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.

Anyone who has witnessed a production by the performers of William Jewell College knows the outstanding talent that these artists possess. This week, the Jewell Theatre Company presents “9 to 5: The Musical.” This thrilling musical is based on a book written by Patricia Resnick and showcases lyrics and music written by Dolly Parton. 

The musical will be performed on Jewell’s campus in Peter’s Theater located inside Brown Hall at 7 p.m. April 7 and April 9 and at 3 p.m. April 10. 

Students who missed their chance at a free ticket can reserve their tickets online at this link for $5. General admission tickets can also be reserved online for $12. 

The talented students you can expect to see in the cast include first-years Becca Alvey, Marquis Wiliams, Daniel (Leo) Edwards and Caroline (Fern) Perkins; sophomores Sydney Edie, Andrew Ivy, Garrett Washington and Georgia Hatfield;  juniors Isabel Warden, Faith Harris, Paige Wright and Olga Morales; and seniors Emma Mayfield, Jaimeson Satterfield and Lauren Kay. There are also many talented students who will display their skills behind the scenes including Jasmine Wornall-Rivas, Bethany Holst, Sam Slaughter and Cass Schuster.

Mentioned above are just a few of the many students, faculty members and guests who have given their time, skills and effort in the past few months to prepare “9 to 5 the Musical” for the enjoyment of friends, family, peers and connoisseurs of the arts. This is a show students will not want to miss.

While it is not as common for William Jewell College students to live off campus, there are still many commuter students working and learning among us. Bryar Buhlig, junior digital media and communications major, has traveled to and from Jewell each weekday this school year and feels the “benefits far outweigh the negatives” when it comes to being a commuter student. Her busy schedule includes 18 hours of classes and two work-study jobs, but she feels being able to live at home has helped her feel less busy than when she lived on campus.

Here is an inside look at Bryar’s typical Wednesday:

6-6:30 a.m. – Wakes up and spends time in prayer, reading her bible and looking through emails and social media on her phone.

7-7:30 a.m. – Works out for around 45 minutes – usually strength training exercises, yoga or jogging.

8:15 a.m. – Breakfast

9 a.m. – Showers and gets ready for the day. Most days she listens to a podcast or music while getting ready.

10:45 a.m. – Leaves for class

11:05 a.m. – Arrives on campus

11:15 a.m. – Stage design class

12:30 p.m. – Marketing class

1:45 p.m. – Lunch

Most often Buhlig brings her lunch with her to campus, but she also often goes to the cage on Wednesdays. After eating, Buhlig goes to the theatre lounge to work on homework.

3 p.m. – Work-study in the theater

5 p.m. – Grabs a quick dinner in the cafeteria or just sits in the lounge working on something or looking at her phone.

5:30 p.m. – School and society class

8 p.m. – Heads home and gets ready to go to bed

9 p.m. – Streams a TV show

10-10:30 p.m. – Goes to bed

Buhlig, who has a theatre minor, is heavily involved in the Jewell Theater Company. She does work-study there as well as in the office of marketing as a social media assistant. For her commitments on campus there is always travel involved.

“I can’t always just go to every event at the drop of a hat like before, there is planning involved to make the time to come to campus to do the things there [are] to do,” said Buhlig of living off campus.

Even with this inconvenience, Buhlig enjoys living at home and feels it helps with stresses of college life. 

“One of the biggest positives is that it is much easier to find a relaxed environment,” said Buhlig. 

For her, living on campus made it difficult to separate the stress of school from a personal and social life, and leaving campus to go home and relax made it a lot easier to feel calm and more at peace with life’s daily stresses.

While Buhlig is an advocate for the commuter life, she does suggest that only those who live within a thirty-minute drive of campus should commute for the sake of convenience. But living just fifteen minutes away makes it a great choice for her.

The play follows four students at a small-town college. Art student Evelyn, played by Garvin, meets nerdy English major Adam, played by first-year music education major Samuel Person. After Evelyn impresses Adam with her artsy, non-conformist personality, they pursue an intense relationship. Evelyn convinces Adam to make changes to his appearance. She overhauls his wardrobe, puts him on an exercise regimen and gets him to change his diet. Adam’s close friend Phillip, played by sophomore theatre major Terrace Wyatt, Jr., and Phillip’s fiancée Jenny, played by sophomore biochemistry major Haley Call, are shocked by his transformation. Jenny is so impressed that during a private meeting between her and Adam, she kisses him. Later, Evelyn convinces him to get plastic surgery to reshape his nose and manages to persuade him to disassociate from Phillip and Jenny.

Finally, Evelyn invites Phillip, Jenny and Adam to an art presentation where she reveals that her relationship with Adam was a sham and that he was simply a prop for her artistic piece on transformation, an unkempt nerd sculpted into an attractive academic. Devastated, Adam confronts Evelyn, telling her that her project was not art but a sick joke. The play ends with Adam sitting alone in the art gallery sobbing in front of a laptop, watching a video Evelyn recorded of the two making love.

LaBute wrote an exciting and engaging play with interesting, multidimensional characters. The script is ripe with intriguing commentary on art, ethics and love.

However, this commentary would have been lost without an incredible performance. Garvin’s confident and calculating portrayal of Evelyn made the reveal more shocking. Garvin and Person had great chemistry, interacting comfortably as a couple then demonstrating palpable, fiery tension after Adam realizes the relationship was a hoax. From the nervous, nail-biting Adam of the first act to the confident, confrontational one of the second, Person skillfully handled the task of depicting a months-long transformation in two hours.

Wyatt and Call, whose characters reflect the dynamic and disastrous relationship of Adam and Evelyn, intervened beautifully in their respective scenes. Wyatt was expressive and active, a near-constant force of honesty in the play. Call was sweet and receptive, captivating the audience when she betrayed both her fiancé and Evelyn by kissing Adam.

The production was not tech-heavy, though the lighting was managed skillfully and complemented some of the more intense moments. The set was versatile and the props colored scenes to create believable atmospheres.

When asked what she learned from her production, Garvin said, “I always knew we have to have ethics and morals in science and rightfully so, but I always wondered: Why don’t we have morals in art? And I feel like this is one example where, though people should be free to create what they want and express it in any way that they feel appropriate, there is a point when it is too far.”