The Glenn Korff School of Music presents the world premiere of “The Real Gemma Jordan” on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center at 13th and R streets.
Admission to the film is free, but advanced reservations are required due to limited seating. Contact the Ross Box Office at (402) 472-5353 or online at https://go.unl.edu/gemmajordantix to reserve tickets. Formal or cocktail attire is requested. The film is not rated, but there is adult language and inappropriate content for minors.
The Glenn Korff School of Music commissioned “The Real Gemma Jordan” by composer/lyricist Rob Rokicki (“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” “Monstersongs”) and screenwriter Anna Jacobs (“Pop!”, “Harmony”). It was created during the pandemic year in 2020-2021 and filmed in August 2021.
“I saw how Bill Shomos had his cast perform his fall 2020 opera outside. I was supposed to direct the February 2021 production, and I thought there is not a chance we could perform a production reliably outside in February,” said Alisa Belflower, coordinator of musical theatre studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Instead, Rokicki and Jacobs worked with students via Zoom during the spring to prepare for filming the new musical.
“I was trying to think of something that would be valuable on the students’ resumes when they leave and a valid learning experience for them,” Belflower said. “There aren’t many people with much more impressive credentials than Rob and Anna have. They gave creative input to our students and enjoyed that process.”
“The Real Gemma Jordan” tells the story of Gemma, a young woman in Lincoln, who suffered the death of her father and became increasingly isolated during the pandemic. She and her mother have different approaches to grieving. Gemma establishes an identity online and is trying to become an influencer on social media. Her online popularity begins to grow and then she discovers that someone is impersonating her, along with her entire inner circle of friends and family. She takes a friend on a road trip to try to find the imposter. In the process of unraveling the mystery, she learns so much about what's real.
Jacquelyn vonAshwege, a junior interdisciplinary studies major from Kearney, Nebraska, plays Gemma.
“What was interesting about playing Gemma was that who she was under the surface was a girl a lot like me who was dealing with real-life things like loss, strained relationships, loneliness, and not having a sense of direction,” vonAschwege said. “What makes you fall in love with a character is their humanity, so playing a character that was so similar to who I am was special, and it helped me connect to her story.”
She said having the chance to work with Rokicki and Jacobs was a “dream.”
“We would video chat for rehearsals, some would be with Rob workshopping the songs, and others would be with Anna running lines,” vonAschwege said. “They were both lovely to work with. They gave me such positive feedback and treated me like a professional, even though I’m still a student. The kind of experience working with seasoned Broadway professionals while I’m still in college is so invaluable to me, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
Belflower co-directed the film with Husker alumnus and award-winning, independent filmmaker Alexander Jeffery (B.F.A. 2011).
“I loved Alisa’s creative approach to finding a way for her students to work on a challenging and creative project during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Jeffery said. “When everyone was going to Zoom for performances, Alisa dreamed up a more ambitious project to give her students an opportunity to create. I’m also her former student, and it was wonderful to work together in this capacity.”
Belflower enjoyed the process of filming this production.
“I really enjoyed the intimacy that the camera allowed,” she said. “On stage, there’s always an attempt to create that in different ways, and actually, it’s easier on film than it is on stage to make the audience feel like they’re in the story.”
Jeffery said Lincoln has always been a receptive place to film.
“Working with the students was fabulous,” he said. “We got to workshop the script and rehearse with the writers for months leading up to the production, so everyone was well prepared and incredibly professional. Alisa and I shared a great dynamic, and each would bring different ideas to the scenes. So much of film is repetition to get different shots and angles. The students brought an incredible energy to each take, and it made the process so much easier.”
VonAschwege said it was different for her performing for a camera.
“This was my first time acting for a film so there’s definitely a learning curve switching from stage to screen,” she said. “With stage and theatre acting, you have to exaggerate facials and gestures so that you can be understood by an audience member in the back row of a balcony. Camera acting is more subtle and nuanced than stage acting, so you can be more realistic in your expressions and movements as a character.”
Belflower said the film has accomplished her goal of giving the students the experience of working with professional Broadway composers, screenwriters as well as a professional film crew.
“Despite the challenges, it did accomplish my goal of giving the students an artistic, valid experience, despite pandemic restrictions,” she said.
“I think the film is ambitious, and the songs are beautiful,” Jeffery said. “It’s a road movie, so capturing a whole road trip in a 10-day shooting schedule with a limited budget was a massive challenge, but I really do think we pulled it off. None of the leads have ever worked on a movie before ‘Gemma,” yet all of them were so natural in front of the camera and confident in their work. I think it’s a huge testament to the training they’ve received.”
Following the premiere at the Ross, the film will also be submitted to film festivals.
“The work itself belongs to Anna and Rob, so if they decide to do a staged version in the future or a film version with famous actors, they can do that,” Belflower said. “But what we have agreed upon is that our film can be entered in film festivals and be eligible for awards. That will happen over the course of the next two years.”
Jeffery enjoyed returning to Lincoln to film.
“As a former UNL student, it’s always a joy to come back to Lincoln and get to see familiar faces,” he said. “Any project that can put faculty, current students and alumni together is a tremendous opportunity, and I hope to see the School take on more projects like this going forward.”
VonAschwege hopes people come see the film.
“We didn’t get a chance to stage a production last year due to Covid-19, so we did ‘The Real Gemma Jordan’ instead,” she said. “Everyone should come to see it now that it will finally be available for viewing.”
Until further notice, all students, faculty, staff and campus visitors are required to use a facial covering at all times when indoors on the UNL campus. Details, exclusions and updates can be found on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln website at https://covid19.unl.edu.
For more information, visit https://theross.org/events/gemmajordan/.