Alyssa Jurgens and Samantha Schoolman Represent Notre Dame at the Missouri All-State Show

On January 9, Notre Dame juniors Alyssa Jurgens and Samantha Schoolman participated in the Missouri All-State Show Sweet Charity.

Schoolman had a principal role as a dancer, and Jurgens served on the technician crew.

Both students applied to participate in the production while attending the Missouri Thespians State Conference in St. Louis in January of 2024. Cast applicants had to submit a resume and letter of recommendation from a theatre director, as well as audition at the state conference. Technician applicants submitted a resume, letter of recommendation and portfolio of previous work before going through an interview process at the state conference.

Of 120 applicants, Schoolman and Jurgens were chosen to join the company, which included 38 students from 23 school districts across the state.

Theatre production for the show was headed by professionals and educators in the state. The show director was Marty Strohmeyer, who is the Visual & Fine Arts Department chair for Visitation Academy, and a 1991 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School.

The cast, crew and production communicated via email and Zoom calls from January to July of 2024. The group met in person in July for an eight-day camp with lines, music and choreography memorized and ready to rehearse as a group.

“We toiled away, learning dance, music, and blocking scenes,” said Schoolman. “Despite the hard work, everyone had a positive energy about them, making the atmosphere lively and dynamic.”

Jurgens and one other student were responsible for building the entire set during the one-week camp.

“I spent a week at camp building the set and painting the set,” said Jurgens. “I also got to design a mural on the back of an elevator. I got to experience using a fly system which was amazing because we don’t have one at Notre Dame, and it is something that I otherwise would have not learned without this experience. I hung some giant LED boards and learned how to use many new tools. I also learned a lot about different techniques that are used to show different things while painting and working on specific details of the set and show.”

Cast, crew and production did not see other again in person until a day before the performance.

“During the period of time between camp in July and the show in January,” said Notre Dame Theatre Director Emily Steimle, “Sam played the lead in the fall play and danced on the dance team, while Alyssa was assistant director for the fall play and is on the robotics team. Both girls managed to also keep straight A’s.”

On January 9 the company performed in front of an audience of nearly 3,000 people.

“The show was amazing,” said Steimle.

Jurgens said that the experience allowed her to gain a broader knowledge of how stage crew and set construction happens in the real world.

“I gained a lot of new skills that I can use when building the set for the future shows at Notre Dame,” Jurgens added. “Even though I am so grateful for all of these things, the most important thing I gained was many new friends!”

Schoolman expressed similar feelings.

“I gained a great deal of experience as an actress, dancer, and person over the time I spent on the All-State Musical,” said Schoolman. “I’m grateful for everything I learned and all of the amazing people I met along the way.”

Sam Schoolman (center in yellow) performs during the Missouri All-State Show, Sweet Charity.

Alyssa Jurgens (right) works on set construction during the Missouri All-State Show camp in July.