has been performing with her family band, The Petersens, since childhood. Matthew Campbell ’23, a

Although a theatre minor has been offered at JBU since 2015, when Josiah Wallace, associate professor of speech and theatre, arrived at JBU in 2018, no students had officially declared the minor. The theatre program primarily consisted of workshop credits for involvement in productions.

“Students were not gaining the knowledge and skills found in the classroom that makes production work a deeper and a more specialized academic endeavor,” Wallace recalled.

Since then, Wallace and various staff have solidified the nature of the JBU theatre program. Now, about half-adozen students in each year’s enrolling class declare a theatre minor and about 60-100 students participate in theatre productions each year. The program’s success led to the recent addition of a minor in musical theatre in 2020.

Theatre has a rich history at JBU that can be traced back to the days of the founder, John E. Brown Sr. Wallace mentioned that years before the building of the Cathedral of the Ozarks was complete, a musical was presented on the cathedral’s concrete foundation — still open to the air. Various faculty and student clubs pioneered the presentation of plays, and eventually, the increased interest created a theatre track of study in the English and communication departments. During this time, the music department also presented musical- and opera-based performances, highlighting the talent among JBU students.

The department of music and theatre was established in the early 2000s, and now two plays and two musicals are presented each academic year. Offered theatre classes cover many areas — including acting, directing, stagecraft and theatre history.

“In addition to these more traditional theatre classes, students are expected to receive workshop and practicum credit by being involved in the design, technical and performance areas of our plays and musicals,” Wallace said.

Theatre participation benefits those involved, even if they are not theatre minors. Students learn soft skills like self-confidence and collaboration, but they also learn about vocal control and expressiveness, project completion, resourcefulness and design and technical skills in using tools, materials and technology.

Nathan Hahn, a sophomore psychology major with a minor in theatre, has been acting for seven years. He took a theatre class at JBU while still in high school and loved the knowledge he acquired.

“I wanted to do theatre regardless of what path I was going to take,” Hahn said. His two favorite performances so far have been last year’s “Tartuffe” and this fall’s play “Murder on the Orient Express.” Currently, he plans on focusing more on behind-the-scenes areas like scenic design.

Four years of participating in JBU’s productions are not enough for some. David Burney ’08, director of student financial services, was involved during his student years at JBU and has been part of almost all the theatre productions in some capacity since. Acting as Milky White in last fall’s musical “Into the Woods” allowed the busy Burney, a father of two young children, to relax and distance himself from his full-time job at JBU.

“Theatre is my creative outlet; I don’t need to worry about administrative tasks [when involved in theatre]. From here, I can easily get into the creative side of my brain,” Burney said.

The JBU theatre program is a part of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), a national program dedicated to improving collegiate theatre in the United States. Involving 18,000 students annually from colleges and universities, KCACTF frequently recognizes JBU through nominations and merits. Over the past four years, various students have been nominated for awards including ensemble work, directing, lighting

design, sound design, costume design and scenic design. Wallace was particularly pleased when the production of “Tartuffe” was selected as one of only five plays at the KCACTF regional festival, especially when JBU’s work was presented alongside theatre programs with up to 150 students in their major.

Burney said he remembers theatre at JBU being seen more as a niche when he was a student. Mostly friends and family were the only ones to know about and attend productions. Burney has since seen a shift where the theatre program has a much more significant presence, and he said the benefits that theatre has brought to the lives of its students are endless.

The addition of the 29,000-squarefoot Berry Performing Arts Center (BPAC) in 2010 provided a full stage, half fly, set construction area, costume storage, full dressing room and makeup area, increasing the capabilities of the program and overall event attendance.

“Because of BPAC and the theater minor, JBU can do a much larger range of shows,” said Burney, “Even those who worked in a big theatre in high school can show off their depth of talent.”

With growing recognition, Wallace said the benefits of the theatre program remain the same.

“In a world where we continue to find our live human interactions minimized and polarized by technology, health crises and politicization, the theatre gives us a space to spend time with one another in the same space to tell and listen to stories,” said Wallace. “We can delight in the creative gifts God has given us, be challenged by the human experience and hopefully recognize the beauty and truth God intends for his creation to grasp.”

Murder on the Orient Express

Pygmalion

Is He Dead? Sense and Sensibility

Music and Theatre Showcase Into the Woods

Tartuffe She Loves Me

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Man of La Mancha

Silent Sky

Parfumerie Babette’s Feast

TAKES A VILLAGE

Students and Faculty Prepare for Fall Musical

BY WILLIAM NEWTON ’23

This fall semester’s two music and theatre productions required meticulous planning and rehearsal scheduling from their respective cast and crew members, as the preparations ran parallel and overlapped for both the play in October and the musical in November.

“Murder on the Orient Express,” John Brown University’s music and theatre department’s first production of the semester, ran the weekends of Sept. 30 and Oct. 8, and the musical “She Loves Me” took center stage Nov. 3-5, requiring the casts and crews of both productions to share space in the Berry Performing Arts Center since both productions started rehearsing in August.

When the music and theatre department was concluding their rendition of “Murder on the Orient Express,” the cast and crew of “She Loves Me” had to often rehearse on a stage littered with grim props and ominous train cars that almost laughably juxtaposed the romantic tone of “She Loves Me,” a story of two fueding coworkers in Budapest who unknowingly fall in love with each other through anonymous letters.

“Murder on the Orient Express” and “She Loves Me” are just a few of the wide variety of productions put on by the JBU music and theatre department. Other notable past productions include “Into the Woods,” a modernday rendition of “Tartuffe” and “Babette’s Feast,” among others.

While the cast rehearsed for “She Loves Me” on stage, there was much preparation that went on behind the scenes. When designing a set for a play each semester, Josiah Wallace, associate professor of speech and theatre and set designer, spends much of his time analyzing the script before he begins the process of building the physical props.

“Design starts with multiple readings of the text and an analysis of its themes, period, place and motifs,” Wallace said. “I do concrete and metaphorical/thematic visual research – typically using Pinterest.”

From there, he begins the brainstorming process of what needs to be included on stage, as well as the overall design style that the production will encapsulate.

“I sketch, draft plans, collaborate with the director and create a model that is used for the build process,” he said.

The set designers often build most of the props and sets for their production from scratch, improvising any changes to the designs as necessary. In collaboration with a student properties designer, the set comes to life, including the centerpiece that was used for “She Loves Me:” the perfume shop, Maraczek’s Parfumerie.

The music and theatre department is consistently notable for its prestigious set design. Wallace and frequent collaborator Peter Rexford, technical director, have earned numerous awards for their set designs in JBU productions.

“We have very high expectations for what we can achieve and put in more hours than we really have available to us to achieve our goals,” Wallace said. “The awards are a testament to this.”

While the set design of any production is an important aspect of its production, collaboration with the audio, visual and lighting (AVL) team is necessary for the production.

“In the theatre world, AVL works closely with music and theatre, so we can act like a well-oiled machine to produce a show and use our talents to praise God,” said Andrew Keck, junior digital cinema major and AVL technician.

AVL, although solely behind the scenes, plays an essential role in any JBU production. Their primary contribution to “She Loves Me” was providing appropriate stage lighting for each scene. By attending numerous production meetings and rehearsals, Keck and his AVL team are able to design a lighting plot fit for the musical. The team relied on cues designated by the director of the production to discern when to use the lights necessary for each scene.

Additionally, there is much to consider behind the scenes in preproduction of a musical: the actors and actresses have a rigorous rehearsal schedule to follow as well. Before they are even eligible to attend rehearsals, actors must go through an audition process.

“The audition process is fairly simple. For the musical, the requirements are that you bring a memorized monologue and sound, roughly around a minute each. Then it is up to the directors to choose from their list of their actors who might fit certain roles,” said Connor Klaassen, senior music major who portrayed the role of Arpas in “She Loves Me.”

Once their roles are assigned, the actors go through months of rehearsals, learning to perfect their dialogue, music and dance numbers and their on-stage cues.

“Musicals are more difficult than plays because everything is timed. In a musical, you have to be precise, because if you get a word wrong or the rhythms wrong, you could throw off the whole song,” said Charli Mcllarth, senior integrated music major who portrayed Illona in “She Loves Me.” “Also, there’s usually more choreography to memorize in addition to lines, blocking and music.”

Actors must dive deep in to the more personal aspects of their character along with perfecting the physically demanding elements of their roles. This process, while coming naturally to some actors, can be difficult for others.

“Getting into character was an issue for me initially,” said Jerica Barkley, junior intercultural studies major who portrayed the leading lady, Amalia, in “She Loves Me,” “I had to navigate the distinction between where [Amalia’s] voice began, where mine ended and where we met in a middle ground. We tended to meet a lot more than I expected we would.”

Actors are the heart of any production, but it is through elements such as set and costume design that audience members become truly engaged with the storyline. Joelle Ungos, junior psychology major and costume designer,

is very attentive to her design process. Before she even begins playing with spool and thread, Ungos conducts intensive research for the production’s time period, learning its fashion trends. She then compiles her research into a mood board, correlating characters to color pallets and costume designs. From there, she begins assigning her cast members their costumes.

Ungos played a significant role in the production of “She Loves Me,” but in order for her input to be applied, she must go through the musical’s director.

“It is very important that I refer to the director’s concept statement (a document summarizing the creative vision) and communicate with her and other production team members in order for this to go smoothly,” Ungos said.

All of the different components required to produce “She Loves Me,” including Ungos’s costume design, was not possible without the direction of Liesl Dromi ’06, assistant professor of music.

Dromi’s responsibilities in a musical is tremendous — she approves every detail of producing a show, whether as specific as where an actor stands on stage or as grand as the set design. Her contribution to the musical begins months before production begins, as she has to decide which musical will be performed.

“I chose ‘She Loves Me’ in collaboration with our music director, Lisa Auten,” Dromi said. “When we evaluate what shows to produce each season, we look for material that provides experiences for our students to grow and be challenged and that will engage our audiences.”

Among the list of Dromi’s criteria for selecting the year’s musicals is that the material aligns with the values of the JBU community. Dromi said she does not require the musical to be explicitly Christian but should tell a story that mirrors that of Christianity — admittance to being imperfect and working toward redemption.

She is also responsible for creating the rigorous threemonth rehearsal schedule which details which cast and crew members are required to be present and what scenes and production elements will be the focus for the day. The final week of rehearsal runs through the entire performance from start to finish.

Once rehearsals are completed, the curtains open and the hard work and dedication of the cast and crew becomes public and celebrated by the Siloam Springs and Northwest Arkansas communities.

Homecoming 2022

This year, warm sunshine and autumn breezes welcomed alumni and friends back to campus on Oct. 7-8.

Kicking off the weekend’s events was the annual Scholarship Dinner and the 5K Glow Run, which drew a record attendance of 63 participants and raised almost $800 for the JBU Scholarship Fund.

Several sporting events highlighted the weekend, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis and ultimate Frisbee. Basketball, rugby and tennis alumni squared off against current players in reunion contests as well.

Reunions celebrating 10 years, 25 years and 50 years gathered alumni to reminisce and share a meal together. The Heritage Society induction welcomed 34 new members in attendance on Saturday.

At Homecoming’s newest event — the Alumni Board Series — Ted Song, chief diversity officer , presented “A Biblical View on Diversity” and Keith Jagger, university chaplain, presented “Hebrews 13 and Our Sacrifice of Praise: Joining the Historic Church in Remaining True to Jesus in Troubling Times.”

The festivities concluded with the Alumni Awards Dinner and the fall play “Murder on the Orient Express,” presented by the department of music and theatre.

Don’t miss next year! Join us Oct. 6-7 for Homecoming 2023.

Pray for JBU

Thank you for supporting JBU in prayer. It’s the most important way you can help us.

Praises:

President Chip Pollard and Carey returned from sabbatical and are thankful for a good time of rest, rejuvenation and work.

Attendance at JBU’s prospective student Preview Days and Scholarship Competition event is at an all-time high.

The spiritual climate of our campus is one of students hungry for God, desiring to be beneficial to his kingdom, open to spiritual fellowship and growing in their commitment to Christ and his church.

Prayer Requests:

Budget Preparation — Pray for the administration as they begin work on creating a balanced budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Admissions Staff — Pray for our admissions counselors as they finish the busy travel season and continue working with prospective families and students for our on-campus, online and graduate programs.

Faculty & Staff Searches — Pray God leads the right people to JBU to fill our available staff and faculty positions.

JBU Scholarship Fund — Our annual scholarship fund that helps more than 500 students each year has experienced a decline in donor participation. Please pray that more people will get involved in helping our students afford JBU.

Student Prayers — Our Prayer Room contains a whiteboard where students can write their prayers. From this, we ask that you pray for our students to give their burdens to Jesus, that God would speak life and truth over them, salvation for the lost and uplifting of the low in spirit.

Mental & Physical Health — Pray for healing for those in our community experiencing mental health problems. We also ask that you lift up those working through terminal illnesses and caring for others experiencing health issues.

JBU ALUMNI FIND SIGHT AND SOUND

BY TRACY BALZER

Like many students, Amy Perry ’14 didn’t know what she wanted to do for a career. She changed majors five times, all in search of that elusive conclusion.

But she did know what she enjoyed: speaking in front of groups and performing in JBU musicals. Her final choice of a major in communications and a minor in drama, therefore, suited her just fine. But her hopes for a career that allowed her to do what she enjoyed seemed thin. The idea of working in music and theater as a profession seemed much more like a wild dream than a life possibility.

A year after graduating, Perry discovered Sight & Sound Theatres, a faith-based production company in Branson, Missouri. The company’s objective of “bringing the Bible to life” through professional stage productions was appealing to her, and she had the guts to try out for one of its productions. In the end, she was happy enough selling theater merchandise to spectators while the actors performed on stage, followed by six months of working on the “deck crew.”

She watched and learned about everything it takes to create a grandscale production, and she realized that maybe there was a place for her there after all. A place not on the stage in front of a crowd but one that still allowed her to be involved more directly in the shows. Perry noticed that the company’s production managers were doing all the things she liked: addressing the cast each day with important instructions, working behind the scenes to troubleshoot and giving directions from the booth through the multitude of radio channels that connect the entire production. A position opened, and her enthusiasm got her the job.

Now, after seven years of being on the front lines of productions like “Samson,” “Jesus” and the upcoming “Queen Esther,” Perry says she has found her dream job.

“JBU prepared me for a job I didn’t know existed, and I love it,” she said.

Every performance provides a new and interesting challenge, usually involving animals. Yes, many live animals are actors in these biblical productions, so when a camel is disoriented by an uncooperative bit of staging, Perry is the one called in to solve the problem. When she’s in the “hot seat” in the booth, she is responsible for communicating lastminute problem-solving directions to the cast and crew on one of multiple radio channels.

“We are the air traffic controllers of Sight & Sound,” Perry said.

It all comes down to leadership. All the actors must have confidence in

production managers like Perry for their safety, trust in their wisdom when hard decisions need to be made and that they have their best in mind, and Perry has to own those decisions.

“I’m the one who has to defend those decisions when our team meets the next day,” she said.

This role has challenged Perry to grow, not just in technical expertise and leadership ability but also spiritually.

“We performed ‘Jesus’ 800 times,” she said. “Each of those performances served as a kind of meditation for me,” even when camels were uncooperative.

As a company, Sight & Sound hopes audiences will not only be entertained but will also be motivated to go to Scripture to check it out for themselves.

“The Word of God is alive and able to impact people via so many different media,” Perry said. “I can see a show hundreds of times, and I still learn something new.”

It is that compelling vision that had Luke Merrick ’19 dreaming of being on the Sight & Sound stage for years. Merrick excelled at JBU as a vocal performance major, taking first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Student Auditions in the Collegiate Male Category.

A career as a professional opera singer would certainly have been available to him. Yet, it was the mission and production value at Sight & Sound that pulled at his heart as he considered the best way to use his talents.

Merrick said his time at JBU definitely prepared him and provided the experience he needed for an opportunity like Sight & Sound.

“JBU set me up for success in various ways, such as honing my skills of vocal production, allowing me to compete against other vocalists to improve my craft and training me in the art of creating compelling musical and theatrical performances for the stage,” he said. “Even more importantly, JBU grew me as a person in a community of friends and professors who believed in me, enabled me and encouraged me to pursue my greatest God-given potential with my talents.”

Sight & Sound draws many talented people, and Merrick knew that being hired was not guaranteed. But in January 2022, he auditioned and soon found himself part of the production of “Jesus.” He was assigned several roles, depending on what was needed at any given time — including the disciple James, the pharisee Jehu and a variety of smaller ensemble roles.

“Sight & Sound represents the remarkable opportunity to utilize my God-given gifts in a way that not only provides deep professional and artistic fulfillment in the craft of theatre but also allows me to do so in the context of portraying the most transformative, compelling stories ever told,” Merrick said.

Now the company is preparing for its upcoming Christmas production. At the time of writing, Merrick wasn’t sure what his role would be. Likewise, there will soon be roles assigned for the spring production of “Queen Esther.” He is full of anticipation, hopeful that he will work for Sight & Sound for years to come. Merrick exudes an enthusiam for his work that clearly indicates he’s having the time of his life.

“I had the full support of my family in pursuing this work, even though they knew I could have chosen something else in the field of music,” he said. “And I’m so happy I’m here.”