Homecoming | The heroes of the story

Get to know members of the Homecoming musical’s cast and crew

The Questions:

1. What’s your classification and major?
2. What’s your role in “Big Fish”?
3. What’s your favorite song from “Big Fish”?
4. What’s your favorite thing about “Big Fish”?
5. How do you think “Big Fish” plays into Harding’s mission?
6. Do you think you’re similar to your character? If yes, how?
7. When did you start getting involved in theatre?
8. If you couldn’t play your part in “Big Fish”, which character would you want to be?
9. If you got to choose next year’s homecoming musical, what would it be?
10. Why should people come to see “Big Fish”?

Julie Goddard

1. Julie Goddard, sophomore theatre major
2. The Witch
3. “I Don’t Need a Roof” is always stuck in my head, but I also love one of the final songs, “What’s Next?”
4. My favorite part about this musical is how it is a parallel to how we should live our lives for Christ. Edward is told the ending of his story, so he lives without fear of the future because he knows how it ends. I think that is the same way we as Christians should live. We know that Jesus died for us and that we have salvation in Him, so we should live our lives without limitations. God did not call us to be timid but to live as big as we can dream.
5. “Big Fish” goes with Harding’s mission because the more we connect with people in our community through our theatre productions, the more we can build relationships rooted in Christ.
6. I think my character is so mysterious and powerful, which is definitely fun to bring to the stage, but I connect with her through her passion for wanting Edward to know the truth, because she sees the good in him.
7. I would watch musicals on VHS when I was 3 or 4 and sing along to every word. The first production that I was able to perform in was when I got to play Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” at a theatre back home in Oklahoma in the winter of 2016. Ever since then, it’s all I could ever imagine doing.
8. If I couldn’t be the Witch, I would want to be Jenny Hill.
9. I would love to see Harding do “Dear Evan Hansen” or “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Both stories are full of redemption and finding yourself, and the music in both shows are hauntingly beautiful.
10. People should come to see “Big Fish” because of the impactful characters, the unforgettable music and the themes of love and forgiveness that everyone can relate to. What better way to see God’s love for us than through a show that highlights the incredible love a father has for his son?

Brenna Bishop

1. Brenna Bishop, sophomore theatre design/production major
2. Calling stage manager
3. Either “Stranger” or “I Don’t Need a Roof.”
4. How unified this company is. Everyone is so talented and kind that it has made this production a dream to work on.
5. It’s a message of ensuring that you understand someone and truly take the time to get to know them before making a judgment about them. By doing that, you can learn things that you never would have known and become close to people you otherwise would never have talked to.
6. This position is really the perfect match between my personality and my passions, because I have the opportunity to be involved with the theatre without having to perform.
7. I started with theatre in the sixth grade through my home church, got bit by the theatre bug and have been doing it ever since.
8.  I would play Sandra; she gets to sing some gorgeous songs.
9.  I’d love for us to do either one of the golden age musicals, like “The Music Man” or “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” or something modern with a good story, like maybe “Finding Neverland.”
10.  Once the show begins, the audience will absolutely fall in love with every character, while hearing a message that this world could really use right now.

Olivia Dunn

1. Olivia Dunn, freshman theatre and Spanish major
2. Josephine, Will Bloom’s wife
3. “I Don’t Need a Roof” or “Red, White, and True”
4. The family story behind the plot. There are always moments when we bicker with members of our family or we don’t understand why a family member acts a certain way, but “Big Fish” reminds us that there’s always a meaning behind the stories/actions. And you might even find that when you take the time to understand, it becomes what you love most.
5. In my short time here at Harding, I have already been able to see the tight-knit community we have. The characters in “Big Fish” form a type of community who brings each other up.
6. I am pretty similar to Josephine in a lot of ways, but there are many things about Josephine that I aspire to be. Josephine is actually a newscaster for national television in New York City. She and Will met in Baghdad while Josephine was reporting on a story. This I aspire to be — independent and driven. She knows what she wants, and when she sees it, she goes for it with all she has.
7. I began theatre at 6 years old. Since then, I have fallen more in love with the art form every day.
8. I would definitely want to be Sandra.
9. Definitely, “Legally Blonde The Musical.” The music is phenomenal and the show is hilarious yet heartwarming. Also, Elle Woods is my dream role, so that wouldn’t hurt.
10. School is stressful. We all need a night free of concern, and the cast of “Big Fish” can offer you this with a heartwarming tale full of mermaids, werewolves, giants and more. It’s going to be an incredible show. When everyone is talking about how good it is, you’ll feel left out if you can’t join in on the conversation.

Allie Scott

1. Allie Scott, sophomore theatre major
2. Sandra Bloom
3. “What’s Next?” or “Out There on the Road”
4. The storyline. It’s simply about a father and son trying to connect and understand each other. Realism and fantasy collide, and it’s beautiful.
5. One of the many themes woven into this show is, “How would you live your life if you knew how it all ended already?” Guess what? For children of God, we do. So, why are we so afraid to step out and do those seemingly scary things? Live your life to the fullest.
6. Sandra is very whimsical and witty, and she is a dreamer — all things I’d like to think I could say about myself.
7. From the very beginning. I did my first stage show when I was 6.
8. The Witch or Karl if I was a man.
9. “Finding Neverland”
10. This story will touch families of all different kinds. The most uplifting part of this musical is that it ends exactly how it’s supposed to. It ends with hope — hope for a better and brighter future and hope for the next generation and the legacy that we will tell of those that came before us.

Chantel Ceaser

1. Chantel Ceaser, sophomore music major
2. Ensemble member
3. “Red, White, and True”
4. The cast and crew. I love working with extremely talented people that you can learn from and grow as a performer with.
5. The show is showing how a community of people shaped a person’s life and how, no matter what happens in life as long as you have God and great people around you, you will leave a legacy behind that will keep influencing people.
6. For one of my characters, I’m a cheerleader. So, I think I’m very much like that character seeing as I’ve cheered for seven years.
7. I started in theatre last year. “Big Fish” is the first musical I’ve been a part of.
8. I would want to play the giant. I would love to know how it feels to be tall for once.
9. In my dreams, I want us to do “Bring It On” the musical.
10. I think people should come to see “Big Fish” because the message is a message I believe everyone should know. We’ve worked extremely hard on it, the cast is talented beyond measure, and it’s a show that everyone can connect to.

Maxwell Ross

1. Maxwell Ross, sophomore theatre and finance major
2. Edward Bloom
3. “Out There on the Road”
4. It’s a genuine story. This is probably the best-written show that I have been a part of. It makes you feel real emotion and, in essence, that is the main goal of theatre.
5. The whole show is about “would you live your life any differently if you knew how you died?” I think that we, as Christians, should always be living to reach our eternal home in heaven. However, when you think about the daily things that you do and the choices that you make, you have to think, “Does this take me closer to heaven?” I think it is a message to the Christian way of life to always be wary of what you do and to be constantly glowing with the light of Christ.
6. He is a very outgoing person with a huge personality, which I can relate to. He is also very caring about the people around him. If you know anything about the Enneagram [test], the cast decided that Edward would be a 3, and I am a 3. So, I find myself in a lot of his actions and his motives.
7. I was 8 years old. The first show that I did was with a traveling theatre company called The Missoula Children’s Theatre. They traveled to different cities and put on a week-long camp where they would work towards putting on a full show at the end of the week. We did the “Little Mermaid.”
8. Amos, for sure. He’s a wacky circus owner and werewolf, and he would just be super fun to play.
9. “Finding Neverland”
10. It’s so different than what we have done in the past. It is the perfect mix of heart-wrenching scenes and toe-tapping songs that get stuck in your head. It is a whole mess of fun and I guarantee that you will not regret seeing it.