The JC community prides itself on their musical theatre talent.

Many students around JC look forward to being a part of the musical. Sophomore Olivia Lockett said, “Being a part of the musicals is like being a part of a big family.”

Olivia, like the rest of the cast and crew, enjoys theatre not only because it’s their passion, but it’s the community of people.

The fall musical for this 2019 year was The Music Man. The musical tells the story of conman Harold Hill who claims he is starting a band in town and sells uniforms to the naive townsfolk. Prim librarian and piano teacher Marian sees through him, but when Harold helps her younger brother overcome his lisp and social awkwardness, Marian begins to fall in love with Harold.

This year was the first year in JC without the beloved Mrs. Kim Brueggemann who had worked with the JC theater program for years. Mr. Larry Hensley and Mrs. Julie Parrish assumed extra duties in constructing a great show for the entire community.

Mrs. Parrish said, “While most shows more-or-less follow the same procedures and processes, the biggest difference between The Music Man and other shows I have worked on is that this is the first JC school show that I have been responsible, not only for musically directing the show, but also producing the show.”

The Music Man starred seniors Brenna Patzer, who played Marian Paroo and Ryan Vest as Harold Hill.  They commanded the stage with their strong talents in singing, dancing and acting.
Several other students like Brenna and Ryan have been a major part of JC’s theater program since freshman year.

Many new students like sophomore Jeremy Biggerman have also joined the show this year. He said his first time doing the play was “fantastic to be a part of.”

Jeremy also added, “It was very inspirational to see the leads in the play dedicate all of their time to making sure they knew all their lines.”

This type of responsibility not only makes an enjoyable musical to watch but also forms the student’s character which will stay with them forever.

Each show presents its own challenges for Mrs. Parrish like “before each show figuring out how to manage front-of-house duties and preparing to perform/conduct in the pit for the show.”

Although there are obstacles along the way Mrs. Parrish explained, “It’s a learning process but one that I get to tweak and improve moving into the spring show, Mamma Mia!”

This being said, all of the parts of the play rely on each other in order to have a smoothly-running show. This is why the concept of “family” as Olivia said is so important to the entire JC theater community. The bonds students make with the cast are “everlasting.”

The JC production of The Music Man was much more than a musical to the whole cast and crew. It was a “family.”