Production photo from “Terra Nova” at William Jewell College, photo courtesy of Jewell Theatre Co.

Cal Perkins is a senior theatre major at WIlliam Jewell College, having made his directorial debut with his 2025 production of “Terra Nova.” Written and published by Ted Tally in 1980, the play follows Robert Falcon Scott’s fatal expedition to the South Pole in 1911. In an interview with The Hilltop Monitor, Perkins shared his thoughts about the play’s significance and modern relevance.

Firstly, thank you for taking some time to answer some questions about your production. It was a real privilege to experience it first-hand.

Thank you so much for this opportunity! It’s so relieving and affirming to have someone so affected by my production. 

What did your responsibilities entail regarding the production of “Terra Nova” at William Jewell College?

Well, when it came to responsibilities, I had my plate full from the start. With the announcement of no (zero) budget for the Theatre Department in August of 2024, I had to make some split-second decisions. How was I going to put on the show I wrote (“Animal Farm”), when it was budgeted for $300 in the planning stages? I decided to do my backup project, “Terra Nova.”

When it came to a method for finding how to pay for the rights, I was relieved whenever [Professor] Wyman approached me and informed me that I had an anonymous sponsor for my capstone. From there, the responsibilities took off. For auditions, it was up to me to set the date and time, along with cutting sides or pages from the script for the auditioning actors to read. After, I did the same for callbacks. Immediately following callbacks, my production team went to the PLC to discuss the actors and which roles would fit who. It took around 2 hours total to get the final cast list, to which we announced immediately. 

Rehearsals mostly fell to my team, as they accumulated things for me to remember and things to do. But I made the creative decisions to make the concessions for the show fit the theme, the blocking, full directing and rehearsal schedules. I had to manage the program and design it, look into designing/hiring my friend to finalize the poster and so much more. Pretty much everything that came out of the final look of the show was between me and my crew. 

How old were you when you first encountered “Terra Nova” and what impression did it leave on you at the time?

Funnily enough, I saw “Terra Nova” as a One-Act Competition piece in 2019. I was a Junior in high school in Sand Springs, OK at the time – around 17 years old. 

When I first watched the show begin, I was interested in the least amount, to be honest. It was a chopped up amalgamation of scenes to fit in the key points of the show in thirty minutes, so it was a burst of information in such little time. However, Evans’ death scene was what spoke to me more than anything. We thought the actor for Evans was having a seizure on stage. Genuinely. He was so engrossed in his role and from there the rest of the deaths would happen between Oates and the final three of the Polar Party. 

I’m very interested in uncanny or depressing historical events, as painful as it is, and this one spoke to me deeply. It only spoke deeper as I read the play itself. Ted Tally is a true writer, which you can see in his poetical stage directions and descriptions. If you enjoyed the show, I cannot stress enough how much I encourage experiencing a full read of the script. It is a masterpiece on a horrific scale. 

Nonetheless, after looking up the actual events, it haunted me. It just stuck itself as the number one play of all time in my mind and there it still stays!

In your director’s notes, you presented a compelling interpretation of “Terra Nova” as a critique of nationalism. Based on your understanding of the playwright’s intent and the production’s historical context, do you believe this theme was deliberately embedded in the work? Additionally, do you think audiences at the time of its original production resonated with this message, whether intentional or not?

Nationalism, if stated so or not, was certainly a major theme in Ted Tally’s original view. At least, that’s what I believe. What really solidifies this for me is the scene with Amundsen and Scott in Act I. They go into a verbal spat about which way to get to the pole. Amundsen says something along the lines of, “You, a gentleman, and I a barbarian. A killer of dogs.” To which Scott declines, [and] Amundsen replies, “A foreigner, then. It’s the same thing to you.” 

This is what instantly set the theme in my mind. That and the constant use of derogatory language toward those of other nationalities. In a scene which I unfortunately had to cut for time purposes, the crew hallucinates an enormous dinner banquet with Amundsen as their server. This scene has a barrage of slurs toward other nations and countries. 

I feel that many people don’t see this, at least not clearly. That’s why I decided to make my author’s note more of a caution toward nationalistic perspectives. When I first saw the show, I didn’t get it. But it is the core and the key message of the show, one that is very important in these current times. 

How do you see the themes of “Terra Nova” reflected in today’s geopolitical climate? In what ways do you think the play remains relevant to contemporary international relations?

Right off the bat, after the effects of January 20th, there is importance to this message. From what I see President Trump doing, he appears to try and alienate the United States from the rest of the world. Whether it be through media, fearmongering and other uses. Same thing goes for Russia, as Nationalism is an enormous topic over there in a consistent pattern. 

Extreme nationalism is bad. That’s a given. Most people understand this. But a majority of Americans may be blinded by patriotism that may leak into nationalism. A nationalistic eye blinds others from the outside world, its influence and other cultures. If Scott studied with the Inuits, such as Amundsen did, perhaps he’d have a better chance. But the British always colonized and never adapted. 

Today, it’s a message that many people are not speaking about, but it is a vital element to keeping our history intact and growing. If we close ourselves off and foster this pride for ourselves and ourselves only, we only step further back in time and limit ourselves as a result. 

The production featured some incredibly intense and emotionally charged moments, brought to life through powerful performances by the cast. As a director, what was it like navigating these darker elements of the play? Was there ever a struggle with “taking the play home with you” between yourself, the cast, or the crew? 

As I mentioned before, darkness is kinda where I thrive. Not to be edgy. I just find such life in the trauma and darkness of some stories. The arc of action and consequence is something I just thrive in, especially regarding theatre or fictional stories. 

I had no problem taking home that darkness. However, with my cast, we wanted to keep things lighthearted and we wanted to make sure it stayed in the theater. Emma Kelly led decompressions at the end of rehearsals, where we laid on the ground and meditated for around ten minutes. It was very productive, especially what I’ve heard from my cast. 

Aside from that, we kept it pretty fun in rehearsals. While balancing the weight and the true events of the show, we encouraged deep character research and ways to really thrive and merge with that character in a healthy, productive way. By the end, I felt like everyone knew that we would leave the death on the ice and would come back into it only in rehearsals. Everyone did such a great job helping one another. It was just such a relief to have a healthy, communicative production. 

Looking ahead, what are your plans for your future in theatre? Do you see yourself directing “Terra Nova” again at some point, or perhaps auditioning for a role in another director’s adaptation?

For my future plans, I’m currently looking into being a Professor of Theatre. But that’s kind of changing at the moment. I really found a huge passion in directing, so I’m potentially considering a future as a creative director of some sort. Not too sure! 

As for “Terra Nova,” I’d love nothing more than performing the full-length show someday – and stepping into that tundra myself. Evans is certainly a dream role of mine, so I’d love to take a chance to play him. 

This show will certainly never leave me. This entire experience was so fulfilling, especially after my Duke Colloquium presentation last year. I’m just so elated that I had this opportunity with such a talented cast and crew. 

The Hilltop Monitor thanks Cal Perkins for his insights into a complex and important story—one told with passion and care on our campus. We look forward to seeing where his passion and skills take him next!

“Terra Nova” 2025 production poster, illustrated by Cal Perkins.

What was your favorite song or dance from the show?

Ivan Calderon (Musidorus/Cleophila): “We didn’t play the full song in the show, but ‘Lust to Love’ is hands-down my favorite song. […] In the show, we get to add fight choreography to it, so it’s epic, it’s so much fun. Every time, I remember leaving—especially during tech week—leaving rehearsals just blasting ‘Lust to Love’ on repeat… That was my anthem throughout the week.”

Lianna Morelli (Mopsa): “My favorite song is probably ‘Automatic Rainy Day.’ My favorite dance, though, was the dance we did in “Head Over Heels,” which was the opening to Act 2. I just had a really good time with it.”

Cal Perkins (Dametas): “I have to say I’m torn between two. ‘Here You Are’ is my favorite song for sure. I just love the different harmonies and just the lyricism that’s beautiful with the actual motion. It’s tied with ‘Vision of Nowness’ for sure. I didn’t really get to dance in that, but it was so hard not to sing during it because that’s my favorite Go-Go’s song for sure.”

Who was your favorite character?

Calderon: “Standouts for me would be Basilius [played by Marquis Williams] and Pamela [played by Emma Kelly]. I like both of them a lot. For me, just being a scene partner, particularly with Emma, who played Pamela. Getting to witness the sass sometimes led me to almost breaking [character] on stage.”

Morelli: “Honestly, I just think [Queen] Gynecia [played by Kassidy Schmidt] is a badass. She put up with being cheated on for a really long time, and I love her character arc, and I love that she gets to take over the kingdom at the end.”

Perkins: “Basilius is definitely one of my favorite [characters]… Just being able to be on stage with Marquis and kinda just being there for the journey [that Basilius goes on] […] It’s just so fun to experience. I would honestly say I really do love Mopsa as a character. This is maybe the Demetas in me talking. [She’s] such a strong character and she is the more serious of [Mopsa and Pamela], but then again, she speaks to woodland animals. I mean, that’s baller, so I just love her character. She’s so fun.”

How did you handle playing a character that was less accepting of queer identity than you?

Perkins: “When I got cast [as Demetas], I was like, ‘Okay, this will be a change,’ and then realizing that he becomes an ally at the end was relieving, honestly. Aside from that, I have a lot of my family [that] doesn’t want to touch anything LGBTQ+ or anything of that sort. So I kind of had to think about what [my family] would think and what Demetas’s journey has been. It was a little interesting as someone who is trans/genderfluid, being on a stage and trying to play a cisgender man who exiled his partner and is realizing that his daughter is lesbian. The character arc was so interesting to play with and think about.”

What did you enjoy about the queer aspects of your characters?

Morelli: “Mopsa explores more of the sexuality part than the gender side of [queer identity].  It was interesting for me to try and find where Mopsa is in trying to get Pamela to have [the] realization [that she is a lesbian] because you see it throughout the show. Especially in the poetry scene, Pamela’s very close to realizing what it is that she wants. And Mopsa says, ‘You’re so close, you’re right there,’ and the whole time she’s trying to do it without being too pushy.”

Calderon: “I like how Musidorus subverted the trope of the heroic journey. He doesn’t really have the means to be a knight or a warrior or a hero of any standard means, but then he is bestowed this power [that we see in the fight scenes]. [Playing Musidorus] allowed me to not feel restricted on stage to any extent… as an actor, I just had a lot of fun on stage being confident in my body and myself and doing my thing.”

What do you hope audiences take away from the production?

Emma Kelly (Pamela): “The message I wanted to give is to be seen. I want people like this [i.e., queer people] to be seen. Pamela from the beginning—she loves herself, but she doesn’t know what else she loves. There’s clearly something missing, and I think there’s a lot of people out there that struggle with knowing that there’s something different but [not quite knowing] how to articulate it. […] A lot of times, people don’t know these relationships [exist] because they don’t actively see them… But a show like this is making people see [queer relationships] and hear about [them] in a way that is palatable—in a way that is understanding.”

Marquis Williams (Basilius): “Breaking traditions and change can benefit everything. Basilius is such a man of tradition. And the reasons why he made the decisions he made was that he felt threatened. He’s like, ‘I can run the kingdom.’ And that was in the beginning. But once he decided to accept change, that’s when everything ended [better than it was initially]. Change breaks traditions and breaks boundaries.”

Calderon: “I really wanted people to find entertainment from this [production]. […] Of course, we want our audience to enjoy themselves because then there’s that feedback and energy where we raise the state [of the show] or raise the energy as well. People who haven’t seen this kind of media before aren’t really used to seeing queer representation on stage. [Those people will] just find enjoyment in seeing it. […] To some extent, even though maybe there are some aspects where older audiences or more conservative audiences won’t really agree with certain aspects of the show, at least they’ll connect with it, which will allow that representation to be seen as good entertainment as well, but also in a way that’s done correctly and thoughtfully and meaningfully.”

Morelli: “There’s a line in the show that says, ‘No true paradise remains in place forever.’ I think that sums up what I want people to take from the show. […] Things change and things happen and you have to be accepting of that change. As people are discovering who they are, as people come out, as people make these self-discoveries, it’s so important for the people around them to just be there and be accepting and be loving and kind with the way they interact and they speak to them, no matter what they think about it. It’s good. Change can be good. Change encourages progress. And I think that to create the truest paradise we just have to be accepting.”

Concluding Thoughts

Jewell Theatre Company’s “Head Over Heels” was a breath of fresh air. The cast placed significant emphasis on queer representation in the show; seeing queer people and relationships in media is crucial to build a more accepting future. Plus, the company’s “Head Over Heels” production was good theater. I cannot wait to see what JTCo comes up with next! 

To see more performances from Jewell’s Department of Performing Arts, check the Department’s performance calendar here. You can also follow @jewelltheaterco on Instagram.