“Let’s welcome the renowned Broadway king Thayne Jasperson! Apparently, being a fan girl works for this Hamilton individual is a chill guy,” seventh grader Lilliana James announced to her class, “But in all seriousness, it is so very kind and amazing that Mr. Jasperson has provided us with this opportunity, I’m forever grateful. Enough exposition here he is!”
The life of a Broadway star is hectic going from shows to rehearsals to auditions. With eight shows a week, they only get one day off, for “Hamilton” performer Thayne Jasperson, that’s Mondays.
With this free time, “I’m often doing things like I’m doing choreography, or I’m teaching a [theater-related] class,” Jasperson said.
Yet, Tuesday, January 27, this thespian took time out of his busy schedule to do a Q&A with English teacher and Journalism Adviser Chris Lenerz’ seventh grade English class.
Jasperson plays Samuel Seabury in “Hamilton” as well as understudy John Lawrence/Philip Hamilton and King George III. He is the only original member remaining from the cast that took the stage over 10 years ago.
His other acting credits include his Broadway debut in the original “Newsies” cast, the original cast for “Matilda,” the National Tour of “West Side Story,” and so much more.
Years of hard work and training paid off when he got he first big job in the ensemble of 2006 movie “High School Musical.”
“So if you watch ‘Status Quo,’ you’ll see my face. I was a super young, skinny boy with short, curly hair, and I’m in the brain table,” Jasperson said.
How did a skilled actor like Jasperson end up doing a Zoom call with middle schoolers in Osprey, Florida?
It’s all thanks to James.
For Christmas, she received a video from Jasperson through Cameo, an app that allows people to get personal messages from celebrities. Her parents later presented the opportunity to go to see “Hamilton” live on Broadway.
After the performance James waited to meet some of the cast members, including Jasperson, on their way out, also known as “Stage Dooring.”
“[He] recognized my name from [Cameo],” James said. “So then after that, basically, he talked to me for like five minutes, signed my shirt…”
The next night after seeing “Wicked” she returned to the Richard Rogers Theatre, where “Hamilton” has performed since 2015. However, in an unexpected turn of events, a theater kid miracle took place.
While taking a photo, he, mid-smile, said “‘Lilliana, wait over there,’” James said recounting the interaction. “…So we waited and he took us behind the barricades, into the room. And I was amazed. I didn’t know what to say.”
James’ dad brought it up to Jasperson if he would be willing to video call with her class, and to her surprise, he agreed.
Before the Zoom, James gave a presentation to her peers providing background knowledge on Jasperson and his career, while Lenerz taught the class how to write open-ended, relevant questions that aligned with the English Language Arts standards for seventh grade. He also effective public speaking techniques with the class.
James described Jasperson as “authentic” and very “down-to-earth.”
These traits were apparent throughout the Q&A, with his anecdotes of stage mishaps and watching Barbara Streisand musicals with his mom, but even more so, when discussing the themes of “Hamilton.”
“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story, your legacy … I think that’s a beautiful thing to think that no matter what you do, how can you leave a legacy, and what is that legacy you’re going to leave?” Jasperson said. “I think at the end of the day, that’s so much of what life is about, right, it’s about loving your neighbor and finding like, how can you then be accepting of anybody and allow them to be who they are…”
He inspired the next generation of performers in the room, imparting advice on how to achieve their Broadway dreams.
“It’s totally possible, right? So what you have to do is you got to just train, train, train like crazy,” Jasperson said, “…Get into your acting lessons, get into your singing lessons, take your dance classes. You want to take all of it…”
After training, aspiring actors must prepare for auditions — and face rejection.
“There’s a lot of things I’ve auditioned for that I don’t get, and some of them where I’m like, ‘This is my next thing. This feels so right for me,’ and then I don’t get it.” Jasperson said.
Acting is not an easy profession to get into, so people must accept failure as a part of the process and learn to bounce back. This message resonated with James who, like many, gets nervous facing rejection. Though she has done theater since first grade and would love to perform on Broadway someday.
“[Jasperson] opened my eyes that you have to just try everything…”, stating if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have known to continue with all types of classes to become a well-rounded actress.
His Q&A also discussed topics related to collaboration and personal growth. Theater is a great chance to build teamwork as cast unity is vital to a show’s success. However, these skills are useful in all environments, not just theatrical ones.
“…There’s always different people and different personalities that just vibe well, and maybe some that don’t as well,” Jasperson said. “So you kind of have to open yourself up to being to being accepting of people, to finding positivity, to finding good in everybody, because really, everybody’s just trying to live life the best way they can…”
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented to Lenerz’ seventh graders has left them with the skills and wisdom they can employ throughout their lives. It all comes down to how they choose to use them.
“I think while you’re in school at your age, you can have immense growth if you want, or you can have little growth if you choose,” Jasperson said, “So you have to make the choice, right?”