Head Over Heels

by James Magruder and Jeff Whitty

Ithaca College Theatre Department, HornerTheatre

Directed by Gavin Mayer

Scenic Design by Maddie Dieterle

Costume Design by Olivia Kirschbaum

Lighting Design by Max Okst

Sound Design by Don Tindel

The Musical Head Over Heels is a Jukebox Musical to the songs of The Go-Go’s. Following a journey of the royal family of Arcadia, leading their people to save “the beat” that drives their hearts. On their journey, they discover their place within Arcadia and navigate their sexuality in an outdated world. For this society to grow, it is crucial to abandon the traditions that don’t support the community. The design team and I worked to create a cohesive world that bridged ancient Greece and the aesthetics of the 1980s. Taking our design ideas and incorporating the restrictions of Covid-19, we pivoted to a concert-style production drawing inspiration from the punk rock aesthetic of the Go-Go’s

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One of the challenges the production presented was building a cohesive world from the various time periods and styles throughout the show. Pulling references from drapery that would be found in Ancient Greece and then combined with bold shapes of the 1980s; I created a world where both of these concepts could evoke a whimsical nostalgia still rooted in the text.