Geneseo Grad Explores the Dark and Light of High School Proms
Addie Jorgensen is just 20, but the two lead roles she’s already had in musicals both concern high school girls who have a challenging time at their prom.
The bubbly 2023 Geneseo High grad played the title character in the iconic horror story “Carrie,” in Double Threat Studios’ summer 2022 production, and now Jorgensen is making her Quad City Music Guild debut as Emma in the much lighter, brighter “The Prom,” to open Friday, July 11 at the Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th Ave., Moline.
In the new musical, four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town Indiana prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s conservative parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow—but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny.
On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl (Emma Nolan) and the town’s citizens, and the result is love that brings them all together. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, “The Prom” captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever, according to a Music Guild release.
“The Prom” features (L-R) Mike Van Belle, Addie Jorgensen, Luke Vermeire, Shana Kulhavy, Daniel Williams, Melissa Anderson Clark and Tim Dominicus.
In a Variety review of the 2018 Broadway opening, critic Frank Rizzo said “a tuneful score, a playful book, and performances that remind you what Broadway heart and chutzpah are all about, this cause celebre of a show turns out to be a joyous, funny, and sweet production that should appeal to several generations of musical fans.”
Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) and Chad Beguelin (“Aladdin”) wrote the lively, tender, big-laugh book — based on an original concept by Jack Viertel — and Matthew Sklar (“Elf The Musical,” “The Wedding Singer”) wrote the music. Rizzo called it a “21st century ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ with showbiz interlopers causing havoc before finding their better selves — but re-imagined with a millennial slant and an echo of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ empowerment.”
“Emma is like me, almost to a T,” Jorgensen, who considers herself queer, said recently. “We’re similar but also different. She’s very confident and outspoken, and I can be confident, but I get scared sometimes. She’s also very certain about her own sexuality and that’s not something I am. She also has those shy moments and moments of doubt.”
Michael Van Belle as Principal Hawkins, and Shana Kulhavy as Dee Dee Allen.
“I just don’t know exactly what I am yet,” she said, noting she went to her high school’s junior and senior proms (the first with friends, and the second with her girlfriend at the time).
She marveled that the shows she’s been lead in, both are about proms where she doesn’t have a good time.
Jorgensen got into theater the summer before her freshman year, at a Spotlight Theatre summer camp. She played the mom and daughter in “Freaky Friday” at a later Spotlight camp, and was “Cinderella” at Geneseo (as the queen) her junior year, and was the lead in “Carrie” (1988) for Double Threat Studios in summer 2022.
During one performance, Jorgensen actually got a nosebleed off-stage before going on (for a non-bloody scene). “I think I hid it pretty well; I just shoved a tissue up my nose,” she recalled. Based on the classic Stephen King novel, “Carrie” is notoriously bloody, about a homeschooled teenage girl (with telekinetic powers) whose lonely life is dominated by her oppressive religious fanatic mother.
When she is humiliated by her classmates at the high school prom, she unleashes chaos on everyone and everything in her path out of vengeance.
In her senior year, Jorgensen was in her school’s “Seussical.” That summer, she was in Double Threat’s “Chicago,” one of the six merry murderesses in the Cook County Jail. She started taking dance lessons at age 3. In high school, Jorgensen was part of the dance/poms team, and played tenor sax in marching band and honors band.
In May 2024, she was back at Spotlight in the “Tarzan” gorilla ensemble. “It was so fun; I just got to walk around like a gorilla the whole time,” she said. “We sang, but talking-wise, I didn’t have any lines.”
Addie Jorgensen, a 2023 Geneseo High alum, plays Emma Nolan in “The Prom.”
In December 2024, Jorgensen was in Spotlight’s “Annie,” as one of the Boylan sisters. “The Prom” is her first Music Guild show, after unsuccessfully auditioning for a few in the past.
Mike Turczynski is directing and she said he’s one of the best directors she’s worked with so far.
“You can tell that he cares so much, and he’s so passionate about it,” Jorgensen said. “He loves this show.”
‘My favorite thing’
“The Prom” cast features Shay Schehl as Emma’s girlfriend Alyssa; Julie Hummel as the antagonist, the PTA president and Alyssa’s mom; Tim Dominicus, Shana Kulhavy, Melissa Anderson Clark, and Daniel Williams as the washed-up Broadway stars, Michael Van Belle as Principal Hawkins, and Luke Vermeire as the actors’ pal Sheldon.
“It’s just my favorite thing in the world,” Jorgensen said of theater. “My main favorite thing to do is just entertain people. I love to make people laugh, but I also like to make people cry. Their reaction kind of gives me more confidence and tells me that I’m doing a good job. I just always loved being able to portray all these different characters.
“I also just love being characters that are so different from myself, because then it’s almost more fun that way,” she said. As Emma, she injects part of her own personality into the part.
Tim Dominicus and Addie Jorgensen.
“It’s been super interesting for me,” Jorgensen said. “If I do want to major in acting when I go to college, it’s good for me to try out these different things. I’m grateful these parts I’ve done have been so drastically different from one another. If you compare Carrie to Maisie in ‘Seussical,’ they’re pretty different.”
Currently a Black Hawk College student, she plans to transfer to Columbia College in Chicago to study acting and film.
She admires Emma of “The Prom” and wants to be more like her in real life.
Jorgensen, seen here in “Carrie,” is a Black Hawk College student, and plans to transfer to Columbia College in Chicago to study acting and film.
“I’m so grateful to be able to play this character. It’s been so fun and everybody in the cast is lovely,” Jorgensen said. “Even the directing staff, everyone is so wonderful and I love it so much.”
“The Prom” is based on a true story — in 2010, Constance McMillen was a senior at a Mississippi high school, who had plans to bring her girlfriend to their senior prom and wear a tuxedo, and in response, was banned from attending by the school board. McMillen challenged the board’s decision; in response, the board decided to entirely cancel that year’s senior prom. McMillen and the ACLU sued her school district, and a federal court found the Itawamba School District guilty of violating McMillen’s First Amendment rights. However, the judge did not force the school district to reinstate the prom.
Celebrities — such as Green Day and Lance Bass — rallied together via social media to show their support for McMillen and agreed to help sponsor a “Second-Chance” prom, where McMillen and her girlfriend could attend without homophobic backlash.
Addie Jorgensen played the title character in the musical “Carrie” with Double Threat Studios in summer 2022.
Double Threat also did “The Prom” in May 2023, as did Augustana College this past spring, but Jorgensen wasn’t in either version.
“My thought process was, I’m just gonna keep auditioning for every Guild show until I get in,” she said.
In the story, the PTA organizes two proms, one fake for Emma, but no one was there and no decorations. Alyssa’s mother is the head of the PTA, and Alyssa goes to the real prom.
Uplifting messages
The positive messages of the show come through in “The Acceptance Song” and “Love Thy Neighbor.” The latter one is sung to the students, and after that one, “They’re like, oh yeah, we’re not homophobic anymore,” Jorgensen said. “If only it were that simple.”
The principal (who’s a huge fan of Dee Dee) sings a song about theater, and its value to society. She’s thinking of quitting and he sings that to convince her to stay in theater.
It’s relatable for both audiences and actors, Jorgensen said.
“This show is important because it conveys the message, ‘love thy neighbor,’ basically the whole synopsis of the show is that song,” she said. “In this day and age, it’s super important to just remind people that, the main thing is to love thy neighbor.”
In a scene from “The Prom” (L-R), Dan Williams, Luke Vermiere, Melissa Anderson Clark, Shana Kulhavy, and Tim Dominicus.
Emma is more confident about being lesbian, compared to the more shy Alyssa. Part of their agreement was that Alyssa would come out publicly at the prom. But her mom is the most homophobic person in town.
“I think she’s comfortable with their little secret relationship,” Jorgensen said of Alyssa. “Emma just wants to tell everybody, because she’s excited. Alyssa wants to, but she’s scared.”
In the story, Emma wrote the song “Unruly Heart,” done late in the show. Its lyrics include:
“So, fears, all in the past
Fading so fast
I won’t stay hidden anymore
I’m who I am
And I think that’s worth fighting for
And nobody out there ever gets to define
The life I’m meant to lead
With this unruly heart of mine.”
“The Prom” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. July 11, 12, 18, and 19, plus 2 p.m. on Sundays, July 13 and 20. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under, available at 309-762-6610 or by visiting www.qcmusicguild.com.
Addie Jorgensen, left, as Emma and Shay Schehl as Alyssa in “The Prom” at Music Guild.
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