Sophomore Emily Harmon knew she belonged in theater when she first felt the encouragement of an audience.
“The best part of performing is when I finish singing and the audience applauds,” she said. “I love it because it gives me encouragement and reassurance that all my hard work paid off.”
Harmon first joined theater in middle school because she loved to dance, and now she is one of the leads in Baldwin’s spring musical 9 to 5.
Harmon said she spent most of her early years dancing.
“I danced for all of my elementary and most of my middle school years. In middle school I decided to try out for the musical because it included dancing in it,” she said. “As I kept doing shows, my love for it grew into the passion I have now.”
The premise of 9 to 5 is that three women face the patriarchal hierarchy in their office jobs. They work together to bring down their sexist boss and bring great changes to the office.
Harmon plays Judy Bernly, a new woman in the office. She said her character develops over the course of the show.
“Throughout the show, she has to learn to have more confidence and she becomes a strong woman in the end,” she said.
Harmon said her favorite song from the show is “Around Here.”
“I get to be on stage and run around. I love it because it has a strong theme of feminism,” she said.
Harmon said that pretending to be someone else helps with stage fright.
“In theater, you get to entertain. Being yourself in front of an audience is terrifying, but playing a character in front of an audience is thrilling,” she said. “It’s kind of like playing dress up in front of a bunch of people.”
Harmon has stepped up this year to prove herself as an actor and member of the public relations team, Producer Cassidy Cooper said.
“Her freshman year, she was an understudy, and she is already going into a lead role for the musical,” Cooper said. “She has definitely become more focused in theater.”
With this new increased focus, she has not lost her enthusiasm and energy.
“She brings a lot of energy to the stage and to the cast, and she’s just really full of life,” Cooper said. “She just wants to be involved, whether it’s on the stage or other committee stuff for theater. She’s a big team player.”
Harmon said that over the years, she has loved playing fun roles.
“My favorite roles so far are the ones where I get to play a comedic relief,” she said. “That’s where I just get to have fun.”
Harmon has always been a strong performer, but she has become even stronger this year due to her hard work and dedication, junior Josie Lang said. Harmon also helps bring the group together with her positive attitude, Lang said.
“She always has a really good attitude. She can always make everyone laugh,” Lang said. “She can just say one joke, and it will bring up the morale.”
Harmon fits well into her role, and she has grown into it throughout the last few months.
“She was nervous in the beginning, because it was a lot to take on,” Lang said. “But I think she got her character down, and she’s singing with a lot of emotion. She is already great now, so I cannot wait to see how she grows by showtime.”
