The Last Five Years!

Hey everyone! We are Casey Merren and Sophia Walcher. Casey is a singer/actor with a BFA in Acting from Wright State and a 2020 graduate of TSA. Sophia is the producer of a local Lifestyle morning show and a 2022 graduate of BGSU’s school of Media & Communication. We have both been involved in numerous theatre productions in the Toledo area and have been itching to do another. Since this is Casey’s final summer in Ohio, we thought it would be the best time for us to put on a musical all by ourselves. For the past couple of weeks, we have been planning and conceptualizing a production of The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown. Thankfully, we have gotten help acquiring the rights and finding a space, so now it’s time for us to rehearse.

The cast and creative team (as of now) includes:

Sophia Walcher (Director/Producer)

Casey Merren (Cathy/Producer)

Max Lay (Jamie)

A synopsis of The Last Five Years from MTI:

“An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show's unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.”

A little more about us:

Sophia, Max, and Casey had the privilege of working on productions with Summerstock Toledo during their high school years. We are honored to be producing this production under the Summerstock name, as it’s where we all found a passion for producing, directing, and starring in student-run productions. None of us are students anymore, but we can guarantee this show will have the young artist spirit that Summerstock always brought to their shows!

Why The Last Five Years?:

Casey and Sophia chose The Last Five Years because of its daring, raw, and thrilling portrayal of a couple throughout their relationship. It shows Jamie and Cathy in the good, the bad, and the ugly. And at its core, the music is stunning. We feel this show will be a great addition to the Toledo theatre scene. It is small, intimate, and exciting! With Sophia’s producing skills and Casey & Max’s return to performing in Toledo, this production will be a must-see.

Why raise money?

We are so thrilled to be putting on a show of our own, but we need your help! We are asking for help, due to the sheer cost of everything we will need to make this show happen. The rights, paying for a theatre, props, and costumes, add up quickly. We are ecstatic to be sharing this piece with everyone and would be deeply grateful for anything you may be able to contribute to our project. Even a share goes a long way!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for supporting young artists with a dream. We truly appreciate any donation or share. We cannot wait to put on this show and hope we’ll see many familiar faces there! ♥️

Join us for The Last Five Years- July 31st, August 1st & 2nd at 7:30pm

August 3rd at 2:30pm

at University of Toledo’s Studio Theatre

1910 W Rocket Dr.

The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown will be presented through a special arrangement with the company Musical Theatre International. MTI is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing companies, making it possible for theatres to purchase the rights to perform an incredibly extensive catalog of shows.