“Start spreading the news, they’re leaving today…” That’s the song two 2024 Sterling College Theatre graduates Emily Jones and Rachel Thomson will be singing in September as they head to New York, New York, in pursuit of their dreams of “making it” in the theatre world. 

Jones and Thomson wasted no time in jumping into their professional theatre careers with summer theatre positions. Jones was in Technical Theatre at the world-renowned Santa Fe Opera Company in Santa Fe, N.M., and Thomson as part of the resident performer ensemble at Crane River Theatre Company in Kearney, Neb.

Jones quickly became an integral part of the technical side of theatre at Sterling and worked on almost every show during her four years. Her primary focus was in lighting, sound, and set design but she also found herself onstage a couple times. She knew early on that her interest was in the technical theatre area. She had been immersed in theatre set, lights, and sound while at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita where her father Jack Jones was Tech Theatre Director. 

Jones worked at four summer theatres during her time at Sterling College including Black Hills Playhouse in SD and at Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City. But nothing compared to her experience at Santa Fe Opera (SFO) this summer. SFO produces five operas which are presented in repertory over one summer season – meaning they are produced in the same space multiple times a week. So, each show has to be torn down and a new show assembled in a matter of hours between performances. 

“It’s kind of nuts the way Santa Fe works, but they have a very unique way of doing things because of the turn-around time,” Jones said. One of the most challenging tasks for Jones was “working the deck” in which she had to reset lights during intermission for the opera Der Rosenkavalier.

Jones found herself working alongside other theatre apprentices from schools like New York University, Carnegie Mellon, and Boston University. 

“I admit to having a bit of ‘imposter syndrome’ at first,” Jones said. “But I was as eager to learn and worked as hard as the others and I think they saw that I could make a lot happen with a little. That’s what I have had to do.” Jones received the Jame Irven Staley Memorial Award for Outstanding Technical Theatre Apprentice from Santa Fe Opera as the company closed their summer season last week.  

On the performance side of things, Rachel Thomson played two musical roles at Crane River Theatre this summer: Babette the feather duster in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: the Carole King musical. She also served as Dance Captain in both shows. 

Thomson has done extensive work in musicals not only during her Buhler High School years but also as part of the Sterling Community Theatre Troupe and Hutchinson’s Family Community Theatre. 

Thomson said, “I have never worked with an actor as talented as Claire Flynn who played Carole King in the show. She was consistently pushing me to be a better performer. Everything she did seemed effortless and beautiful (no pun intended!) and it was so easy to play a role like Cynthia alongside her. Plus, Cynthia is such a copy and paste of my humor and personality! By the end of the show on the last night, we were shedding real tears to the song ‘You’ve Got a Friend!’”

This was Thomson’s second summer stock experience. Last summer she performed at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse in Bemidji, MN. “I think the beauty of summer stock theatre contracts is that you are working alongside lots of different people in different places in their lives,” Thomson said. 

Three of Thomson’s fellow cast members this summer have “booked” national tours of musicals heading on the road this fall. “What’s so great about summer stock theatre, and Crane River Theatre specifically, is that no matter where you are in your journey, the people around you are going to be supportive and uplifting no matter what. It was a JOY to work with every single person that I shared the stage with,” Thomson said. 

Thomson felt “well prepared” for her summer stock experiences due to her wealth of experience she received while at Sterling College where she was in a total of 12 shows over five semesters including 10 musicals of which she choreographed four and was assistant choreographer for the other six. She also credits her director/instructors: Sasha Hildebrand, Marisa Callan, Stephen English, and Dennis and Betsy Dutton. 

Thomson and Jones plan to move to New York City later in September where they each have made contacts within the “business” already. Thomson said, “I can’t wait to be at in person auditions, get back into dance classes and voice lessons, and obviously to be IN NEW YORK!”

Jones has a one-day tech theatre job lined up thanks to a contact from Santa Fe Opera who also happens to work for Saturday Night Live. With his help, Jones has been contacting several off-Broadway theatres to get on their work lists. “It’s a matter of making connections, doing the work, and being reliable,” she said. She is excited, too, for the time of self-discovery to see what opportunities await her and how she can apply herself to creating a future in the business. 

Thomson said, “It’s my favorite place in the world so I’m just blessed with the opportunity to be able to move my life there and with one of my best friends! Like the song says, ‘If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere!’” 

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kan., with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu