Static: Noise of a New Musical

07/23/2025

We had a wonderful showcase performance of Static this evening at the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF.) Over the past few days, we have spent time workshopping and developing Static at CATF, singing new songs, trying out new ideas, and crafting the story. At the post-show Q&A, the Static team discussed the ins and outs of developing new work and original musicals like Static. Thank you to the cast, crew and everyone at the Contemporary American Theater Festival for supporting the growth of this Appalachian Trail & Morse code musical! 📡Stay tuned for more.

07/20/2025

Rehearsals are underway for Static at the Contemporary American Theater Festival! For a sneak peek into the development process of this Morse code musical, come see our workshop presentation on Tuesday 7/29 @ 5 pm in Shepherdstown, WV. You might hear original songs, meet new characters, and decode interactive Morse code messages. Tickets for this TalkTuesday event are $20 and available at CATF website at the link in bio.

06/30/2025

If I hadn’t decided to write a musical called Static when I was 14, I would not have found out about the wonderful world of long-distance hiking. I was a middle schooler who loved musicals and dreamed of writing my own. I had no idea how to write a musical, much less how to play an instrument, and I definitely knew nothing about thru-hiking.

After six years, Static has been performed several times across the country. I just completed my thru-hike of the Long Trail, and received the trail name “Storyteller” while hiking 272 miles across Vermont. I can say that I’m a musical theater writer and a thru-hiker!

The southern portion of the Long Trail is shared with the Appalachian Trail, and I loved being able to hike over the same mountains that inspired Static. I couldn’t be happier that musicals lead me into the world of thru-hiking!

Thanks to the Community Engaged Summer Theater Grant from NYU, I’m producing an audio theater piece about the Long Trail. Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey is coming this fall. www.tessrowan.com/fieldnotes

06/09/2025

“Enjoy the Ride: A Shakedown Roller Coaster”
Check out this blog post on .co about Static writer preparing to thru-hike Vermont’s 272-mile Long Trail. In this post you'll find the lyrics to a recent Static song titled “Shakedown” and some reflections on Static coming from an aspiring thru-hiker. https://thetrek.co/enjoy-the-ride-a-shakedown-roller-coaster/ (Photo by Todd Heintz Photography)

03/02/2025

Static was just featured in QST Magazine’s March Issue. QST Magazine is the monthly journal of the National Association for Ham Radio, reaching audiences of ham radio operators across the country. Check out the article and interview to learn more about how we developed a Morse code musical and collaborated with a local ham radio club at last summer. Visit the link in bio or go to www.tessrowan.com/static-qst-article to download and read.

12/31/2024

Looking back on 2024 with some highlights from Static this summer! Thank you to for helping with the further development of Static this year, bringing Morse code and the Appalachian Trail to the greater Chicago Area. Feeling especially grateful for the cast, crew, and audiences that have been along for the ride since I began writing Static in about 2019, to over these past few years, and into 2024 and beyond. 📡 Stay tuned for what’s next for Static in 2025 as we keep trekking along…

Photos by Todd Heintz Photography and Pamela Sage Photography.

07/07/2024

Static opens this Friday 7/12 at The Raue! Brush up on your Morse code and get your tickets at the link in bio 🎭🏕️🎸 … - .- - .. -.-.
•
•
•
•
•

07/05/2024

Check out the Static cast and crew on this RaueCast episode to learn more about the behind-the-scenes development of this original musical coming to Crystal Lake!

Director Rob Scharlow sits down with writer/composer/actor Tess Rowan and cast members of "Static: Noise of a New Musical" to discuss this original interacti...

06/28/2024

Go to the link in bio to check out a recent article about our upcoming production of Static, featuring interviews from the creative team!
•
•
•
•
•

06/12/2024

Static rehearsals are now underway here at the 🎶 We had a wonderful first rehearsal yesterday and are looking forward to bringing this new version of Static to life this July. Get you tickets at the link in bio!