Musical theatre and biology double major senior Patrick Jones (pictured above) has performed in many shows from the Geneseo Musical Theatre Department. Recently, he began performing at the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester (courtesy of Patrick Jones).
With two majors that seem like an unlikely pairing, musical theatre and biology double major senior Patrick Jones has made the most of his four years at Geneseo.
“I’ve definitely maximized my education at Geneseo through doing both of these majors that don’t overlap at all,” Jones said. “I very much enjoy having all aspects of that.”
According to Jones, the differences between his majors, while challenging, have added a lot of value to his experience. “Through my biology courses I get to learn a lot, it’s more of a classic educational environment,” he said.
His musical theatre major, however, is where his passion really comes through. “Doing theatre doesn’t feel like work anymore,” Jones said.
Just a few weeks ago, Jones played Charles Guiteau in Geneseo’s production of “Assassins.” This role was especially challenging for Jones, since the character is based on the real-life assassin of President James A. Garfield.
“It was mentally exhausting,” Jones said. “Just because he’d switch so quickly from being angry and upset to being really happy.”
One of his favorite parts of playing Guiteau was that “it also had its comedic moments,” which he enjoyed.
Other than playing roles that are comedic in nature, one of Jones’ favorite parts of musical theatre is the dancing. Jones has been taking dance classes for eight years, but one form of dance stood out to him.
“I started taking beginner level tap, jazz and lyrical classes. Then I realized that I really like tap,” Jones said. “It’s one of the dances that I find most natural, it’s easiest for me. I really like the rhythm of it and how it’s very fast-paced and you always have to be thinking.”
Beyond performing in Geneseo’s musical theatre productions, Jones was elected by his peers to be part of a group that chooses the musical theatre department’s shows for the year. The Play Selection Committee, composed of musical theatre faculty and two elected students, discuss what shows they are interested in doing this semester, according to Jones. This year, there were a lot of factors that went into choosing the musicals.
“For this year we were thinking about ‘Damn Yankees,’ which is a classical golden age musical that’s from an earlier time,” Jones said. “Then we have ‘Assassins,’ which is Sondheim. We did ‘Urinetown’ in the fall … that was more contemporary,” he explained.
According to Jones, the value of choosing musicals from different time periods is that it allows for an enriching educational experience.
“This is educational theatre, so we want everyone to get as much as they can from it,” Jones said.
Outside of Geneseo, Jones has also performed in shows at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester. His recent credits include roles in “A Christmas Carol” and “La Cage aux Folles.”
“[Geva] was an incredible experience because you’re surrounded by people just as, if not more, passionate about theatre,” Jones said.
His time at Geva plays an important part in his professional career as an actor, especially because he received equity credit for his performances. These credits qualify him for The Equity Membership Candidate program.
“I have points, which means that I am prioritized in auditioning for equity theatre over people who have no points,” Jones said. “I’m still not given an audition time slot like equity actors; however, this is still a big deal … It’s awesome to leave college and have some of these under your belt.”
While the equity credit will benefit Jones in his future endeavors, it also had sentimental value.
“It reminded me of how passionate I am to do this and really solidified my claim to go to the city and pursue theatre,” Jones said. “If not acting then in some sort of artistic or directorial way.”
To see Jones and many more members of Geneseo’s Musical Theatre Department, come see “Damn Yankees” from April 1 through 5.