Interview: Jackson Goad of SHUCKED at The Fox Theatre

The “corniest” show ever to play on Broadway will soon make its way to Atlanta as part of the Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta season. The show in question, SHUCKED, isn’t just corny because of its funny, punny humor, it is literally a show about corn.

Set in the small, fictional corn-growing town of Cob County (not our Cobb County, btw), SHUCKED revolves around a dire corn crisis that threatens the very livelihood of its inhabitants and the quirky and lovable characters, including the ingénue Maizy and the local misfit Gordy, who embark on a quest to save their community. I had a chance to catch up with Watkinsville-born Jackson Goad, a member of the ensemble and understudy for Beau and Gordy, and talked about his big debut, the power of communication, and how performing in SHUCKED is this Georgia native’s dream come true.

BWW: Jackson, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today. We are so excited to have SHUCKED here in Atlanta!

Jackson Goad: Yeah, me too. I was born and raised in Watkinsville, the Oconee area, so it's a huge milestone.

To start, can you tell us a little bit about how you got started in the theatre?

I was actually a bit of a late beginner when it comes to acting. I didn't do my first musical until my sophomore year of high school. But then I just fell in love with it. When I graduated it was between that and the law at the University of Georgia. I found myself with an offer from Ithaca College, which was one of my dream schools and I just decided to take that one. I went to Ithaca for all four years and made my principal equity debut after my sophomore year at the REV in Auburn, NY, which was kind of a sign that I needed to keep going. Then, right out of showcase, I signed with my dream agent BRS/Gage. SHUCKED was the first thing they ever sent me. Now, don't get me wrong, I completely bombed the next 14 auditions, but the first one worked out and I've been on the road for six months.

Were you familiar with SHUCKED when they sent it to you?

I mean, obviously I was going to school for musical theatre and saw clips everywhere and people going into the city to see the show. But I hadn't made my way into New York to see it. I knew of its existence but I didn't know anything about it. I knew it was a comedy and I knew the people attached to it, but when they sent me the script, that was the first time I'd actually read through the jokes and I fell in love with it from day one. And then I was like, oh, this is a show that I will be giving the absolute last inch of myself to be able to do.

For those unfamiliar with SHUCKED, tell us a little bit about the musical. What can people expect?

Well, the first thing is corn. They can expect a lot of corn. What we usually say is that it's a story about family and love as so many great musicals are. But it's about this young ingenue who goes out into the world to save her secluded town’s dying crops and there's a lot of twists and turns, but hilarity ensues. It’s kind of a modern, country, COMEDY OF ERRORS, if you will. It is a southern, homegrown comedy and I think our writers and our composers did an excellent job of execution when it comes to that. And I'm so excited to get back down to the South.

I think it's unique in a lot of ways because while there's a lot of musical comedies that are funny, this feels like one where the humor itself is foundational.

Well, the interesting thing that I've come to appreciate is that there are rhythms of the comedy in this show that are uniquely Southern. You know, when I'm speaking with my grandfather, he cracks jokes as he's telling a story. He doesn't explain anything. It's just a natural rhythm of the way we communicate in my family and in the surrounding areas. It's just the way we speak to each other that is inherently funny and I think that's the beauty of the comedy in the show.

I read somewhere that SHUCKED started out its life as a Hee Haw musical, is that right?

Yes. It was based off the old country comedy sketch show Hee Haw, and that was one of the things my father was the most excited about because most of the generations in my family grew up with Hee Haw. And so, when we found out these little things had a trickle-down effect into this show, it was like everything had lined up perfectly for me to come to this show, not only in my acting career, but everything before it. And so, I love knowing that I'm supposed to be here.

Growing up did you come to Atlanta to see shows at The Fox?

I saw my very first show ever at The Fox. We saw BILLY ELLIOT when I was between seven and nine years old and I do not remember a thing about that show because I did not care for musicals at the time. But I remember the boxing scene. The coolest thing was when we went to St. Louis, we played at The Fox Theater there and people had signed the dressing rooms. I looked under my station and half of the table that I was sitting at was signed by members of that BILLY ELLIOT cast. That’s why I'm anticipating our Sunday matinee in Atlanta on the 25th. When you come from a small town and you want to be an actor, a lot of eyes are on you. All they know is that Broadway is half the country away. I think I have 50 people coming to see me do this weird country comedy.

Tell us a bit about what you get to do as part of the show? You are part of the ensemble and you also understudy a couple of roles, right?

Oh yeah, it’s a blast being in the ensemble and this is actually my first time understudying a role, let alone two tracks and it’s great. It's a physically taxing show - the dance moves are country and very percussive, with stomps and laying into the ground and feeling the rhythm. So, the ensemble track is a blast. Every night we get some of the most unbelievably ridiculous costumes. Last night, one of our swings walks out and I see his costume and stuff keeps getting added, it never stops growing. Even in the ensemble, the whole show never stops growing.

Well, that's appropriate for a show about corn, right?

Oh, it is, yeah. The ensemble is non-stop growth. It’s fun and physically demanding, which is one of my favorite things to do. I'm an ultra-marathon runner and so I just love pushing myself and SHUCKED has no shortage of physical taxation. We do see that in one of the numbers. It’s an acrobatic number with whiskey barrels, which is one of my nightmares and daydreams to get to do that number. But being an understudy has been a learned practice and thankfully I've had a bunch of great mentors in the cast, people that I've been around that have done this before and gone before me and have helped me with tips and tricks. It goes from so unbelievably terrifying to one of the most fun things you could possibly do. We had a mid-show swing on last week which was the first one of my career where we are, I don't know, 15% of the way through the show, the lead goes down and then I am in a mic and costume in less than 7 minutes. And they make the announcement, and we just carry on like nothing's happening. You cut your teeth on it, so to speak, but it's a blast.

And seeing that this is your first national tour, what has that been like for you?

It's given me a greater appreciation and understanding of the difference in how people process communication. I'm fascinated by communication and the intricacies behind it. I'm reading this really excellent book called the “Extinction of Experience” that kind of delves into that. The same joke can completely fall on - and this is not a pun - deaf ears when it comes to different audiences in different houses. That one joke that absolutely murders in Dallas, TX, can get crickets in Fayetteville, AR. It's a sobering reality. But then it's also a very useful tool as a performer to understand that not only location to location, but person to person, you can do the same job and you can do it very well and at the end of the day, sometimes that's all you can do. How people receive it is how people receive it, and you just do the best that you can and try and give them a good time and just let the dice roll how they will.

Is there something in particular you look forward to the most before you step out on stage each night?

I think an eight-show week on the road is hard, especially when it comes to five show weekends. It beats you down. And like I said, the show's already percussive enough it doesn't need the repetition, yet we get both. I think “The Best Man Wins” is one of the most incredible numbers I've ever been a part of. Dance or no dance, it's funny. It's weird. It's impressive. The lighting is incredible, and the audience gives us energy. And even when I'm having some of the lowest energy shows in my life, all I know is that if I can make it to that number, it will give me energy. It’s unfortunate that it's not until almost over halfway through the second act.

As a young performer yourself, do you have any advice for other young performers looking to get into the world of theatre?

First, as the old saying goes “Luck is preparation plus opportunity,” so just work to be ready for when the time comes and when it does, which is the lucky component, then you’ll get the shot. I'm not going to be called in for parts that I am not right for, no matter how prepared or talented someone thinks I am. You can be an absolutely dynamite performer, but if you were just not right for something, you're not right for it and that will pass you by. So just be prepared and when that time comes, pray that you've prepared enough. I guess I just got lucky that I was prepared when SHUCKED came along and that's the only reason I'm here. The other thing is something that I heard a long time ago from a standup comedian about “elbow grease.” There are people who put in seven years of elbow grease in the span of eight months and there are people who put in seven years of elbow grease in the span of 14 years.

Is there a dream role that you would like to play one day?

My voice teacher used to say as a Baritenor I am more three-quarters Bari and one-quarter Tenor so I'm going to age into a lot of roles, I believe, especially when it comes to an eight show week. So, most of the dream roles that I'm looking forward to are Edward Bloom from BIG FISH or even Will Bloom, but they're both about five to ten years older than me. Another would be Robert Kincaid from THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - but again, when I am a little bit older. One of these days those will come around.

Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like our readers to know?

Just that if someone waits around at The Varsity in Atlanta for long enough, they'll find me. That’s one thing that I'm looking forward to more than anything because, my God, I miss those burgers.

SHUCKED runs at the Fox Theatre Tuesday, May 20th through Sunday, May 25th as part of the 2024/2025 Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta season. Tickets are available at the Fox Theatre box office at 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 and by visiting foxtheatre.org/shucked or by calling (855)-285-8499. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling the Fox Theatre at (855)-285-8499. Performances are Tuesday May 20th – Thursday May 22nd at 7:30PM, Friday, May 23rd at 8PM, Saturday, May 24th at 2PM and 8PM, and Sunday, May 25th at 1:00PM and 6:30PM.

Lead and Bottom Photo: Jackson Goad