The cast of “Now.Here.This.” poses for a promotional picture. From left are Mike Sandusky, Dawn Rasnick, Antonio Vettraino and Diana Turner.
By: Charity Meier | Novi Note | Published July 8, 2025
WALLED LAKE — “Now.Here.This.” The Inspired Acting Company’s production of the musical by that name is set to open on July 11.
“‘Now.Here.This’ is a fun, touching and kind of weird musical that takes place in a natural history museum,” Artistic Director and company founder Jeff Thomakos said. “It’s written by the same team that did “Title of Show,” so I knew that it was going to be funny and offbeat, but what surprised me was how touching it is.”
The musical depicts the story of four friends who delve into the challenges and triumphs of life as they walk through the museum. The friends, portrayed by Dawn Rasnick, Mike Sandusky, Diana Turner, and Antonio Vettraino, delve into themes of friendship, self-discovery, and the pursuit of happiness.
“It’s about four friends who go to a natural history museum and, through the exhibits, begin to sing about their own histories, their childhood memories and traumas, the weird things they did when they were younger, and ultimately learn to live in the moment. In the ‘Now.Here.This,’ if you will,” said Thomakos.
“‘Now.Here.This.’ is a beautiful reminder of how messy, funny, and deeply moving it is to simply be alive. The show takes place in a museum, but it’s really about four friends digging into the exhibits of their own lives, how life has shaped them, damaged them, and brought them joy,” Thomakos said in a press release. “It’s a musical about presence, about the challenge of being truly in the moment, right now, in the chaos of modern life. It’s vulnerable, it’s smart, it’s full of music and laughter; and if you’ve ever felt like you’re trying to make sense of who you are and how you got here, then this show is for you.”
Music Director Daniel Bachelis said this is his second go around with a production of “Now.Here.This.”
“What I love about Jeff and this theater and what he’s bringing to it is his attention to detail and to mining the meaning,” Bachelis said. “What I’ve found is that during rehearsals these past couple of weeks, is that we have really mined the material for its maximum impact on an audience.”
To make the production more lifelike, the show features several genuine artifacts on loan to the theater from the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills. Thomakos said the featured pieces include a replica Allosaurus and Parasaurolophus head, as well as several “cool” smaller exhibits.
“So, you really feel like you’re in a museum, except for all the singing,” Thomakos said.
“We travel through the halls of reptiles, birds, oceans, bees, early hominids,” he said. “Cranbrook’s generosity helps us bring that setting to life.”
Thomakos said he believes his company has found its niche in doing quality productions that are lesser known and require smaller casts.
“I chose this musical because we’re starting to get a reputation for doing offbeat, smaller musicals that don’t get produced often enough, especially in our area, which tends to go for the bigger ‘Guys and Dolls’-type musicals,” Thomakos said. “We think these beautiful stories deserve to be seen as well.”
The Inspired Acting Company is located within a strip mall at 1124 E. West Maple Road in Walled Lake. It is a 99-seat black box thrust stage so that the audience surrounds the stage and there is no bad seat in the house.
“Now.Here.This.” will be performed Fridays through Sundays, July 11-July 27. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m.; Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $40 to $45. There is no charge for parking. For more information, visit InspiredActing.org or call (248) 863-9953.