Deaf West Theatre, New York Stage & Film and Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) have announced the full cast for developmental concert presentations of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down the Wind.
Directed by Tony Award winner Bill Rauch, the production will be presented July 31 through August 2 at The Bardavon in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, as part of New York Stage & Film’s 2026 Summer Season.
The three performances will follow 10 days of creative exploration and rehearsals with the cast and creative team. Performances are scheduled for Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m., Saturday, August 1 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, August 2 at 1 p.m.
The newly announced cast includes Savannah Dahan, the first deaf Kidz Bop performer, as Swallow; three-time Tony Award nominee Marc Kudisch as Boone; Elena Shaddow as the Ghost of Swallow’s Mother; Noah Buchholz as The Man; John McGinty as Preacher; and Adi Dougherty as Brat.
The cast also features Alston Robbins as Poor Baby, Jared R. Dixon as Ghost of Prison Guard, Rayly Aquino as Edward, Anthony Norman as Amos, Adam Rawlings as Sheriff, Kate Connors as Earl and Mya Rena Hunter as Candy. Marina Jansen joins the production as an Adult Ensemble member.
The Youth Ensemble includes Romy Kurs, Taylor-Brinae Lane, Josué Martinez, Titilayo Odupolu, Dylan Theon Patterson, Emjay Roa, Alona Robbins and Pax Stein. The young performers were discovered through an open casting call earlier this year.
The 22-member company includes deaf, CODA (Child of Deaf Adult), SODA (Sibling of Deaf Adult) and hearing actors. Rauch, who is also a SODA, brings a personal connection to the project.
The creative team includes music director Jared Stein; ASL choreographer Rosa Lee Timm; associate ASL choreographers Joey Antonio and Jeremy Lee Stone; lighting designer Annie Wiegand; sound designer Owen Meadows; and visual access engineer Chelsea Zalikowski.
The reimagining remains set in the American Deep South during the late 1950s while exploring the story through the perspectives of both deaf and hearing children.
Whistle Down the Wind follows Swallow, a young girl grieving the death of her mother, who discovers a mysterious stranger and believes he is Jesus. As the children attempt to protect him from adults searching for an escaped convict, fantasy and reality begin to collide.
The musical features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, with a book by Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Limited tickets remain available for the Poughkeepsie performances, which will mark the conclusion of New York Stage & Film’s 2026 Summer Season.