Director John Tartaglia reflects on creating
A Beast of a Show
1 –
1 FALL/WINTER 2018
Stories to Tell
Theatre is made for telling stories. Strip away the sets, the lights, the costumes, and underneath you will find the artists with a longing to tell great stories to anyone who will listen. For years, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has embraced storytellers, using our stage to amplify different voices and share different perspectives. As we undertake our Believe Capital Campaign, we are discovering the stories told off stage are equally important to the Theatre’s mission.
In this issue of Marquee Magazine, we have chosen to highlight the stories of students, volunteers, patrons, business partners, and theatre professionals whose dedication to the arts keep us alive. These people are a large part of why the Theatre has prospered, and we want to pay them homage for their tireless support.
By telling their stories, we hope that our audiences will see just how vital the Theatre is to the community—we’re more than just a theatre. Our productions create new worlds for us to escape into or challenge us to see our own world in new ways. Our Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts is a creative outlet for students who don’t have access to the arts in school. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s mission to entertain, educate, and inspire is a mantra that calls theatre-makers to a life of purpose.
The Believe Capital Campaign is the first step in securing our future in the community, but we can’t do it alone. Without an audience, the art of performance ceases to exist. We ask our audiences to invest in that relationship, and give to the Believe Capital Campaign. Be a part of our story so we can continue to be more than just a theatre.
Editorial Director Dana Munson
Creative Direction Todd Hilgert
Editor/Senior Contributor Cecilia Padilla
Contributing Writers Linnea Bailey, Graham Brunk
Contributing Designer Jeff Barry
Photography Jason Nuttle, Matthew Murphy, Mitch Dean, Zach Bennett
Styling RRR Creative, Nancy Flaherty
Hair and Makeup Michelle Winters, Nicolette Gold, Kenneth Griffin
Production Christopher Flinchum, Shonna Rash, Michael Burris, Janie Willison, Eric Wright, Kristen Kesonen, ACME Studio, Oliphant Studio
Printing Preferred Printing & Graphics
Andrew Kato
PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive
Maltz Jupiter Theatre Board of Directors
Robert Sachs, Chair | Robin B. Smith, Vice Chair
Milton Maltz, Chair Emeritus | Martin Cohen, Chair Emeritus
Richard L. Barovick, Lynn Bovenizer, Doug Brown, Eileen Daly, Debra A. Elmore, Jack Farber, Isanne Fisher, Nancy Gilbane, Paul A. Goldner, Roberta E. Golub, Roe Green, Rodger H. Hess, Richard J Katz, Jr., Brett Langbert, Tamar Maltz, Karen T. Marcus, Hans Mautner, William I. Morton, Bonnie Osher, Alceste Pappas, Janis Ruan, Ralph Saltzman, W. Scott Seeley, Susan Namm Spencer, Salvatore A. Tiano, D’Vera Topol, Jeffrey P. White
Marquee is published by Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter FL 33477 twice a year
Cover Photo by Matthew Murphy, Pictured: Maître d’ and Actor Lumière and Director John Tartaglia
Photo (left) by Jason Nuttle
An all-female creative team lends their talent and perspective to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s production of Robert Harling’s masterpiece.
For more than 30 years, Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias has stood as a testament to the empowering strength of female friendship. Written as a tribute to Harling’s sister, mother, and the women who supported them through his sister’s death, Steel Magnolias perfectly captures the duality of southern women: delicate charm wrapped around a backbone of steel.
This sentiment is not only limited to southern belles, it carries over to women like Tony Award®-nominated Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Set Designer Narelle Sissons, Lighting
Designer Marcia Madeira, Costume
Designer Robin L. McGee, and Wig Designer Amber Jasmin Morrow. This team of distinguished women brings out the steel in Steel Magnolias through their fearless dive into the world of Truvy’s beauty salon.
Here’s what the women of Steel Magnolias had to say about the upcoming production.
STEEL MAGNOLIAS RUNS
OCTOBER 28–NOVEMBER 11, 2018
Marcia Milgrom Dodge
DIRECTOR
Best known for: Ragtime at The Kennedy Center and Broadway, where she received a 2010 Tony Award® nomination for Best Director of a Musical; winner of multiple Carbonell Awards for direction and choreography for her work at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre; her fresh approach to revivals of musicals and plays throughout the United States.
Why she’s excited about working on this production:
“I think that even in 2018, women still have an upwards hill to climb to reach true equality. So sometimes a project like this comes along and you think, ‘Wow, let’s do this in a conscious way.’ Let’s make a real effort to give all of these female professionals the opportunity to come together and make this show together, in the same way that Steel Magnolias itself celebrates women. And I didn’t just bring any women, I brought really talented, wonderful, and challenging women together. It’s a great opportunity for us to work together and be inspired by each other.”
Which ‘80s hairstyle she’d rock:
“The Farrah Fawcett do. I wore long hair all through junior high, until my mother took us to Vidal Sassoon when we were in high school and I got my first fashion haircut; then it kept getting shorter and shorter after that. But up until then I had the long locks!”
Narelle Sissons
Best known for:
Set design for the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway production of All My Sons; the original production of How I Learned to Drive, Stop Kiss, In the Blood, Kit Marlowe, Julius Caesar (NYSF); Little Flower of East Orange at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre; Carbonell Award-nominated set for The King and I.
On the play’s humor and unique setting: “To me, Steel Magnolias is about the lasting bond between female friends. But I think that the play delivers many notes—sometimes it’s roaringly funny, while other times it’s full of pathos. Robert Harling had a sense of humor; he set the play in a carport. He wanted it to feel like real life so, by creating a makeshift salon for Truvy (where no man would ever set foot), he kept it “real” and hit the funny bone. We are cashing in on the repurposed space by playing scenes inside and out, some even in the driveway.”
Which ‘80s hairstyle she’d rock: “I’m originally from the UK, so we were all about the King’s Road late punk and new wave looks in the ‘80s. I had a hairstyle that was probably more new wave in appearance—slightly mod, like a bob, but with different lengths on either side. I used to keep it white-ish, never colored; more likely bleached to look arty. I was in art school through the ‘80s in London. I wish I’d had a Vespa to go with the hair!”
Best known for: Tony Award®-nominated for Nine with Raul Julia, directed by Tommy Tune; Broadway designs for My One and Only with Tommy Tune and Twiggy; The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke; Marilyn and An American Fable with Allison Reed and Scott Bakula; Maltz Jupiter Theatre credits include Guys and Dolls.
What the phrase ‘steel magnolia’ means to her: “To me, the phrase ‘steel magnolia’ means a woman who can get through anything that life throws at her and keep going in style, remaining feminine no matter how tough she is. Of course, this is all women, and the play exemplifies this: it’s a story with life events and friendships that everyone can relate to, and we love how well these women survive everything.”
What ‘80s hairstyle she’d rock:
“I had ‘80s hair before it was even considered ‘80s hair! I still rock the pixie look. My hair has been short since the early ‘70s.”
Marcia Madeira
Photos by Matthew Murphy
Robin L. McGee
Best known for:
Designs for Roundabout Theatre Company, The Irish Repertory Theatre, The York Theatre, The MUNY, The Goodspeed Opera House, Sea World Orlando, and more; television work for Comedy Central and The Party Planner for The Discovery Channel; costume designs for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus; the Maltz Jupiter Theatre productions of Frost/ Nixon, Billy Elliot The Musical, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Dial M for Murder.
Why she thinks this play has such a lasting impact on pop culture:
“I think that we have historically heard a lot of male voices in theatre, but this was one of the first that showed strong female characters without a male character on stage. I remember seeing the play for the first time and waiting for the men that the women speak about to enter the scene. I was pleasantly surprised when they never did; only women on stage. I was blown away.”
Which ‘80s hairstyle she’d rock:
“What ‘80s hairstyle did I not rock? I remember teasing my bangs up and turning my head over to hairspray the roots—and I have long hair so the bigger the better!”
Amber Jasmin Morrow
Best known for: Emmy Award®-honored (Saturday Night Live) New York-based hair and makeup artist; heading the hair department on the Broadway national tours of Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Color Purple, and Rock of Ages; supervising hair for the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables; wig and hair designs seen on Saturday Night Live, Friends from College, Blindspot, Bull, and many more.
Which character from Steel Magnolias she’s most like:
“The obvious answer would be Truvy since we are both hairstylists, but there is a lot of me that also connects with Shelby, especially in my younger years. I do love how Truvy has created a safe space for all of her clients/friends to be raw, real, and vulnerable, which is something I strive for both professionally and in my personal life. But Shelby is strong-willed, genuine, and eager to forge her own way in the world—much how I was when I moved to New York City from a small town in Indiana at 22. And like Shelby, I had a wonderful tribe of women who supported and encouraged me.”
Which ‘80s hairstyle she’d rock:
“ANY of Pattie LaBelle’s styles. She really loved to be avant-garde and experiment in the ‘80s, and I love that form of self-expression and confidence that she exuded. My favorites are her sculpted fan-like styles, circa the New Attitude era. The sculpting was impeccable! Her hair alone was a work of art.”
Master puppeteer and Broadway Avenue Q star John Tartaglia is no stranger to channeling his acting through an intricately crafted puppet at the end of his arm. That’s what makes him a perfect visionary for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s puppet production of Disney Beauty and the Beast.
A Portal to Puppetry
Photo by Matthew Murphy, Pictured: Puppet Designer Eric Wright, Maître d’ and Actor Lumière, and Director John Tartaglia
“When Andrew [Kato] approached me about directing Beauty and the Beast with puppetry,” says Director John Tartaglia, “my mind immediately jumped from just using puppets to portray the main inanimate objects, to using puppetry on a large scale; that’s when I got really excited.”
Tartaglia explains that the cast of characters are divided into two camps—humans and puppets. Belle, Gaston, Maurice, and the townspeople are all portrayed by live actors; Lumière, Cogsworth, Chip, Mrs. Pots, and the rest of the magical objects in the castle are portrayed by puppets manipulated by actors. These puppets then transform into their actor counterpart when the spell is lifted from the enchanted castle.
So how does one aesthetically bridge the gap between puppet and human? Set Designer Adam Koch logically breaks down his approach to creating a magical world. “When you enter into the Theatre,” says Koch, “the first thing you see is this circle of thorns encasing the proscenium. This serves as an invitation for the audience to peer into the action happening on stage. A fairytale always feels the most magical through a portal.” This portal also serves a practical purpose. “One of the challenges of putting
puppets on stage is that they are so small they get lost in the visual landscape. So my goal was to bring in the sides of the whole stage to frame them better.” In doing so, Koch tightens the focal point of the stage, forcing the audience’s perspective on the puppets.
Constructing the puppets in question falls to Puppet Designer Eric Wright from Manhattan’s Puppet Kitchen. For this production of Disney Beauty and the Beast, Wright draws inspiration from a Japanese puppet genre called bunraku. “Bunraku is direct manipulation puppetry that involves visible puppeteers operating elaborately crafted puppets. The puppeteer manipulates the puppet physically in front of them, which really places the focus on that object. You are totally transfixed on the life channeled into this puppet.”
Lumière is one example of the puppets inspired by bunraku. Wright elaborates that the candelabra is a rigid object that suggests a human form. “I want to add enough movement to the candelabra so that it looks like it’s been barely transformed into a person,” describes Wright. “The arms are stiff in the middle but bend at the elbows. The middle body is segmented so that it can bend at the hips, and the head portion borrows from a hand puppet so he can emote from the face and deliver lines easily.”
The most difficult musical number in this production is “Be Our Guest.” Here is where all the production elements combine to create a visually stunning number where the whole castle becomes a character of its own. Tartaglia states, “The unifying vision for ‘Be Our Guest’ is to echo the style of Busby Berkeley’s kaleidoscope onscreen performances from the 1920s—a vision that Choreographer Shannon Lewis plays a vital role in.” Keeping the choreography in mind, Koch embraces the synchronized swimming feel these movies have by incorporating spinning geometric formations made up of smaller puppets of forks, knives, plates, and much more. This means that the approach to puppetry will change as well. Wright notes, “The puppetry shifts from character performance, where we can really make sure we get the nuance from the performers, to being a big spectacle. It’s not necessarily about the individual technique, but about the multiplicity of lines and the grand gesture in those big dance numbers.”
Adam Koch
Although Tartaglia, Koch, and Wright are thrilled to talk about the big picture of Disney Beauty and the Beast, there’s one detail they won’t reveal before it’s time: the Beast’s transformation. “We won’t give away all our secrets,” laughs Tartaglia. “That’s part of the magic—which may or may not include puppets.”
By Cecilia Padilla
On any given day, there are at least seven performances of Mamma Mia! performed around the globe. Built on the 70s era disco music catalog of the Swedish pop group ABBA, Mamma Mia! has been in continuous production for nearly 20 years and is among the West End and Broadway’s longest running shows.
Why such lasting popularity behind this feelgood musical? Critics attribute Mamma Mia!’s success to the fact that ABBA’s music was long popular before the musical was ever written. Officially formed in 1972, ABBA quickly rose to fame when they won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, a multi-nation song competition that began in 1956 among European countries. To date, ABBA is arguably the most successful group to have taken part in the competition. Their superstar status made them the first group from a nonEnglish speaking country to consistently top charts in nearly every English speaking country. When the idea of making a musical around all their hit songs was first presented to ABBA
members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in 1983, the group was not interested in the idea of what is known as a jukebox musical—a musical that uses previously released music as its score. At the time, this genre of musical experienced little success and had a huge track record of flop productions. The jukebox musical format didn’t enter into mainstream entertainment until the early 1990s when Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story made chart-topping history.
Despite the jukebox musical’s reputation, ABBA did dabble into the genre with a small-scale children’s musical called ABBAcadabra where the group authored songs based on French fairy tales. It saw moderate success, and was translated into several other languages before fading into obscurity in 1985. ABBA, however, didn’t end their musical career there. In 1986, the pop group collaborated with lyricist Tim Rice on the Cold War-era musical, Chess. Released at the height of anti-communist sentiment in the US, Chess stood as a metaphor for the game-like manipulation of the Cold War itself.
The idea of a full blown ABBA-based jukebox musical was revisited in the late 1990s when Judy Craymer, a producer looking for a next generation approach to musicals, came to ABBA again with the idea. Since their name continued to be well known and the musical theatre genre seemed to be picking up, ABBA gave their blessing to Catherine Johnson, an English playwright, to write the book for the show. Both Craymer and Johnson’s careers would be launched into stardom as a result of their involvement with Mamma Mia!’s creation.
The musical’s storyline consists of a single mother living in Greece who proudly raised a daughter, Sophie, on her own. Sophie is now grown and set to be married, but has developed a strong curiosity about her absent father. After pouring through her mother’s old diaries, Sophie realizes that her father could be one of three men. She invites these men to her wedding in hopes of discovering her true biological father in time to walk her down the aisle. Twenty-two of
ABBA’s hit songs were incorporated into the story including “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trouper,” and “Money Money Money.”
Mamma Mia! made its debut at the Prince Edward Theatre on London’s West End on April 6, 1999, and its US debut at the Orpheum Theatre on November 17, 2000 in San Francisco. The show was a resounding success, and was soon performed in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Since its debut, Mamma Mia! has run in more than 50 countries on 6 continents and inspired a movie of the same name.
Although reminiscent of the 1970s, Mamma Mia!’s popularity is entrenched in a storyline of strong women who take control of their own fate—a topic relevant in every generation. Its showcasing of ABBA’s carefree music invites audiences to have a good time, sing along, and never stop dancing.
By Graham Brunk
MAMMA MIA! RUNS JANUARY 15–FEBRUARY 10, 2019
Photo
The Many Sides of Julie Rowe
Nobody can ever accuse Director of Education Julie Rowe of not doing enough. Over the past 10 years, Rowe has worked tirelessly to ensure that the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts holds a presence in our community as a leader of arts education. During her administration, the Conservatory has transformed from a tiny, unknown arts school to a thriving, successful conservatory with an all-star faculty. For these reasons, and more, Rowe will be honored at the Theatre’s gala this season.
As an arts advocate, Rowe’s number one guiding principal is ensuring theatre’s accessibility for all students. An early project of Rowe’s was to spearhead the Theatre’s robust student matinee program, which currently serves 4,000 students in Palm Beach and Martin Counties. She has also worked to ensure that 25 percent of the Conservatory’s students receive scholarships, enabling students from all economic standings to attend classes.
“What has always struck me most about Julie is her indomitable spirit and her passion for giving all children the opportunity to be involved in the arts,” said Andrew Kato, the Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director and Chief Executive.
“Anyone who has ever benefitted from an arts education typically has had an advocate to ensure that they have access to quality programs. Julie is absolutely a champion for every single one of our students.”
Rowe’s leadership abilities are not limited to administration. Her experience in teaching young artists and partnering with expert faculty led her to build the Conservatory’s curriculum from scratch. Most recently, she created the Theatre’s Professional Training Program, which offers a two-year certificate to young performers pursuing a career in the performing arts. Her passion for teaching resulted in the molding of the Theatre’s Youth Artists’ Chair summer mentorship program into an immersive learning experience for students to explore socially-relevant plays. Faculty, especially, admire her capacity to share ownership of the classroom and creative decisions. “There’s very little turnover in the Conservatory,” says long-time Conservatory faculty member Brian Andrews. “Julie’s very caring, dedicated, and extremely well-organized. She has truly created a family where all staff members support one another.”
Ask any student in the Conservatory, and they’ll tell you that Rowe is a supportive mentor
when it comes to the students. Rowe often spends her evenings and weekends helping students fill out college applications and financial aid paperwork. She even guides students through the voter’s registration process, a testament to her ability to empower students to get involved in their community. Rowe has bought dance attire, and provided lunches and transportation for students who can’t afford it. She has found housing and employment opportunities for graduates, and continually provides a listening ear for any student who needs to talk. Most importantly, Rowe has made sure that the Conservatory remains a safe home-away-fromhome for students of all ability levels.
On top of all this, Rowe manages to pursue her artistic passion of being a working actor. She’s garnered rave reviews for her performances in productions of Equus, Woody Guthrie’s American Song, and Dancing at Lughnasa at Palm Beach Dramaworks. She’s also an accomplished musician; the piano, banjo, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and auto harp are just a few of the instruments she’s mastered.
“I’m thrilled that Julie is this year’s gala honoree,” says Professional Training Program graduate and Sachs Arts Immersion Fellow Vincent Bolchoz. “She’s an unsung hero that deserves to be recognized for all that she’s accomplished for her students. Her hard work doesn’t stop here; she has a lot more in store for the future of the Conservatory.”
By Linnea Bailey
Arts advocate, teacher, mentor, actor, musician, and Director of Education Julie Rowe will be honored at the Theatre’s 2019 gala.
Photo by Jason Nuttle
MARQUEE MAGAZINE — Fall/Winter
More Than Just a Theatre
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is dedicated to telling stories from all over the world, but we rarely hear the stories of the people in our own backyard. For example, volunteers, students, patrons, and business partners unwaveringly support the Theatre offstage. They recognize the Maltz Jupiter Theatre as more than just a theatre, and they’re eager to share in our endeavor to grow through the Believe Capital Campaign. Here’s a look into the lives of the people who make the Theatre a part of their everyday story.
Blake McCall, Conservatory student
“The best part about being involved at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre is that we get the chance to audition for the season productions. I was cast in Newsies last season, and it was really cool meeting the people I want to be like someday. I learned what the rehearsal process was like: fast, intense, and jammed packed with learning new material. It was a blast though!
The Theatre expansion would be amazing for the Conservatory—the studios are so tight with all the kids we have. It’s hard to practice being on stage when the Theatre is being used all year, so a second stage for the students to use would be really helpful for all of us who want to make it on the big stage, or Broadway!
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is more than just a theatre to me because it’s like having a second family that is there for you when you need them. If I have a rough day at school, I know I can come to class at the Conservatory, see my friends, let loose, and be creative.”
Linda Brooks, Volunteer since 2012
“I became a volunteer at the Theatre when my grandson, Blake, began taking classes in the Conservatory. I saw that Blake was thriving there, so I wanted to stay and help where I could.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is more than just a theatre to me because I’ve found new life within its walls. I had just retired when I began volunteering, and helping out at a bustling place like the Theatre was just what I needed to fill that empty space. Plus, I’ve gained a wonderful group of friends that all volunteer for the same reasons.
Pictured: A concept rendering of Scene, a VIP supper lounge coming to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre as part of our Believe expansion.
I’m extremely hopeful for the Theatre’s expansion. To think that we have a theatre this size in a small town like Jupiter is incredible. And then to think that the opportunity for it to be even better is right around the corner is amazing—it’s a gem in our own backyard.
I remember a time before I started volunteering here when I would drop off Blake at the Conservatory after school. He would get out of the car with his 50lb backpack and just skip his way into the Theatre light as can be. I said to myself, ‘Now there’s a place I want to be.’”
Eric Schnier, Volunteer since 2017
“I chose to volunteer at the Production Center because I like to work with my hands.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is more than just a theatre because it gives me a creative outlet that I personally don’t have in my everyday life. To create something that is now on stage as part of a production is really wild. When I see a show, I nudge the people around me saying, ‘I painted that, I built that. That table, that tree—I made that!’
I think that the Theatre’s productions will benefit tremendously from the Believe Capital Campaign. The work that we do with the space that we’ve got is incredible, but it’s time we take it to the next level. It’s part of the Theatre’s mission to entertain audiences for years to come, and expansion is the only way to stick to that mission.”
Ronnie Amster, Founder of the Valencia Reserve Players Club and Theatre patron since 2017
“At Valencia Reserve, we have a group called The Players Club. We put on amateur plays written, performed, and
produced by our residents. The first time we ever saw a show at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, we couldn’t get over how professional it was. Every time we leave a performance we say, ‘Incredible! That was better than Broadway!’ Many of us can say that truthfully because we grew up in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut seeing these popular shows. Now that we all live in Florida, we are so fortunate to get the chance to see Broadway in our backyard.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is more than just a theatre because of its power to consistently put a smile on our faces. When you drive up to the Theatre, it feels like you are driving up to a theatre. We are excited knowing we’ve planned a spectacular evening out. We’ve gotten all dressed up, morale is high, and it just lights a fire in us.”
Tim Gonyer, Owner of Preferred Printing & Graphics and Theatre business partner since 2006
“Working with the Theatre came at a time in our business where, as the Theatre grew, Preferred Printing grew. Now we do the majority of the Theatre’s print work, and we’re able to increase our level of partnership by donating print jobs that sustain us as members of the Circle of Friends. In fact, we donated Marquee Magazine which you’re reading today!
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is more than just a Theatre because it’s a huge supporter of local businesses, which boosts every industry in the community. Preferred Printing is an example of what small businesses can achieve through partnership with the Theatre.”
By Cecilia Padilla
It’s not often that the South Florida theatre scene claims the making of a Broadway Tony Award®winner, but for cases like Boca Raton native and Broadway actress Rachel Bay Jones, Florida is the beginning of her theatre journey.
Jones exhibited a passion for theatre as a student at Spanish River High School, and acted in Florida Atlantic University’s production of Picnic by William Inge. After working with FAU’s drama department, Jones moved to New York to make her mark on the industry.
When she arrived to New York, Jones auditioned for a Broadway revival of Meet Me in St. Louis and was named understudy for the lead role—a credit to her talent despite not having any formal theatre training. Relying on talent alone could only take her so far, so Jones moved back to South Florida where she cut her teeth at local theatres; she starred in the former Caldwell Theatre’s production of Modern Orthodox by Daniel Goldfarb.
In a recent interview with BroadwayWorld Miami, Jones reflected on the importance of working in her hometown’s regional theatres. She explained, “Your hometown needs you there, too. People need theatre in smaller cities, in different cities. It’s not just about going for the brass ring— sometimes the brass ring is right there, sitting at home.”
Jones returned to New York in her 30s a seasoned actress. She secured roles in Hair, Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Pippin. Most recently, she won a Tony Award® for her role as Heidi, Evan’s mother, in Dear Evan Hansen. The musical has won six Tony Awards®, and has since gone on to tour the United States.
By Cecilia Padilla
BayRachelJones Comes Home
Photo by Matthew Murphy, Styling by RRR Creative, Assistant Styling by Nancy Flaherty, Dress by Randi Rahm
(561) 575-2223 1001 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, FL 33477
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is one of Florida’s preeminent not-for-profit professional theatres, whose mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire our community. Currently the state’s largest award-winning regional theatre, the Theatre draws nearly 100,000 people annually, serves a subscription base of more than 8,000 and has worldclass facilities in support of its Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts, which serves hundreds of youth and adults. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and has earned numerous Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s highest honor for artistic excellence, and the prestigious Bill Von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence.
