NMT Interview
Name: Jessica Humphrey
What do you do outside of blogging? Outside of blogging, I am pursuing my Masters in Musical Theatre at San Diego State University. When I am not in class, studying or in rehearsal, I study wine and practice Bikram yoga. I also work as an assistant in the school’s Musical Theatre Archive, a vocal coach and a babysitter. In addition, this next summer “break” I will be performing as Anybodys in West Side Story, learning to play the ukelele and focusing my attention on a pet project about rap in musical theatre.
Favorite musical: My favorite musical of the week (since I really can’t have an all-time favorite) is The Light in the Piazza. I am currently working on a project about Adam Guettel and am constantly being reminded of how intricate his work is and how much it deeply affects me. This show, in particular, was a favorite of mine when I was fifteen years old and is one of the reasons I started to pursue a career and education in musical theatre. The amazing performances, the rich music, and the touching story were devoured by a small girl in Dallas, Texas who listened to it over and over in her bedroom wondering how she could get to be in such a wonderful production. The Light in the Piazza has always reminded me that I belong in the musical theatre community, besides just appreciating its overall brilliance.
What are you interested in blogging about this spring? I am very interested in exploring topics such as:
Finding your type/auditions
College auditions for Bachelor’s and Masters programs
Influence of rap in musical theatre
Specific Golden Age composers and their contemporary counterparts
Underrated musicals and songs
What are your non-theater interests? I love to study wine! I am hoping to someday pursue a sommelier certification, but for now, I love visiting wineries and learning the basics. I also love to be active. My favorite ways to sweat include Bikram yoga, stand up paddle boarding, swimming, and, of course, dancing! I come from a heavy ballet background, so I try to take it as often as possible. I also love to travel! All it takes is a destination, an audiobook and my car to make me very happy!
Favorite contemporary MT song: Such a hard question! Some of my favorite NMT composers are Brad Ross, Pasek and Paul, and Bobby Cronin, but right now I am obsessed with Drew Gasparini. I specifically remember having “Dear Lucy/Dear Tom” on repeat for probably a month back in late 2012. I’m not sure why certain songs attract certain people, but I could not get enough of this piece! I think his music, especially this song, captures a character’s innermost thoughts and shares them in a completely relatable way. His pieces are complex without being complicated, and simple without being easy- a fun combination for a singer and an actor!