wake
the show
Childhood friends Oliver and Caleb see each other for the first time in five years at Caleb’s father’s funeral. Joined by Oliver’s girlfriend Dahlia and Caleb’s sister Molly, the night brings simmering tensions, old secrets, and long-buried pain to the surface. As memories resurface of the night that tore them apart, Oliver and Caleb must decide whether to stay broken or find their way back to each other.
Wake had a sold out run at IRT Theater in October 2025.
cast
Nick Breen is a Tisch Drama ‘24 graduate with training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the International Theatre Workshop Amsterdam. He couldn’t be happier to be back in action with the HEAT crew and play a small part in making another Moft project come to life. Past NYU credits include As You Like It (Stella Adler) and Antigone (Or And Still She Must Rise Up) (Stella Adler). Thank you to my mom and dad for making any of this dream a possibility.
Nick Breen
Oliver
Eli Spring
Caleb
Eli Spring is an actor and screenwriter currently based in NYC. Graduating with the class of 2025 from NYU Tisch, he trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Stonestreet Studios. His latest theater credits include The Martha Mitchell Effect by Skye Robinson Hills and The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht. Eli is extremely grateful to be part of the Wake family! @elispringg
Valentina Zazzali is an actor/writer based in NYC. She is a graduate of NYU Drama (Experimental Theater Wing and Strasberg Institute). Recent Credits include: 18 W. 11th St by Cori Diaz (Kathy Wilkerson, RE/VENUE, Life Jacket Theater Co., The Tank), Hamlet (Polonius, NYU), My Way (NYU), and A Baby with a Baby (Brookyln Comedy Collective). She gives the biggest "Thank You!" to the cast and crew for being awesome! She is currently workshopping an Anne Hathaway impression. TikTok: @vmoneyswaga. K, love you, bye!
Valentina Zazzali
Dahlia
Valerie Slocomb is currently a sophomore in Drama at NYU Tisch. Select theater credits include Sarah in The Antipodes by Annie Baker, and the Original Workshop Cast of the new musical Witnesses. Select film credits include Fathead by C. Craig Patterson (winner of the Best Student Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival, American Pavillion), national PSA Pivot Point by Nate and Matt Fackrell for the Veterans Administration, and original short films by Valerie herself. She also releases original music, which can be found on all streaming platforms under her full name. Her music has been streamed by over 10,000 listeners worldwide in over 35 countries. Valerie is thrilled and so grateful to originate Molly in Wake! @_valerieslocomb_
Valerie Slocomb
Molly
creative team
writer/director
Makaio Toft
Moft is a writer/producer with a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch. She is thrilled to bring Wake to IRT for her third residency. When she’s not in rehearsals or on set for the current project, she can be found at a dive bar writing the next one.
Ellie Van Houten (he/they) is a theatre artist based in New York and Chicago, and a third year in the Production and Design studio at NYU Tisch. Recent work includes: The NYU Reality Show (PSM) at Radio City Music Hall, Sweeney Todd (ASM) and The Bacchae (Assistant Lighting Design) with Tisch Drama Stage, and COOKIE (PSM) with Soho Playhouse. When he’s not in a theater, you can find him doing work for Lifting Hearts with the Arts. He’d like to thank this show’s incredible team and his friends and family for their unwavering support! Website: ellievanhouten.myportfolio.com
Ellis Van Houten
production manager
Colette Pitts is a writer, director, performer, and senior in Drama at NYU Tisch. She recently completed an internship at New Dramatists, where she now works part-time. She received her acting training from the Stella Adler Studio Of Acting and Playwrights Horizons. This fall, her neo-burlesque musical “Leftovers” will premiere at PHTS. Her past performance credits include; “Women Gone Wild” (Players Theatre), “this is where i knew you best (PHTS), Three Musketeers; Not Even Close To An Adaption (Stella Adler), Everybody’s Girl (IRT Theater). Her past directing credits include HEAT (IRT) and asst. director for Aurora Leigh (PHTS). She is so excited to be back in her second home IRT with Makaio and co. Yippee!
Colette Pitts
assistant director
Skylar Causey
stage manager
Skylar Causey is a New York–based artist dedicated to creating inclusive and expansive art across forms. A current junior at NYU Tisch, she moves fluidly between stage and studio, stitching stories through performance, costume and set design, stage management, and directing. Recent works include The Rite of Spring (The Green Oasis Community Garden), The Beast, The Mother, and the Kid (IRT Theatre), The Antipodes (TACT, NYU), and Aether (Independent Film). She is endlessly grateful for the chance to make art with the people she loves. Follow her on Instagram @skylar.causey to see what’s next.
Topaz Gao
set designer
Kennedy Chew
lighting designer
Dagny Rebhan
creative consultant
Sam Selesnick
production photographer
who we are
Wake explores the fragile space between childhood and adulthood, where friendships shift, mistakes linger, and forgiveness becomes a bridge forward. By staging this story, we hope to reflect the challenges of growing up, the resilience of connection, and the search for identity in a city where we, too, are finding our own way as emerging voices in entertainment.
