Name: Jonathan “Jono” Bornstein
Year: 2018
Major: Sociology & Drama
Campus Activities: Brave Potato, Phi Kappa Tau, The Broken Legs, Running on the Gap, Kenyon College Chamber Singers
Hi Jono! You’re really involved in the drama department at Kenyon and you’re also really musically oriented. Last year, you decided to form a new A-capella group on campus, ‘The Broken Legs.’ Could you explain the concept behind this new group?
Originally, I wanted to start a musical theatre group on campus. Brave Potato puts on two musicals a year, but there’s really no cohesive group to sing musical theatre songs, so, I thought it could work really well in the a-capella community. Last year, three friends and I just decided: you know what, we’re going to make this group a thing. And we went to the student activities board and met all their requirements, and got approved to be an organization. Then we just held our first auditions this year and now we’re a group of ten people – and it’s awesome.
What’s the story behind the name?
We were struggling to think of a name, but then I was just like, what if we just took the saying “break a leg” and made a pun out of it. And that’s why we’re called “The Broken Legs.” Most groups on campus are named after something “Kenyon,” such as the “Ransom Notes,” and the “Kokosingers,” but we couldn’t really think of anything that would blend “Kenyon” and “theatre” so we just went the theatre route with “The Broken Legs.”
What are your hopes for the group?
When you’re in a musical, there’s this really cool bond that always ends up being formed between the cast members, but the problem with it is that it’s fleeting. I wanted a group of people to have that bond, but throughout their whole college experience, which I think would be really powerful. I hope to have really cool concerts that are a lot of fun to watch and listen to, because more than an a-capella group, we’re also a performance-oriented group, so we’ll have full-out dancing and singing.
What is your favorite musical?
That’s a tough one. I’d have to go with “Cabaret”.
Who would play you in the movie of your life?
I get Jeremy Jordan a lot, – he’s a musical theatre person – but I would love (I mean, the dream would be) to have Leonardo Dicaprio play me. That would make my life worth living.
What’s on your Kenyon Bucket List?
I’d love to perform at every possible venue, that’d be something worth doing.
What is your theme song?
The Danny Phantom Intro. That could play in the back every time I wake up.
Anything else you’d like to share about yourself?
I’m a friendly guy. If you say “Hi” to me – if I hear you – I promise I’ll say “Hi” back. And I’m always down to talk about musical theatre with people.