MJ The Musical Ambassador Blog

By Ella 

Last night, I had the privilege of attending my first show, MJ The Musical, at DPAC as a Performing Arts Ambassador! Before the show, all of us were called early to sit in on a meeting with the house staff and volunteers, where we got to experience what the day-to-day, or rather night-to-night, is like for the staff of a theater like DPAC. From there, I headed out to my assigned volunteer spot, as a greeter on the American Tobacco Campus. The adult volunteer I shadowed, Jean, helped show me and my fellow Ambassador, Adam Douglas, how to work this position. As guests arrived from the parking deck, we greeted them as they approached DPAC, with a "good evening, welcome to DPAC!", and offering directions to the theater if guests were confused. After our shift was over, we returned to DPAC, ten minutes before the show began. 

MJ is a jukebox musical, meaning it takes pre existing music, in this case, Michael Jackson’s, and combines it with a story (the lead up to his 1990s Dangerous World Tour). The entire cast was so engaged, and each actor made their character incredibly believable, with specific emphasis on Jamaal Fields-Green, who played MJ at this performance. For me, the technical elements were the coolest part of MJ. The lighting design was immaculate and helped make every scene special. The scenic design was innovative and did a great job of transforming from the rehearsal space to the varying spaces occupied in MJ’s memories.

After the show, the Ambassadors had a special talk back experience, where we got to meet and ask questions to MJ’s company manager, drummer, and Devin Bowles, who played Rob/Joe in the show. It was a super cool experience to get some behind the scenes insight into the show we just watched. All in all, it was an amazing first show as an Ambassador, and I look forward to many future experiences!