Written by Lyla Lopez

Say what you want, say what you will…something’s cooking at the Spitfire Grill!

With Spitfire’s opening night just three days away, things are getting busy at Harper Joy! Wood is being chopped, mail bags are being stuffed, and tables are being dressed with flowers, napkins, and Tabasco sauce. But, what’s a musical without music? Amidst all this hustle and bustle, the sweet sound of Spitfire’s bluegrass melodies can be heard echoing through the halls.

The music in The Spitfire Grill is unlike that of any other musical. To learn some more about the work that’s gone into perfecting these distinct tunes, I spoke with Spitfire’s vocal director, music director, and band members. 

Spitfire features guest vocal direction by Julie Jones and guest music direction by Jackie Wood. Both of these wonderful women are Whitman alumni, and each of them has made admirable contributions to performing arts in the community.

Lyla Lopez: Give me a quick summary of who you are!

Julie Jones: I grew up in Walla Walla from the age of 11 and graduated from Whitman College, where Nancy Simon and Jack Freimann were my acting teachers! My Walla Walla theatre life began as a vocal director and performer at the Walla Walla Amphitheater Summer musical productions in the 1980s. I’ve spent the last 30 years teaching private voice lessons, coordinating musical productions, and teaching at Walla Walla Community College. I am married to a retired farmer (also a Whitman alumni!), have two adult daughters, one son-in-law, one grandson, and one grand-dog. I also walk 6 miles a day!

Jackie Wood: I was born in Walla Walla and grew up here and in Milton-Freewater as the granddaughter of farmers on both sides of my family.  I was a “non-traditional” student, receiving my BA from Whitman College at the age of forty and my Master of Music in Piano from Washington State University when I was fifty!  I taught Piano and Collaborative Piano at Whitman for 35 years and retired in 2022.  My time in retirement has been filled with road trips, making new friends, musical projects, traveling the wide world, and enjoying the company of my son and daughter, their spouses, and my three grandsons.  

“My job as music director allowed me to recommend our vocal director, and I have always enjoyed working on musical projects with Julie Jones”, says Jackie. This love for collaboration has absolutely made itself manifest in all of Spitfire’s songs. The entire production radiates joy, cheerfulness, and professionalism, and much of this can undoubtedly be attributed to the atmosphere Julie and Jackie have helped to cultivate.

LL: Describe the work you’ve been doing for The Spitfire Grill. Can you give any insight into the rehearsal process?

JJ: My role as vocal director is to partner with Laura Hope (Director), Jackie Wood (Music Director), and Lee Hicks (Assistant Director). It’s my job to observe and learn about the actors and singers, to develop comfortable working relationships with each person, and then to offer appropriate support and encouragement. I am especially attentive to intention, breath energy, focus, musical flow, physical engagement, story-telling, communication, and connection.

JW: My job as music director also allowed me to […] recruit an ensemble and lead it from the keyboard, and I’m very proud of our Spitfire band!  While the musicians have had conflicts at times with our rehearsal schedule—good musicians always have various other gigs to work around—we have developed into a cohesive and exciting little ensemble. Everyone contributes their ideas and talents as we rehearse with the cast, always making sure that the music supports the singers and the story in every moment of the show.

And the band that Jackie recruited? They’re phenomenal! Spitfire features a challenging Americana and bluegrass-inspired score—obviously, learning to play this kind of music is no small feat. Luckily, there’s already a group on campus with some expertise! Tessa Schwartz, a member of the Spitfire ensemble and founder of the campus band Big Joe, told me a little bit about their experience with this style of music.

Tessa Schwartz: Big Joe is a bluegrass band that I started my freshman year. I have played bluegrass my whole life, and when I came to college, I immediately started looking for other people who were interested. Soon enough, I found them, and we became Big Joe! We’ve performed at all sorts of campus and community events, served as the house band at contra and square dances for two years, and recorded an album last spring. Bluegrass is such a fun, collaborative, community-focused genre, and I am so grateful to have found my bandmates and the broader Walla Walla music community to share it with!

And so, how has this experience translated to Spitfire?

LL: What has it been like playing music in rehearsals? Have there been any major challenges? Triumphs?

TS: The music in this show is so fun! It’s an eclectic mix of folk and folk-adjacent genres (like bluegrass, blues, gospel, folk rock, and Irish trad) with Broadway vocals. As a bluegrass nerd who is also a former theater kid, I am having an absolute blast. But, this show also requires a lot of different skills. We have to be locked in with each other rhythmically, but still be able to follow the singers. There are parts of the show where we’re encouraged to improvise, a skill that most classical musicians are not taught. Some of my parts are very technically challenging, revealing the very poor playing technique I’ve developed over years of late-night festival jams.

We’ve had a lot to work on! We’re all putting in a lot of time outside of rehearsal to practice our individual parts so that in rehearsal, we can focus on elements of group playing—rhythm, dynamics, getting the feel right. Every member of the band has different levels of experience improvising, reading music, playing folk music, and playing for musicals, so we have all been learning from each other. It’s been a very collaborative experience that also includes the cast, vocal director Julie Jones, and other members of the creative team.

Despite these minor challenges, this ensemble has been able to create something truly remarkable. Even the actors have been loving the band! “It has been so fun to rehearse with live musicians and be able to really honor the roots of this music style!” says Stella Coomes, a Whitman senior playing the role of Percy Talbott in Spitfire. 

In the end, there are so many amazing reasons to come out and support this show. Whether it’s the heartwarming story, relevant themes, or special community initiatives that entice you, Jackie, Julie, Tessa, and the rest of the band have been working hard to make sure that each of these elements is supported and enhanced by a truly beautiful soundtrack.

“I’m excited to see our many hours of collaborative work come to fruition,” says Jackie. “I believe the story of healing told by this musical will really resonate with our audience.”

Want to make sure that you’re a part of that audience? Snag your tickets here! The Spitfire Grill opens this Thursday, May 8th, and will run until Sunday, May 11th. You simply can’t miss these four wonderful days of storytelling, fun, and—of course—music!