Borel alumni stage coming-of-age play at San Mateo Performing Arts Center

After interviewing recent Borel graduates about their experiences, the musical’s playwright Makena Reynolds found the common theme among the middle school students was the social pressure to be perfect, she said.

“One of the big pieces in being in middle school and high school is popularity and that social hierarchy, where are you going to sit at lunch and who is friends with who,” Makena Reynolds said.

She said the focus was around the middle school experience. While thinking of different concepts, she landed on the strange superstition of jinx.

“I was thinking, like, what about jinx, like, that weird thing we do, like, jinx, you owe me a soda,” Makena Reynolds said.

However, she said the story’s use of the jinx goes to greater lengths for main character Devon Carter, a small-town girl with big dreams of attending Stanford University. She feels compelled to boost her resume for college and decides to run for class president. The only issue is, it’s a popularity contest and she isn’t popular. She comes up with an elaborate plan to get invited to a birthday party for Christina, the most popular girl in school. In doing so, she speaks at the same time as another girl, jinxing herself. And that is when the magic of the jinx takes over, Makena Reynolds said.

A family affair

Inspired by stories of social change and political issues, she feels empowered to use her voice in a medium in which an audience can safely experience and deal with those types of issues. She never thought of herself as a writer. She studied musical theater as an actor at the University of Utah but, during COVID, took the initiative to write a story about abstinence based on sexual assault laws in Utah. Writing was the only way she could express how she was feeling and it lit a fire within her to continue, she said. Ultimately, she hopes to inspire the youth participating in the program or someone in the audience.

“I really hope somebody young sees the show and it inspires them to write their own story,” Makena Reynolds said.

Teagan Reynolds wrote the lyrics alongside college classmate JT Kaufman who composed the score. She said the combination of her pop music and his classically trained piano creates a unique mix she hopes will help further the story.

“We really wanted this show to be more poppy and spunky, you know, be the driving force of the show with some edge but with some quirk as well,” Teagen Reynolds said. “I think I really wanted to encapsulate each character so their songs have their own vibe.”

The way the trio has collaborated was a bit unorthodox because they all live in different areas and relegated to Zoom.

“Sometimes it meant Makena coming to us with a plot or scene to make a song for; and sometimes we had a song that she found a way to add,” Teagan Reynolds said.

What makes it all special is doing things you love with your family, she said. That’s why she felt it was only right for her father Rick Reynolds to orchestrate the musical this weekend.

“There was no one else I could trust, so it has been really awesome to do something with people you already have this built understanding with,” Teagan Reynolds said. “And I feel so grateful. This is the first time he is orchestrating my music and I know he put so much care into it.”

Aside from the professional ties, Rick Reynolds said he is incredibly fortunate the entire family has a passion for theater.

“I met my wife in the theater and our kids decided early on they wanted to do shows,” Reynolds said. “When Makena was around 4 she started making shows and Teagan was her main performer and she would tell her sister where to go and all that.”

More than that, he feels connected to Borel and the community theater in San Mateo where his daughters grew up.

“It’s just amazing after all these years that Borel and Alyssa [Goldrath] offered this opportunity to these two alumni, right out of college, so I am incredibly proud,” Reynolds said.

A play for today

While the musical is full circle for the Reynolds family, Goldrath’s challenge began with finding new ways to get new students involved in theater when the material isn’t relatable.

“You either play an adult or a fairy-tale character but none of it is relatable to these kids and what they experience in today’s world,” Goldrath said.

However, her goal is to involve more students and the storyline of Jinx is tailored for middle school students and their experiences as it is today, she added. There are more students involved in both on- and off-stage production this year with the assistance of commissioned professionals to help them understand their roles.

“It is a lot harder to ask middle schoolers to take a risk and stand up and be an elephant for ‘Zoosical,’ for example … and it’s a lot easier for me to sell ‘Hey, come out we need a soccer team you know how to play soccer show us what that is about,’ and we give kids this whole new experience and open their world to this other aspect,” Goldrath said. “And they learn all these new skills they bring back to leadership or the sports teams they are on.”

The musical has been in discussion since May and students began auditioning in October. Now Goldrath said she is anxious to see how the audience embraces the show and the welcoming the Reynolds sisters will receive for all the hard work they put into this project.

Ultimately, Goldrath wants the show to become licensed so other middle schools can participate in the future.

The show will be held at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center from March 3-5. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. General Admission is $18 for adults and $12 for students. Visit Boreldrama.com/boxoffice to purchase tickets online.