting in “Oslo,” “Doubt” and as the author of “The Messenger.”
As gay men who are respectively in their 40s and 60s, Van Dyke and Talbott have often discussed the commonalities and differences of the coming-out process. The generational levels of tolerance and acceptance from society at large are a major factor.
“In culture in general, the coming out story is often freighted with great trauma for the coming out itself — a shameful thing that becomes a non-shameful thing,” Talbott said.
“Ten Brave Seconds” is set in June 2015 and follows a dramatic day in the life of a high school student named Mike [Carson Stewart, a veteran of the 2024 Broadway musical “The Notebook”]. Mike is driven and conflicted about the best way to share his truth with friends and loved ones, while also dealing with his ongoing family grief from the unexpected death of his estranged mother.
“The reason that the musical is called ‘Ten Brave Seconds’ is that there is an assertion in the writing that if you have something scary to say to somebody that you love, it’s easy to shy away from saying it,” Talbott said.
Van Dyke and Talbott are of the mind that honesty is always a road for things getting better, even if the immediate aftermath of those “Ten Brave Seconds” could be complicated and fraught.
“An interesting idea to grapple with is that once you say something to someone else, you have to accept that they get to respond and lovingly figure out that response together,” Talbott said. “It is about taking responsibility for your words once you say them.”
The script of “Ten Brave Seconds” also changed much following a crucial one-night-only reading held by PTC this past September. It allowed the entire creative team, including director Ellie Heyman, choreographer Reed Luplau, and music supervisor Patrick Sulken, to gauge the material in front of a live audience.
Van Dyke and Talbott found the September reading to be invaluable, and Van Dyke said that they’re both still working through rehearsals to find “the truth of every lyric, every line, every song — everything so that it is as authentic and true to the story we’re trying to tell.”
The September reading also cemented Van Dyke and Talbott’s decision to keep Carson Stewart in the role of Mike for the musical’s full production.
“We all felt that [Carson Stewart] was the only person that we could do this show with,” Talbott said. “What he brought to the table was so explosively special.”
Broadway veteran John Cariani (“The Band’s Visit,” “Something Rotten!”) has been with “Ten Brave Seconds” from the beginning of the writing process to play Mike’s history teacher Mr. G. Cariani also starred last year in Talbott and Van Dyke’s new puppet-filled musical “fuzzy” at Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts, which was also directed by Heyman and musically supervised by Sulken.
“In rapid succession, two theaters said yes to us for two musicals of ours,” Talbott said. “We feel very grateful to (Pioneer Theatre Company artistic director Karen Azenberg) for really taking a chance on us because this is not a small musical. This is a 14-person big musical with dance and a complex, nuanced story.”
“Ten Brave Seconds” was programmed for PTC by Azenberg in the fall of 2024. Since then, the entire production team has also been navigating how the musical might play in light of the country’s current political climate, which has veered sharply to the right.
“It’s wild to write something that starts to meet the political moment in a way that you didn’t intend when you’re writing it,” Talbott said. “But also to understand your responsibility as a writer to make sure that you’re meeting that moment in a way that is compassionate and reaches all audience members and has as a goal in bringing everyone together.”
Pioneer Theatre Company’s world-premiere production of “Ten Brave Seconds” plays from Jan. 30 to Feb. 14 at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City. Curtain times are 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with 2 p.m. Saturday matinees. Tickets are $57-$83 with select discounts available. Call 801-581-6961 or visit PioneerTheatre.org.
