JERSEY BOYS Volunteer Spotlight
You may know their names or recognize their faces, but now it’s time to meet the incredible team helping to make the magic happen for JERSEY BOYS. These volunteers have dedicated their time and talent to this production (and many others) and we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on them!
Tell us a little about yourself!
Patrick Hedges – I’m from Hannibal, MO where I work as a Crisis Stabilization Unit Case Manager for Mark Twain Behavioral Health. I have been married to my wife, Molly for 18 years and have a 16-year-old daughter and two dogs, Moxie and Mia. I enjoy watching St. Louis Cardinals Baseball and watching my daughter dance for the HHS dance team. I also work part-time during the summer season at the Mark Twain Riverboat in Hannibal as a deckhand.
Ruth Kummerow – I was born in London, England, and grew up in Bolivia in South America. I moved to Michigan for college in 2004. In 2008, I moved to Pittsfield, IL to start teaching Spanish at Western High School in Barry. I moved to Quincy in November 2024 so I could be closer to QCT!
Bailey McNamar – My name is Bailey McNamar. I live in Quincy but I moved here from a small town in Missouri when I was in 6th grade. I am an identical twin, but I’m technically the youngest out of all my siblings. One of my big passions in life is stage management and backstage crew. My twin sister, Becca, is also a stage manager. Fun fact, last year I was the Assistant Stage Manager for QCT’s production of NEWSIES, while at the same time Becca, was the Stage Manager of Quad City Music Guild’s production of NEWSIES. I think it’s neat that we were working on the same show in similar roles, miles apart. This year at QCT I was the Stage Manager for SIX: TEEN EDITION and you might have seen me as Tour Manager for QCT’s On The Road show, JACK AND PHIL, SLAYERS OF GIANTS, INC.
How did you get involved with QCT?
Patrick – I was encouraged by several QCT volunteers to give it a shot and on a whim decided to try out for “LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE”. I absolutely fell in love with the QCT community and have continued to come back.
Ruth – I discovered my love of theatre in 2017. I watched the movie “La La Land” and I was dancing through the mall afterward, commenting that I wished my life was a musical. My spouse suggested that I be in a musical, which I had never considered. I looked up opportunities in the area and found that Quincy Community Theatre was putting on HELLO, DOLLY! I auditioned and thankfully, I was cast. Being in HELLO, DOLLY! changed my life. I fell in love with theatre. The people and community that I found at QCT were everything I needed. I have been volunteering ever since.
Bailey – My aunt signed me up for an improv class at QCT when I was in junior high and I did one year of Triple Threat Bootcamp when I was in high school. Then I didn’t do much with QCT until college. In the summer of 2021, Seth Campbell (QCT’s Technical Director at the time) was one of my professors at Culver-Stockton College. He asked if I wanted to be on the crew for CHICAGO. Seth has been a major positive influence on my love of all things technical theatre. So of course I said yes. This was post-quarantine and QCT’s second time doing CHICAGO. I was one of the Spotlight Operators up in the Stage Manager Booth. This was my first QCT show and my first time ever being on a light crew. I loved every second of it. I learned something new, got to watch the show every night, and the cast and crew were so much fun to work with. After that, I was hooked but it would be awhile before I could truly integrate myself into QCT. I still had to graduate college first.
What is your role in/for JERSEY BOYS?
Patrick – I am playing Frankie Valli.
Ruth – I am the Stage Manager for JERSEY BOYS.
Bailey – Assistant Stage Manager
How much did you know about JERSEY BOYS before being a part of this show? What made you want to get involved?
Patrick – I really didn’t know much about the history of The Four Seasons, but I grew up with parents who continually played and exposed me to music from that era. Plus, I have always been enamored by the voice of Frankie Valli and the ease at which he was able to sing his songs.
Ruth – I was not very familiar with JERSEY BOYS before getting involved. I had seen the film version, but I have never seen it on stage. I knew that it was a male-heavy show, so I hadn’t thought to audition for it. When Burgundy asked if I would stage manage, I jumped at the opportunity to spend my summer at QCT. QCT is my happy place and I love working with a committed group of people to create something incredible to share with our community.
Bailey – I knew barely anything about JERSEY BOYS. I knew it was based on the group, The Four Seasons. I know of a couple of their songs like “Sherry” and “Beggin’”. Ultimately, I decided to get involved because Ethan, QCT’s new Artistic Director, and the director of JERSEY BOYS. I loved working with him when he was the Guest Director for NEWSIES, so I knew I had to be a part of this show too.
What is the most challenging part of the process of doing a show?
Patrick – For me, it’s not putting too much pressure on myself to make it perfect.
Ruth – This is a tough question, there are so many challenging parts that when everything comes together as it should it is so rewarding. From finding the right props, set pieces, and costumes to create the perfect image. Making sure actors and crew members can be where they need to be when they need to be there every time despite what may happen behind the scenes. Blending voices to sound incredible on stage. Creating choreography that everyone is capable of doing and looks impressive on stage. Depending on everyone to remember their lines and blocking from rehearsals. Making sure light cues and scene changes are timed to work around entrances and exits and make every transition work seamlessly. It all has to come together to create the magic of live theatre.
Bailey – Staying focused. There can be many things happening all at once at any given moment. Trying to stay organized and keep everything running smoothly can be difficult.
What is something about the process of doing a show that audiences may not know or realize?
Patrick – I would have to say the amount of hours spent putting shows together from conception to performance.
Ruth – A lot of time goes into putting on a show. As the stage manager, I am at every rehearsal, which means I am at the theatre every weeknight from 5:30-10:30. I also have production meetings once a week for an hour. I send out daily emails reminding the cast of what is on the rehearsal schedule and then send out rehearsal reports every night to the production team so they can stay informed about what is happening in rehearsals. I am basically the communication hub between everyone, so I field questions from the cast, crew, and the production team throughout the day as well.
Bailey – Theatre is not just what you see happening onstage. It’s a collaborative effort put together by a group of people from all different backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences. Without each and every one of those people, the show isn’t possible. That’s what makes it so exhilarating. There are hours upon hours of time put in to create this story for the audience to see. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush that happens when the curtain opens and the lights come up.
Talk about creating the world of JERSEY BOYS from your or your character’s point of view.
Patrick – I want the audience to leave the theater being able to relate to Frankie Valli in some way and create a connection through the music of The Four Seasons.
Ruth – We have a great production team that is working hard to create our JERSEY BOYS world. Gretchen Wolfmeyer is already pulling and hunting down props to use. Susan Scholz and Jayden Dreyer are planning and pulling costumes and wigs for the cast. Lorne Kelley and Harrison Clarke are busy planning and collecting supplies to build the set pieces. Russell Long is working on lighting plots. Hayley Wallenfeldt has created the design for the set. Jessi Sparks is working on the vocals with the cast. Cheryl Kaiser is creating the choreography. With all these wonderfully talented people, I can focus on keeping everyone organized and in touch with one another.
Bailey – As ASM my main role is support. Supporting the Director, Stage Manager, Production Team, QCT Staff, cast, and crew. So when creating the world of JERSEY BOYS, I make sure everyone has the tools they need to make that possible. Whether that’s grabbing a prop for an actor to use, helping set up the rehearsal space, or spike-taping set pieces. I take care of small things so everyone else can focus on the larger aspect of bringing the show to life.
What would you say to encourage someone to get involved at QCT?
Patrick – When I first auditioned, I was nervous and did not know what I was getting into, but I was glad I did because the relationships I have made will last a lifetime. Honestly, I wish I had volunteered years ago.
Ruth – Try it; you don’t know what you are missing!
Bailey – If you are nervous, start small. Take a class or come to a build day. There are so many different ways to get involved. Come audition, come work in the costume shop, usher, paint, and so much more. The really cool thing about QCT is that it doesn’t matter if you’ve done 100 shows or 0 shows, all you have to do is show up and be willing to learn. The people you meet want you to be there. I’ve made so many friends and connections because of QCT. It has become such an important part of my life. I want other people to experience the joy that it brings for themselves.