Wilbur & OrvilleThe Workshop Upstairs
Robert Leddy seated onstage between projected portraits of Wilbur and Orville Wright

An intimate theatrical experience

Wilbur &
OrvilleThe Workshop Upstairs

“We all know their names.

Almost no one knows their story.”

A one-person theatrical portrait of two brothers, one family, and the partnership that changed the world.

Take a look into the showBring it to your theater

01

The story behind the names

From Dayton to Kitty Hawk

Before they became icons, they were brothers.

Step inside the bicycle shop where relentless curiosity, astonishing discipline, and a complicated family bond gave birth to human flight.

Written and performed by Robert Leddy, Wilbur & Orville: The Workshop Upstairs gives voice to nearly 14 different characters. The play moves from the brothers’ early life in Dayton to the winds of Kitty Hawk and beyond—revealing not monuments, but human beings.

Robert Leddy performing before a projected image of early flight

A theatrical portrait

Their genius was only half the story.

The audience encounters ambition and failure, humor and grief, sibling loyalty, and the quiet perseverance required to do what the world believed could not be done.

Format
One-person play
Runtime
Approximately 80 minutes
Audience
Theater, history, aviation & STEM

02

See it come alive

On the stage

Watch the official performance trailer.

One actor. An entire family. A story that gathers speed until the impossible leaves the ground.

04

Audience reflections

In their own words

What audiences are saying.

Scroll to read more →

A note from

The Pioneer Theater

Manteo, North Carolina

“There are some stories that simply belong where they began, and yours of Wilbur + Orville Wright is one of them. Thank you for bringing your vision of the Wright Brothers home to the Outer Banks and sharing it on the stage of the Pioneer Theater.

Just a few miles from Kitty Hawk, where their flight forever changed the world, your performance reminds us all that history isn’t just something we read about—it’s something we can still feel.

We will always remember this performance with great pride and gratitude. Know that you will always have a stage waiting for you in Manteo.”

MICHAEL BASNIGHT, ANGIE A. & THE PIONEER TEAM
Visit the Pioneer Theater page
Cover of the illustrated Wilbur & Orville audience reflections document

The complete collection

More voices from the audience

Read the full illustrated audience reflections in the theatrical burgundy, blue, gold, and parchment presentation.

Open the full audience reflections ↗
Robert Leddy onstage in Wilbur and Orville: The Workshop Upstairs

Tour-ready · 2026–27

For professional theaters & performing-arts presenters

A major story. A remarkably nimble production.

Designed to travel without losing its intimacy, the production can transform a professional theater, fully equipped black box, or performing-arts auditorium into the Wright brothers’ workshop. The physical production is intentionally spare—two small tables and a chair—and adapts readily to stages of different sizes.

One performer
Nearly 14 voices
One act
Approximately 80 minutes
QLab-driven
Approximately 980 cues
Tour-ready
Setup and strike under 40 minutes
Venue requirement
A professional, fully equipped theater
Ideal venues
175–300 seats
Request availability & engagement informationDownload preliminary tech specs

Engagement possibilities

01

Primary engagement

Public theatrical performance

The approximately 80-minute, one-act performance is followed by Robert Leddy’s full-audience conversation, typically 25–35 minutes. The Q&A is part of the experience—not a premium add-on—and audiences regularly remain until its conclusion.

02

Grades 8–12

Student & educator matinee

A complete performance with a focused student-and-educator conversation. Mature seventh-grade groups may be considered in consultation with the school. The program connects invention, history, ethics, perseverance, and character.

03

Companion programming

Lecture, conversation & special events

The theatrical engagement may be paired with Robert Leddy’s companion lecture, Wilbur Wright: The Essential Man, as well as university, museum, aviation, military, donor, or corporate conversations.

A clear division of responsibility

Turnkey from the road. Professionally supported in the house.

Production travels with

The performance and its complete control system

  • Robert Leddy and one touring QLab operator
  • Primary and backup Apple Macs, plus a duplicate show file
  • The programmed lighting, projection, music, and sound-cue environment
  • An emergency projector available by advance agreement
  • Two small tables, one chair, and production materials
  • Advance coordination, approved copy, photography, and art

Presenter supplies

The professional theater and local expertise

  • A fully equipped professional theater, permits, insurance, and front-of-house operations
  • Compatible theatrical lighting, projection, and sound systems
  • Qualified lighting, audio/video, and stage personnel for advance, focus, patching, testing, rehearsal, and show support
  • Ticketing, patron service, and local-market outreach
  • Dressing room, water, hospitality, and secure parking

Technical operating standard

Physically minimal. Technically sophisticated.

Approximately 980 cues are executed by the traveling QLab operator from one control station. The house crew prepares, focuses, patches, and verifies the venue systems; the touring operator runs the performance.

Important venue requirement

The venue must provide professional theatrical lighting, projection, and sound systems capable of accepting the production’s Mac-based QLab control and playback outputs.

Museums, libraries, military bases, universities, and corporate hosts are welcome presenters when the performance is housed in an appropriate professional theater or fully equipped performing-arts space.
Performance space
Ideal playing area: 16′ wide × 10′ deepThis is an ideal, not a minimum. The show has performed successfully on substantially smaller professional stages.
Projection
Professional 16:9 image systemA suitable projection surface, mounting position, and advance-approved signal path.
Audio
Full-range house reinforcementWireless lavaliers, stereo playback inputs, monitors, and qualified house support.
Lighting & staff
Professional theatrical systemHouse lighting, audio/video, and stage personnel prepare and verify the production.
Advance & access
Fast physical setup, thorough technical advanceThe physical production is normally installed in under an hour once venue systems are ready. Adequate advance access is scheduled for focus, patching, signal tests, and a technical run-through.

Touring hospitality

Private, safe, and presenter-friendly.

Robert often travels in a compact Class B+ camper and prefers a secure, lawful, quiet overnight location near the theater when available. The camper operates from lithium batteries, so electrical service is helpful but not required. A suitable hotel arrangement remains fully acceptable. Lodging, travel, hospitality, and any required operator room are confirmed during the engagement advance.

A genuine marketing partnership

Campaign-ready creative—and meaningful paid support.

The presenter leads local patron communication. The production contributes polished venue-, date-, and ticket-specific creative and a market-scaled paid Facebook and Instagram campaign designed to complement the presenter’s email, press, social, community, and partner outreach.

Representative Outer Banks campaign

49,398 people reached · 2,102 link clicks

92,808 impressions and 922 landing-page views generated from a highly efficient localized campaign. Results vary by market; the example demonstrates the production’s ability to support presenters with disciplined, professional audience acquisition.

Three examples of localized Wilbur and Orville theatrical advertising
Representative campaign creative, localized for each venue, date, ticket offer, and sales path.
Concept board for Wilbur and Orville apparel, accessories, notebooks, pins, and model aircraft

Merchandise program in development

A premium historical and lifestyle collection.

The envisioned opening assortment includes hoodies, long-sleeve pocket tees, canvas hats and tote bags, pins, notebooks, journals, an enamel camp mug, and selected Wright Flyer replicas or model kits.

The collection shown is a planning concept and not current inventory. Final products, quantities, pricing, availability, display, staffing, and point-of-sale arrangements are confirmed as the program enters production and each engagement is advanced.

A production built to travel

Request availability and engagement information.

Share your venue, capacity, preferred dates, technical contact, ticket-price range, and programming interest. The company will respond with availability and the appropriate private presenter materials.

Begin a presenter conversation

History that can still be felt

A living doorway into invention, character, and perseverance.

For students and lifelong learners, the show turns a familiar achievement into a human story—rich with experimentation, ethics, family, failure, and the courage to begin again.

Ask about educational programming →

Programming possibilities

  • School and university performances
  • STEM and history partnerships
  • Post-show conversations
  • The companion lecture and Q&A

05

The writer & performer

Robert Leddy

A life shaped by storytelling—and perseverance.

Robert Leddy is a writer, performer, and member of the Writers Guild of America whose work has moved between film, television, and now the intimate immediacy of live theater.

A Writers Guild member since 2000, Robert began collaborating with producer Kevin Chinoy following the premiere of his short film A Clockwork Maury and his creative contributions to Greg the Bunny. After two kidney transplants—and life-saving generosity, first by one of his sisters and then by his eldest daughter—Robert returned to the stage with a deep belief in resilience, invention, and the human capacity to continue. The Workshop Upstairs is the culmination of decades spent living with the Wright brothers’ story.

“This is not a museum piece. It is a story about what human beings do when the impossible becomes personal.”
Writer and performer Robert Leddy onstage in his burgundy vest
Written & performed by Robert Leddy

The producing team

Experience behind the story.

Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy

Producers · Freestyle Picture Company

Kevin Chinoy & Francesca Silvestri

For more than twenty-five years, Freestyle Picture Company partners Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri have produced award-winning film, television, theater, and branded content with acclaimed artists and companies. Their films have premiered at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, the New York Film Festival, Locarno, SXSW, and Tribeca, and have been recognized by the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Gothams, WGA, DGA, SAG, Critics Choice, and Independent Spirit Awards.

Their collaborations include Sean Baker’s Starlet, Tangerine, and The Florida Project, as well as theater on and off Broadway, in London, and in Los Angeles.

Donn Lashley

Local producer · Arts advocate

Donn Lashley

Entrepreneur, preservationist, and arts advocate Donn Lashley has been a steady civic force in Wilmington since 1986. After building and leading a regional high-rise waterproofing company for thirty-five years, he turned more fully toward community, preservation, and cultural initiatives.

Donn helped launch Art for the Masses and has served on the boards of the Cucalorus Film Festival and Dram Tree Shakespeare. He now supports the future of Thalian Hall through its Capital Fundraising Committee. Wilbur & Orville: The Workshop Upstairs marks his inaugural theatrical production.

Bring the story to your audience

Let’s put the Wright brothers on your stage.

For touring dates, presenter materials, educational partnerships, sponsorships, and press inquiries, contact the company directly.

TheWorkshopUpstairs@gmail.com910.530.5867