• Apr 18, 2026 - 2:00 PM
• 25
• Baker Theater

The Penumbra: A New Musical (staged reading)

THE PENUMBRA is a supernatural tale set in super-relatable times, with music by Ian Ferguson, book by Lauren LeBlanc, and live music performed by Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. Based on LeBlanc's young adult novel of the same name, THE PENUMBRA navigates the braided storylines of an anxious teenage girl, a small town plagued by disappearing kids, and an ancient folktale from a frozen past. This exclusive workshop event not only gives the creative team an audience to measure the story's impact but also gives Dallas a sneak peek into the process of writing a musical and realizing a dream.

Story Summary: Kids have started disappearing from Mount Holly and no one knows how or why. When Josie’s big sister vanishes and Mom doesn’t do anything about it, Josie enlists the help of a shop regular and a strange new girl at school to figure out where the missing kids have gone and how to get them back. What they discover brings them face-to-face with a force driven by madness and grief, a thing both ancient and reckless. THE PENUMBRA is a supernatural thriller about rediscovering what you already know—but don't want to believe—about yourself. It is an unflinching look at the strange, heartbreaking process of navigating trauma before you can even drive a car.