JBU Alumni Find Sight and Sound

By Tracy Balzer
November 30, 2022

JBU Alumni Find Sight and Sound

Like many students, Amy Perry ’14 didn’t know what she wanted to do for a career. She changed majors five times, all in search of that elusive conclusion.

But she did know what she enjoyed: speaking in front of groups and performing in JBU musicals. Her final choice of a major in communications and a minor in drama, therefore, suited her just fine. But her hopes for a career that allowed her to do what she enjoyed seemed thin. The idea of working in music and theater as a profession seemed much more like a wild dream than a life possibility.

A year after graduating, Perry discovered Sight & Sound Theatres, a faith-based production company in Branson, Missouri. The company’s objective of “bringing the Bible to life” through professional stage productions was appealing to her, and she had the guts to try out for one of its productions. In the end, she was happy enough selling theater merchandise to spectators while the actors performed on stage, followed by six months of working on the “deck crew.”

She watched and learned about everything it takes to create a grand-scale production, and she realized that maybe there was a place for her there after all. A place not on the stage in front of a crowd but one that still allowed her to be involved more directly in the shows. Perry noticed that the company’s production managers were doing all the things she liked: addressing the cast each day with important instructions, working behind the scenes to troubleshoot and giving directions from the booth through the multitude of radio channels that connect the entire production. A position opened, and her enthusiasm got her the job.

Now, after seven years of being on the front lines of productions like “Samson,” “Jesus” and the upcoming “Queen Esther,” Perry says she has found her dream job.

“JBU prepared me for a job I didn’t know existed, and I love it,” she said.

Every performance provides a new and interesting challenge, usually involving animals. Yes, many live animals are actors in these biblical productions, so when a camel is disoriented by an uncooperative bit of staging, Perry is the one called in to solve the problem. When she’s in the “hot seat” in the booth, she is responsible for communicating last-minute problem-solving directions to the cast and crew on one of multiple radio channels.

“We are the air traffic controllers of Sight & Sound,” Perry said.

It all comes down to leadership. All the actors must have confidence in production managers like Perry for their safety, trust in their wisdom when hard decisions need to be made and that they have their best in mind, and Perry has to own those decisions.

“I’m the one who has to defend those decisions when our team meets the next day,” she said.

This role has challenged Perry to grow, not just in technical expertise and leadership ability but also spiritually.

“We performed ‘Jesus’ 800 times,” she said. “Each of those performances served as a kind of meditation for me,” even when camels were uncooperative.

As a company, Sight & Sound hopes audiences will not only be entertained but will also be motivated to go to Scripture to check it out for themselves.

“The Word of God is alive and able to impact people via so many different media,” Perry said. “I can see a show hundreds of times, and I still learn something new.”

It is that compelling vision that had Luke Merrick ’19 dreaming of being on the Sight & Sound stage for years. Merrick excelled at JBU as a vocal performance major, taking first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Student Auditions in the Collegiate Male Category.

A career as a professional opera singer would certainly have been available to him. Yet, it was the mission and production value at Sight & Sound that pulled at his heart as he considered the best way to use his talents.

Merrick said his time at JBU definitely prepared him and provided the experience he needed for an opportunity like Sight & Sound.

“JBU set me up for success in various ways, such as honing my skills of vocal production, allowing me to compete against other vocalists to improve my craft and training me in the art of creating compelling musical and theatrical performances for the stage,” he said. “Even more importantly, JBU grew me as a person in a community of friends and professors who believed in me, enabled me and encouraged me to pursue my greatest God-given potential with my talents.”

Sight & Sound draws many talented people, and Merrick knew that being hired was not guaranteed. But in January 2022, he auditioned and soon found himself part of the production of “Jesus.” He was assigned several roles, depending on what was needed at any given time — including the disciple James, the pharisee Jehu and a variety of smaller ensemble roles.

“Sight & Sound represents the remarkable opportunity to utilize my God-given gifts in a way that not only provides deep professional and artistic fulfillment in the craft of theatre but also allows me to do so in the context of portraying the most transformative, compelling stories ever told,” Merrick said.

Now the company is preparing for its upcoming Christmas production. At the time of writing, Merrick wasn’t sure what his role would be. Likewise, there will soon be roles assigned for the spring production of “Queen Esther.” He is full of anticipation, hopeful that he will work for Sight & Sound for years to come. Merrick exudes an enthusiasm for his work that clearly indicates he’s having the time of his life.

“I had the full support of my family in pursuing this work, even though they knew I could have chosen something else in the field of music,” he said. “And I’m so happy I’m here.”

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