Gutenberg! The Musical!

Extended! 5 shows added: November 6-30, 2025

WRITTEN BY Anthony King & Scott Brown

DIRECTED BY Jen Uphoff Gray

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“Brilliant, laugh-out-loud silliness.”
— Entertainment Weekly

A musical about making a musical…and getting it very wrong.

Bud and Doug have poured their hearts (and not much research) into their brand-new, Broadway-bound musical about Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. With nothing but trucker hats, a piano, and relentless optimism, these two lovable underdogs play the entire cast of characters in a laugh-out-loud love letter to musicals. A chaotic and hilarious celebration of big dreams, bad ideas, and the magic of live theater.

Overture Center
for the Arts

201 State St,
Madison, WI 53703

Special holiday shows!
5 added performances during Thanksgiving weekend: (11/28, 11/29, 11/30).

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About the show

Runtime:
2hrs w/ 15 min intermission

Performance Dates:
November 6-30, 2025

Age Recommendations:
Ages 13+

Streaming:
No digital streaming option.

Producer List:
A list of every special guest.
View List

Accessibility

We strive to make our performances available to the entire community. This guiding principle captures the theater we aim to be.

We’re proud to be a resident company at Overture Center, which provides practical accessibility for a variety of needs.

Visit accessibility page >

Cast

Greg Pragel

Bud

Doug Clemons

Doug

Will Preston

Charles

Creative Team

Mike Lawler

Scenic Designer

Shannon Heibler

Costume Designer

Colin Gawronski

Lighting Designer

Jim Uphoff

Sound Designer/Engineer

Abbi Hess

Stage Manager

Brian Cowing

Choreographer

Laura McMillan

Assistant Director

Preshow Lobby Playlist

Theater review:
Scrappy, silly Gutenberg! The Musical! goes all out in the Playhouse

By Lindsay Christians | The Cap Times

Theater review:
Forward Theater’s Gutenberg! The Musical! excels at physical comedy

By Lauren Hafeman | Isthmus

Theater review:
Gutenberg! The Musical! celebrates friendship, theater and bad ideas

By Eloise Slipper | The Daily Cardinal

If you've seen 'Gutenberg!' then you know there are LOTS OF HATS. Join Costume Designer Shannon Heibler as she takes you behind the scenes of our production to share the creative process behind this hilarious headwear. Can you guess how many hats are in the production? Stay til the end and find out!

Artistic Associate Marcella Kearns explores the themes and inner-workings of our production of GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! by Anthony King & Scott Brown. Get an inside look at Forward Theater's production design, the themes, and creative process behind the show. Preshow lectures are also presented live in the Playhouse lobby before our Thursday (6:30pm) and Sunday (1:00pm) performances. Free and open to the public.