Interview: Courtney Rodd of HEAD OVER HEELS at Ashland Productions

A hilarious, exuberant celebration of love, HEAD OVER HEELS follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction—only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts. This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980’s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, including the hit songs, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.”

We chat with Courtney Rodd, who plays Pamela in Ashland Productions Head Over Heels.

What do you enjoy most about playing your character?

Pamela is like no character I’ve played before so it’s been fun exploring her sassy side plus the more vulnerable parts in the show. She isn’t your typical princess seen in most musicals which makes her stand out and is what I love most about her. She can seem self-centered but I think it helps bring her confidence and to not let people tell her what she needs or who she has to be. 

Do you have a favorite song in the show?

This whole show is filled with such fun music from the Go-Go’s. I love performing the song Good Girl with Mia Nelson (Philoclea) and Emma Nelson (Mopsa). It’s such a beautiful song that takes a step back from the rock Gogo’s classics and gives a lovely ballad-like song in act one. It shows the emotion and vulnerability of all of our characters that you don’t get to see anywhere else in the show. Philoclea is opening up about being this good girl for everyone and not being able to be her authentic self, which I think our characters and members of the audience can relate to. 

What is your favorite moment in the show?

Performing the song How Much More has turned into my favorite moment. In this part of the show, Pamela is having a full tantrum on stage in front of Philoclea and Musidorus. I love the challenge of singing this intense song while tearing apart everything in sight on stage. Then afterward I just leave like nothing happened, like I didn’t just turn into a human tornado for 2 minutes. It’s so much fun.

How was working with the cast and the creative team? 

The cast has been absolutely lovely and made the rehearsal process one of my favorites. Everyone is so kind and accepting to everyone which has made us all grow so close. The creative team has also helped this show become what it is and created an amazing experience for all of us. With the team being so large, someone is always there to help. Working with Rob Sutherland and Brian Donnelly has been a fun dynamic, Rob tells us his vision for the show and Brian helps us find the inner meaning of our characters and Shakespeare lines. Cindy Novy and Kyle Weiler make learning choreography so much fun. Even though Cindy is an assistant, she steps up and has helped this cast be where it is on the dance side. Aaron VanDanacker and Brea Davis are so amazing. I love having Aaron to help me vocal-wise and Brea for character work and being another set of ears. What makes Brea and Brian so special to our team is that they’ve done Head Over Heels at their college so they have been so much help in understanding this crazy fun show. Our stage manager Art Kaiser also shouldn’t go unnoticed as they also have a bit of Shakespeare under their belt to help us understand what’s being said.

What do you hope the audience takes away from seeing this production?

This show has a lot of relevant topics that people can relate to right now. I hope our audience ends up taking away that we shouldn’t judge people for being their authentic selves. People shouldn’t feel shame for being who they are and I hope our audience feels that way too.

What are your favorite local spots?

Sak's Sports Bar has been a fun place to go after shows. Super close and also chill with us theatre kids post-show. I also love the restaurant Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks located in Maplewood. I am in love with their truffle parmesan fries.

Thank you Courtney for your time!

For more ticket and show information, please click the ticket link button below.

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