This October 9th marks the beginning of the Harriman-Jewell Series’s 62nd Season. Founded in 1965 by William Jewell College professors Richard Harriman and Dean Dunham, the series brought the world’s finest performing arts to the Kansas City community. Now, over 6 decades after its founding, the Harriman Jewell Series continues the legacy of Richard Harriman with this year’s world-renowned lineup; Patrick Page, Les Arts Florissants, Wynton Marsalis, Lang Lang, Audra McDonald, and more. From the Baroque era to Broadway, piano to pirouettes, there’s something for everyone at one of this year’s twelve performances. Shows will be held in the historic Folly Theater and also Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 

One of the benefits of being a student at William Jewell College is access to free tickets for Harriman-Jewell Series events. To pick up tickets for these performances, stop by the Series Box Office in the Yates-Gill College Union, room 107B (right across from the cafeteria). Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see world-renowned performers in Kansas City’s most iconic venues for FREE! 

On August 25th, 2026, Dolly Parton and Tim Curry passed away, both at the age of 80. Parton had been battling cancer for a short time, while Curry passed away as a result of coronary artery disease. Millions of people mourned the passing of these two public figures loved by many around the world.

Remembering Dolly Parton

In March of 2025, Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, passed away. In a statement released days before her death, Parton revealed that she was “dealing with some health issues that [she] just didn’t pay attention to when [she] was watching over Carl.” In 2025, she publicly spoke about her feelings when Dean passed, saying that “it’s a big adjustment just trying to change patterns and habits. I’ll do fine, and I’m very involved in my work and that’s been the best thing that could happen to me. But I’ll always miss him, of course, and always love him. He was a great partner to me.” In the year after Dean’s death, Dolly Parton did just that: work. Following her death, Parton’s manager, Dany Nozell, issued a press release which stated that “Dolly worked up until the day she died. She loved seeing her dreams come to life, and loved knowing her work brought people joy. Ever the planner, Dolly worked with the team that she handpicked, for the past several years to build a project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come.” Nozell also added, “If you see unreleased music, products, books, experiences and campaigns launched through official Dolly Parton channels, you can have confidence in knowing that she placed her personal stamp on it.” Some of the active Parton projects include Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum, a collaboration with Kendra Scott, DOLLY: A True Original Musical On Broadway and much more. Most of these projects are set to launch in late 2026 or early 2027.

Parton also took part in extensive philanthropic work. Starting in the 80’s, Parton created the Dollywood Foundation to reduce high school dropout rates in Sevier County, Tennessee, where Parton was originally from. She went on to create the Imagination Library, which provided free books to young children in the county. Today, the Dollywood Foundation still offers scholarships to Sevier County high schoolers, and the Imagination Library now services children all over the USA and has even extended into Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Australia, donating over 300 million books as of 2025. Parton’s kindness didn’t stop there; over the years, she has supported research into pediatric infectious diseases, donated to the Salvation Army and hospitals, advocated for equality and LGBTQ+ rights, and so much more.

Dolly Parton had an astounding impact on the world; her absence from it will be felt deeply. Shortly after her death, her goddaughter Miley Cyrus took to Instagram to write, “The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts. What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis… I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”

Remembering Tim Curry

While a stroke in 2012 limited Curry’s ability to work from that point on, the work he’s put out in his lifetime has also been immensely impactful. Possibly most memorable was his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” where he performed in a corset, full makeup and fishnets, a look heavily inspired by drag queens and a historical moment of representation for the queer community. His frequent presence in children’s media like “The Wild Thornberrys,” “Home Alone 2” and “Muppet Treasure Island” made him an integral part of many Americans’ childhoods. Even those born after these works were initially released likely grew up with Tim Curry on their screens at home. 

The impact of Curry’s work reaches far and wide, and even when his stroke restricted him to mostly voice acting, he kept going with projects like “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” a popular animated series, and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again,” which Curry narrated and appeared in as his first live-action role following the stroke.  Being involved in this work allowed him to express his sense of humor, which Curry said was “absolutely vital” to him, explaining, “It’s not tough to maintain. It is just part of my DNA.”

One thing is for certain: Tim Curry will be missed. There has been an outpouring of love from actors he’s worked with in the past. Susan Sarandon, who worked with him on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” took to Instagram to write, “What I loved about him most was his heart. Even wheelchair-bound he continued to be so sweet and generous with his fans. Thank you Tim for meaning so much to so many people. Love you, S.” Nell Campbell, another member of the cast, released a statement saying that “He was a wit, kind, thoughtful, generous, quite shy, bookish, loved you being naughty and joyful company. Had Tim not been cast in the original stage show of ‘Rocky Horror,’ who knows if the film would have followed. I will miss him tremendously.” Joe Mantegna wrote in an Instagram post, “Of my 17 years on Criminal Minds, one of my greatest joys was being able to work with Tim Curry. Rest in peace dear Tim.”

Their Legacies

Dolly Parton and Tim Curry will certainly not be forgotten. The amount of creativity and passion they put into their careers truly spoke to people, which is why they became such beloved figures. Even with them gone, the work they made over the course of their lives will continue to live in the hearts of their fans.

Summer brings nostalgia for many people. Whether it’s going on vacation with family or attending summer camps with friends, memories of this time are often cherished. Another key point to this season is the music we listen to and what we deem our soundtrack for the summer. Every year the listening vibe changes based on artists and mood. Last summer it was the song “Ordinary” by Alex Warren, and the year before that it was “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. These songs are very different from one another, but they still fall under the pop category. “Ordinary” is very emotional and is an outpouring of the singer’s feelings for his significant other, where “Espresso” is more of a fun and upbeat tune that makes people want to dance. With both of these exciting hits, what will the next Summer showstopper be?

Olivia Rodrigo’s new album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” is set to be released on June 12, and is already showing a lot of promise. Rodrigo released a single titled “Drop Dead” from the album earlier this year and it grew in popularity quickly. With this single climbing the charts, and the success she gained from her last two albums, it is safe to assume she could have one of the leading sounds this Summer. It is also likely that the trends will stay consistent with the pop theme that has been present in previous years. 

My favorite album to listen to during the summer is Staying at Tamara’s by George Ezra. This album was released in 2018, and it has not failed me for a summer yet. The mood is slower with a more mellow feeling throughout the album. Ezra uses storytelling along with an acoustic sound to paint the listener a picture of a blissful time. My personal favorite to listen to with my windows rolled down on a nice summer outing is “Shotgun.” It talks about a simple life where the only thing the singer is worried about is riding in the front seat of a car on a beautiful day. This album is the perfect way to start a summer road trip or barbeque with friends and family. As I said before, summer brings many memories, and music holds a lot of memories as well. Therefore, instead of only playing the new hits this June, it might do us some good to hear from previous artists that have paved the way for new summer hits. All in all, when it comes time in a couple weeks, you better believe I will be riding shotgun and listening to my hit sounds for the summer.

This week, the William Jewell Opera and Jewell Theatre Company are putting on a production of Orpheus in the Underworld. While you probably know the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice from more modern shows like Hadestown, this 1858 comedic opera by Jacques Offenbach spins Greek Mythology into an utter farce. The story loosely follows Orpheus and Eurydice, a young couple in a loveless marriage. Both have found other lovers. Eurydice has unknowingly fallen for Pluto, God of the Underworld. Pluto takes Eurydice away, and Orpheus is overjoyed until Public Opinion finds out what has occurred. Public Opinion demands that he travel to Olympus to ask the King of Gods, Jupiter, for Eurydice’s return from the underworld; if he does not, Orpheus will lose his career. Meanwhile, Eurydice has been trapped in the underworld, and her fate balances in the hands of the many gods who see her as a distraction from their otherwise boring lives.

The cast consists of 14 students, who study a variety of majors but all share a common interest in the performing arts. The production has been led by Music and Stage Director Dr. Laura Lowry, Collaborative Pianist and Assistant Music Director Leslie Bunch, and Technical Designer Nathan Wyman. The student leadership of this production stands out, as they went above and beyond to support their colleagues and present a quality show. The instrumental section is completed by Violinist Bryson Gates. Choreography was done by Lauren Taylor, Technical Direction by Lianna Morelli, Costumes, Hair, and Makeup were designed by Kai Robbins, Poster and Program Design by E.E. Naber and Bryson Gates. The Tech Crew includes Milo Johnson, Zachary Muñoz and Molly Touzinsky.

I was able to speak with Choreographer Lauren Taylor and Costume Designer Kai Robbins about their involvement and experience with putting together the opera. Lauren Taylor is a Senior majoring in Education and Psychology. Lauren choreographed several shows while in high school, but this is her first time choreographing a show in college. When asked about her favorite part of the production, Lauren said it was “making up choreography, which I’m like, ‘I don’t know if this is gonna work’. And then the first time that everyone did it together and it finally worked out I was like, ‘woah, it actually looks so good’.”

Kai Robbins is a first-year majoring in Political Science. Kai has previously worked on costumes, hair, wigs and makeup both in high school and earlier this fall for the Jewell Theater Company’s Production of Two Rooms. Kai said that their favorite part of this production was “Getting to piece it all together in these last couple of days. The lights coming together, and everyone’s vocals coming together. I’m finally getting costumes ready and everything, and watching everyone try them all on. Just like, every puzzle piece finally fitting together.”

There are only three chances to see this incredible opera. The show starts at 7pm on Thursday, April 23^rd and Saturday, 25^th, as well as 3pm on Sunday the 26^th. The show will be on campus in Peters Theater. There are no tickets for this show, rather a suggested donation of $10 at the door. We hope to see you there!