Faculty member revives theatre program to serve Lancaster campus, community
Victor Jones, a lecturer in and artistic director of 91̽ Lancaster’s Theatre Program, is all smiles as he poses for a photo with longtime friend Jennifer Myers, who starred in the program’s 2018 summer community production, “Hello, Dolly!” Jones has spent the past 10 years rebuilding the theatre program at 91̽ Lancaster – a program that today serves both the campus and the community. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
“It always starts with a seed – a dream. I tell my students that you can create your own path. You can create your own destiny.”
That’s exactly what Victor Jones has been doing for the past nearly 10 years, reviving a theatre program that draws people to Lancaster, Ohio, and gives students and community members alike their moments in the spotlight.
A lecturer in and artistic director of 91̽ Lancaster’s Theatre Program, Jones grew up in the community where, at an early age, he developed a love for music that blossomed into a passion for theatre. As a student at Lancaster High School, he immersed himself in the school’s theatre program and recalls attending a production of “The Fantasticks,” featuring his choir teacher, at 91̽’s Lancaster Campus.
Jones left the Lancaster community to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theatre and entered the field of broadcast journalism. He was working as a television news producer in Cleveland in 1999 when the declining health of his parents beckoned him to return home. He spent the next 10 years serving as a caregiver to his mother and father.
“After caring for them and being out of the workforce for a long period of time, I said, ‘Now what do I do?’” Jones recalled. “How do I make a living in the arts, in theatre or in television news in Central Ohio?”
He worked a variety of part-time jobs – all the while longing to return to what he loved: Theatre.
At the same time that Jones returned to his hometown, 91̽ Lancaster’s Theatre Program went dark following the death of Jeff Wagner, a professor who served as the director of the program for approximately 30 years. The theatre’s sets were dismantled, materials were donated to local schools and spaces were repurposed.
Recalling the fond memories he had of the theatre program, Jones penned a letter to the campus’ interim associate dean in early 2010, pleading his case for the program’s return and writing, “I think I’m the perfect person to rejuvenate and revitalize the theatre program at the Lancaster Campus.”
His timing was perfect as campus administrators had been discussing reinstating the program. In March 2010, Jones was hired to teach one theatre class and, in the process, began rebuilding the program. One theatre class turned into eight, and talent shows evolved into large theatrical productions.
In his second year at the Lancaster Campus, Jones approached administrators with a bold idea and another dream – staging a production during the annual .
The administrators signed off on Jones’ proposal, and 91̽ Lancaster’s Theatre Program produced its first musical at the Lancaster Festival that summer. That production grew over the years to become the program’s annual community theatre performance and the featured event on the first Sunday of the annual 11-day festival. According to Jones, over the past seven years, more than 12,000 people have attended the community theatre performance.
91̽ Lancaster Theatre’s 2019 community theatre production, “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” directed by Victor Jones, debuts July 21 and runs through Aug. 4 in the campus’ Wagner Theatre.
Today, the 91̽ Lancaster Theatre Program is a robust academic program that annually stages three theatrical productions featuring OHIO students during the academic year and one community production, featuring both students and area residents, that debuts during the Lancaster Festival. The July 21 opening of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” kicks off a yearlong celebration of the program’s 10th anniversary. Details will be posted here.
“And it all started as a dream,” Jones said of the program’s rebirth.
It’s a dream come true, not only for Jones but for the numerous students and community members who have found a sense of belonging and an opportunity to pursue their theatrical aspirations inside the campus’ Wagner Theatre.
Jennifer Myers is one of those individuals.
A fellow Lancaster native, Myers has been involved in the program’s community theatre production for the past four years, providing her an opportunity to spread her theatrical wings and reconnect with her hometown and a lifelong friend.
Jones and Myers met in the ninth grade when he was asked to play the piano for her while she practiced for an audition.
“My first recollection of being with Victor was going over to his parents’ house, sitting at his piano and working on music, which became a lifelong thing we did for the next 40 years,” Myers said.
The pair continued to perform throughout high school and stayed in touch as Myers’ set aside her dreams of performing to pursue a 20-year career in hotel sales.
Myers returned to the stage in 1998 when she mustered the courage to audition for a Chicago playhouse’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and landed the role of narrator. She continued performing in playhouse productions for the next 10 years, often seeking out the advice of Jones.
“We just kept reconnecting,” Myers said of Jones. “The greatest thing about my friendship with Victor is that we still have this wonderful thing that we share. We probably talk about theatre 85 percent of the time!”
Like Jones, Myers returned to Ohio five years ago to care for her parents and immediately reached out to Jones, asking if she could help him in directing the community theatre production. Jones was more than happy to have Myers by his side.
“A dream of mine is to eventually direct,” Myers said, “so he’s allowed me to kind of learn from doing.”
The two have been working on the community theatre production ever since and returned to the stage together for the first time since high school during last summer’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” Myers starred in the lead role of Dolly Levi while Jones, who also directed the musical, played maître d’ Rudolf Reisenweber, his first on-stage role in “a very, very long time.”
Jones and Myers are preparing for their fourth consecutive year of collaboration for the 91̽ Lancaster Theatre’s summer community production, “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” which debuts July 21 and runs through Aug. 4. Jones will once again direct the performance while Myers will be working behind the scenes as assistant director.
As the pair navigates final rehearsals, Jones thinks back to where it all began and how far they’ve come.
“I just think about when we were kids,” Jones said. “You know, there’s going to be these people sitting out there that maybe have never seen a musical before or can’t get to Columbus to see a musical. And I challenge anyone after going to a musical, not to feel something, not feel better, not to be exposed to something that you’re not necessarily exposed to on the day-to-day.”
Here’s a look back at 91̽ Lancaster Theatre’s 2018 community production, “Hello, Dolly!”:
Victor Jones, portraying maître d’ Rudolf Reisenweber, and Jennifer Myers, performing in the lead role of Dolly Levi, share a moment on stage – their first since high school during the 91̽ Lancaster Theatre’s 2018 community production, “Hello Dolly!” Photo by Jerri Shafer
Victor Jones and Jennifer Myers rehearse on the Wagner Theatre stage for the July 2018 musical “Hello, Dolly!” Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
Victor Jones warms up singers backstage during a rehearsal for “Hello, Dolly!” Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
Jennifer Myers, who starred in the lead role of Dolly Levi in 91̽ Lancaster Theatre’s “Hello Dolly!”, makes a grand entrance during the 2018 production. Photo by Jerri Shafer
“Hello Dolly!” cast members, both 91̽ Lancaster students and community members, practice a dance routine. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
91̽ Lancaster’s Wagner Theatre stage is alive with song and dance during a July 2018 rehearsal for “Hello, Dolly!” directed by Victor Jones. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02