Gavin shared WALK ON THROUGH with dozens of audiences, but we never heard him call such an instance a “performance.” When he would invite an audience into his sacred space of experimentation, of iteration, of exploration, he called it an “open rehearsal.” From 2021 to 2024, we rehearsed all over the place - the Two Bridge offices, the Rogers Auditorium at The Met Museum, the Rose Barn Theater at The O’Neill, Signature Theater, MCC. But whether he was taking the stage Off-Broadway or pitching a new lyric in pajamas by Barrett Pond, it was all rehearsal. Gavin didn’t see these rehearsals as steps towards a perfect or finished show. He was on a journey, and he simply wanted us - collaborators, audience, everyone - to join him on that journey.

Gavin’s dream of a WALK ON THROUGH concept album forever existed on the other side of the next draft. He dreamed of an album that would be huge but intimate, hip but uninhibited, a trailblazing dance record but also a modern classic cast album. It would be “Pet Sounds” or “Renaissance” for the theater, an album as grand and perfect as Gavin’s view of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

“WALK IN THROUGH: Live at MCC” is not that album. We compiled this album from three nights of board recordings from our Off-Broadway run in 2023. In technical ways that feel trivial now, that audio was never intended for release. But when we listened to the recordings for the first time, we heard WALK ON THROUGH as we know it to be: live, loud, electrifying, brilliant. What the board recordings also captured, inevitably, was the feeling of sharing space with Gavin. We felt again the singular passion, joy, and curiosity with which he rehearsed his show every night. Gavin’s presence is magic, and this album overflows with it. 

Alex Temple Ward first proposed that an album be made from these MCC board recordings, which were recorded by sound designer Alex Neumann. Sara Bareilles championed the project, and Gavin blessed it in his final days. On the record, Gavin performs his songs alongside Sasha Allen, Madeline Benson, Chris Peters, Corey Rawls, Ryan Vasquez, and Scott Wasserman. The show’s director Linda Goodrich and Melody Racine helped us choose which takes to include. Meg Toohey mixed this record, a task which became a sprawl of unconventional modern mixing techniques and a true labor of love. Fred Kevorkian mastered the record, a commensurate act of diligent polishing and taste. You will also hear the unmistakable influence of Dominic Dorset, Justin Mendoza, Ben Moss, Brandon Pearson, Sherisse Rogers, Ximone Rose, Meg Toohey, John Tuohy, Marques Walls, and Audrey Rose Young, alums of the WALK ON THROUGH band who each left their mark on this piece and its music. You will hear the work of countless artistic directors, designers, producers, stage managers, and crews who believed in WALK ON THROUGH and created its rehearsal spaces.

Creating this album has been inextricable from grieving both Gavin and the album he one day hoped to make. But what theater kid doesn’t love a bootleg? This album is a bootleg, polished and augmented in every way we could, bursting with our love for Gavin, his art, and his memory. It features pops and clicks, out of tune notes, lip smacks, missed cues, mistakes. It is also both huge and intimate, both hip and uninhibited. Above all, it is graced with Gavin’s voice, as a writer and as a singer. We couldn’t hide his light under a bushel if we tried.

We are honored to welcome you to WALK ON THROUGH: Live At MCC. This is an open rehearsal.

Chris Peters and Madeline Benson