"Anything's Possible When It's Unpredictable" - Chatting with The Unpredictable Times Actor Jonah McKinley!
I would like you to meet Jonah McKinley. I was first introduced to this talented young man when I saw him perform; I instantly knew that I wanted to work with him one day. Jonah will be playing the role of Brandon in the upcoming regional premiere of The Unpredictable Times at Rise Above Performing Arts. Jonah just finished his Sophomore Year as a Musical Theatre major at Montclair State University where he has been seen in Proof (Hal), Dear World, and Brooklyn's Bridge (O' Malley). Some of his other favorite roles include Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Danny Zuko in Grease, Albert in Newsies, and Prince Topher in Cinderella.
With the sky truly being the limit for this young man, I know it's only a matter of time before I see his name headlining many shows in this industry. I am so happy to have the chance to feature Jonah McKinley!
Do you have a favorite play or musical and an artist you are strongly influenced by? Why?
My favorite show would have to be Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. I’ve always loved theatre that was more experimental, or pushed the boundaries of what they could do, or what was not usually accepted onstage, and Great Comet did this masterfully. The blending of musical styles and the inventive ways they transformed the Imperial theatre to include the audience were mesmerizing. As for an artist that inspires me, I have to go with Jeremy Jordan. The control he has over his voice and the emotional range and depth of his acting are both things I aspire to have.
You are currently attending Montclair State University studying Musical Theatre? How has your time been and what have your favorite moments been so far?
Montclair has been wonderful to me thus far. The training is among the best in the country, and the professors and faculty all truly care about us and our continued growth in the art form. My favorite moment was toward the end of this last semester when I was working on a new work called Brooklyn’s Bridge. I was playing the role of O’Malley, who gets to lead this beautiful number about halfway through the second act.
Because of COVID restrictions, we recorded all of our vocals in advance and then would lip-sync to them during the filming. Finally getting to hear all of our voices mixed and edited together to create something completely new and beautiful was truly an unforgettable moment.
After 20 plus years Scott Keys has decided to hang it up as head of the Theatre Department at Booker High School. What has Mr. Keys meant to you when it comes to your development as a performer?
Mr. Keys was absolutely an essential part in my development throughout high school in several ways, not the least of which being an instance during freshman year. Around the end of the year, I had been having doubts on whether or not I wanted to continue in the theatre performance track, thinking instead I might want to switch to the technical theatre side of things.
Somehow, Mr. Keys had seen some glimmer of potential in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself and gave me exactly the push I needed to fall in love with performing. So, you could really say I owe everything to him. I’m so grateful I had the opportunities to learn from him that I did, and I truly hope our paths cross again in the future.
How do you relate to the role of Brandon in The Unpredictable Times?
Brandon is a character who’s found himself in-between two different points of his life. He’s been accepted to a highly selective graduate school but still has ties to his childhood friends and is affected by his experiences with them. Going into my Junior year of college, a thousand miles from where I grew up, I definitely can relate to the feeling of being between two different worlds since soon enough, I’ll be living away from my family and my home state permanently. I can also absolutely relate to the way he dwells on the past. Significant events that happened to him years ago still affect the way he views and treats certain people, and I think I myself sometimes can fall into that hole of not being able to get over things that could have been long forgotten.
Why should people come see the regional premiere of The Unpredictable Times at Rise Above Performing Arts?
The Unpredictable Times is ultimately a show about growing up which is a universal experience. Everyone knows, or will know, the pain of drifting apart from people or losing them through fights or other disagreements, and The Unpredictable Times shows just how important it is for us to let these little things go and stick by the people we hold dear to us. It shows us how friendship can get people through the best of times, the worst of times, and even the most unpredictable of times.
The Unpredictable Times is a coming-of-age drama opens on June 18th and will running through to the 27th. For more information about the play make sure you visitwww.riseabovearts.comorwww.theunpredictabletimesplay.com
Check out the promo video -https://youtu.be/Z3xziK8lL_Y