Jaley Hoyt

It seems poetic that my very first college show was a musical, and so was my very last. Cabaret is an icon, and now holds a special place in my heart. I admit that I went into the rehearsal process with my eyes set upon the role of Sally Bowles, (what an amazing resume builder!) so being cast as a Klub Girl was a minor disappointment, but one I could live with. All in all, I am grateful to have been given a role at all, and being a chorus member for this show was a ridiculous amount of fun...and sweat.

One of the things I have been most self conscious about when it concerns musicals is my lack of dancing ability. I have, in the past, been blessed with roles that did not require much dancing. I can sing and I can act, but when it comes to moving my feet, that is something that my brain simply could not compute.

But with Cabaret, I had no choice but to figure it out, considering that with the placement of a lot of the numbers I was at the front., not to mention also in the very intimate Miller theatre, where every mistake is obvious.. I discovered that almost more important than knowing how to dance is the ability to learn choreography. Through much struggle, that is exactly what I did. The revealing clothing was not a problem (I have gotten much more confident with my body since freshman year) and the singing and reacting was easy, so having the challenge of dance was something new. I think I did all right.

I was also the Gorilla, which was very fun. Though the costume was hot and hard to breath in, the reaction of the audience during my scene made it more than worth it, and I had a good time with the physicality involved.

I also assisted Lisa Quinteros with costumes for the show.