Bubba Weiler & The Team Behind THE SAVIORS On Faith and Growing Up

Fast-rising playwright Bubba Weiler and visionary director Jack Serio both kicked off their theatrical careers in middle school. By 13, Weiler was an in-demand child actor in Chicago, appearing in shows at Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens and Steppenwolf. And Serio was busy co-founding the Boston Teen Acting Troupe out of a vacant storefront in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. 

So when the writer-director duo lined up their second collaboration with The Saviors, Weiler’s devastating new play centered on two middle-school aged characters, both artists were eager to pass that gift on to a new generation.

“When I was treated as an equal in those rooms, and given complex parts, I just remember that being such an incredible gift,” recalled Weiler of his teen acting days. “That’s what I wanted to do with The Saviors.”

“The headline here is not the writer-director of Well, I’ll Let You Go doing another play together,” echoed Serio, referring to Weiler’s acclaimed 2025 breakout work (remounted at Studio Seaview earlier this year). “The headline is: a 13 and 14-year old are starring in a 90 minute play where they do all the heavy lifting.” 

Praised as “a miracle” by Theatrely’s Chief Critic Juan A. Ramirez, The Saviors centers on two altar boys at a modest Catholic church in the Midwest. Vulnerable and open-hearted Michael, played by 13 year-old Ivan Howe, is fervently God-obsessed and can’t wait for his confirmation. His best friend Paul, played by 14 year-old Julius Rinzel, keeps his emotions to himself—including some awkwardness with Michael after a recent sleepover. Also, he might not believe in God anymore. 

Serio’s staging just extended its run at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater, where it continues through August 15. 

“Having just gone through middle school myself, I can draw so closely upon my own experiences to play [Michael],” said Howe, chatting alongside Rinzel after a recent rehearsal. “The base emotions are all the same: going through school, finding your people, and just knowing who you are.”

Neither actor was raised Catholic, but the themes at the core of the play resonated deeply with them both all the same. 

“Having doubts about what you believe is kind of universal,” said Rinzel. “I’m not going through what Paul is going through, but I’m at the same age, so I know what he’s feeling.”

Developing a world premiere work is new territory for the young actors. Howe acknowledged that, when he’s working on a play at school, “you don’t usually get to like, offer input.”

But Weiler was eager for the pair’s feedback, especially since he first wrote The Saviors at age 19. Now in his early 30s, the playwright feared he was too far away from the feelings that first animated him to tell this story, and relied on Howe and Rinzel to keep the text honest.

“They are a tether to a time that I am trying to access,” said Weiler. Observing them in-between rehearsals has been helpful: “These two lovingly tease each other, or constantly play-fight, and a lot of that has made it into the play.”

In our chat, Rowe and Rinzel do indeed rib each other constantly (when Howe starts riffing on how ancient Serio and Weiler are, Rinzel deadpans, “Let’s wrap it up.”) But the two also speak intimately about their characters, with particular focus on Michael and Paul’s difficulty communicating.

Noting a meaningful conversation Paul shares with the young drifter Julian (Stanley Simons), who the boys secretly shelter in the church, Rinzel wondered why Paul can only speak openly to a stranger.

“All the things in his mind come spilling out in this scene,” he said. “And then it doesn’t come back, any of it.” 

Despite their deep connection, Paul can’t share any of his uncertainties with the fragile Michael. But nor can he imagine walking away from his friend—even when Michael calls at 4 AM to relay his latest nightmare (a common occurrence).

“They’ve been friends since they were little kids,” said Rinzel. “It’s not something he feels he can throw away. They’re so deeply connected.”

At every turn in Weiler’s understated text, Michael and Paul leave deep truths unspoken. In many cases, the two may not even yet have the language to express them. But in Howe and Rinzel’s subtle work, the unspoken always feels painfully, powerfully clear. 

“So much of my experience in the Catholic Church was not being trusted to have big thoughts and feelings,” said Weile. “So I think this play is a great opportunity to say, we recognize the wholeness of your experience. And you can handle this.”