Mamma Mia to run Nov. 6-8

After rehearsing the musical “Mamma Mia” for a few months, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) High School English teacher and theater director Teagan Knoblich says she is thrilled to see the fruits of her labor. The play will run in the JWP auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. from November 6 to 8, with an additional performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

 

When one witnesses how Knoblich interacts with the students onstage as she rotates set designs, communicates to the students about timing and coaches them about their characters, she can leave quite an impression.

 

“Some of that came from grad school,” Knoblich said when asked about her efficiency and timeliness. “I’ve also helped out with productions since I first started teaching here, in one way or another.”

 

She also said she feels like she grows sharper every year with each performance since she learns something new and acquires a stronger sense of where her students need to be in the performances at a certain time. 

 

Knoblich mentioned two observations specifically about rehearsals for Mamma Mia. The first is that her students picked up the music quickly because the musical group ABBA has returned in full force with its popularity.

 

“I was just thinking recently about how it’s a leg up for learning all the music because everyone knows most of it already and there are twice the musical numbers than in other shows,” Knoblich stated. “It almost makes me want there to be more musical numbers out there that are based on a character log.”

 

The second observation she made had to do with changing her mind about how she thought about “Mamma Mia” in general.

 

“It’s funny because when I’m watching the musical, I’m kinda of nonplussed about it and think it’s a cheesy rom-com,” Knoblich noted. “But when it’s performed onstage, there’s a lot of room for the kids to creatively add some funny stuff like their expressions or how they move. So I’m getting way more enjoyment out of it than I anticipated.”

 

Since Knoblich must work within a budget, she says she uses her resources to the best of her ability. She’s also grateful to the volunteers like the Johnson family who donated a generous amount of time for a couple rotating set designs pieces which she has been able to reuse.

 

Carol Langford, who has a musical background, has also assisted Knoblich and Borneke with teaching the high school students the songs and choreography for Mamma Mia.

 

Knoblich expressed her gratitude for families who have pitched in and fed the students meals over the rehearsal times.

 

Senior Katelyn Olson plays Donna,  mother to Sophie, who investigates to discover who her father is. Formerly, she performed in “The Little Mermaid” at JWP as one of the sisters three years ago.

 

With it being her last year in high school, Olson said she thought she might as well go for auditions and was excited when she learned she received one of the major roles.

 

“I was very shocked when I got Donna and from there, it was easy to fall into character,” Olson stated.

 

What helps to put herself in the shoes of this current character, Donna, is that Olson shared her family’s shared obsession of the movie musical. Since she described as having seen it “at least a hundred times,” she draws most inspiration from there.

 

“But to make it different, I make the big scenes like ‘Winner takes it all' heartfelt rather than angry,” Olson said.

 

 In her own life, Olson finds it hard to become really upset over a situation so that’s one aspect of her character development she’s working through. Otherwise she said, between rehearsal times and when she’s not at school, she’s played the “Mamma Mia” soundtrack on repeat.

 

Another challenge she has worked through is becoming comfortable with her voice on stage.

“I have never really sung before and I don’t think my family has really heard me sing,” Olson shared. “It’s my first time singing in front of other people. Becky Bornecke has been so helpful to me and makes me feel like I’m a superstar.”

 

As far as her favorite musical number in the whole drama, Olson said she really enjoys “Money, Money.”

 

“I can go from hopeless to being in a different world and have a lot of fun with that,” she said.

Olson said she would encourage anyone who wants to try something new, to stop thinking about it and just do it.

 

“I’d say from experience, don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone,” Olson said.

 

Travyn Shoultz plays Sam Carmichael, one of Donna’s past love interests whose profession is an architect. Shoultz said he has enjoyed learning where the heart of his character is. In all, Shoultz has accumulated three years of theatre at JWP. He played Bruce in “Matilda” and last year, Albert in “The Newsies.”  

 

“I give him his confidence in a way that I really haven’t seen in the movies much,” Shoultz said. “I think the way that I take the character is much more outgoing and expressive.”

 

What Schoultz said he found challenging is leaning into the professional side of Carmichael, but expressed assurance at the end of rehearsal on October 30 he has gotten the hang of what he needs to do. What helps him in his role is when he wears a button-up dress shirt with casual business black pants which provides him with the reality that he owns his company.

 

“Chest out and I’m ready to go!” he said with enthusiasm.

 

Schoultz says the most enjoyable part of the play for him is when the Flipper Boys come onstage with actual flippers during “Lay All Your Love on Me.”

 

As far as what he wished others to know about performance or about the play, Shoultz agreed with Olson.

 

“If you’re thinking about joining theatre, go out and try it,” Shoultz said. “It’s an amazing experience. Even if you think you can’t act or you can’t sing, you can have a lot of fun with the cast and crew.”