This week, many years of work are about to pay off for Jim Anesta, the creative mind behind Hell: the Musical. With the senior theater project premiering this fall, Jim has become quite a talked-about figure on campus.
Name: Jim Anesta
Class Year: 2014
Major(s) and Minor(s): English/Theatre Major
Hometown: Cranston, RI
What are you involved in on campus? Untitled @ Large (The Student Theatre group on campus), Yodapez (Hamilton’s improv troupe), Adirondack Adventure, Hogwarts at Hamilton, and while it lasted, Korfball. Korf 4 Lyfe.
How did you first decide to participate in theater? My best friend and I in middle school used it as an excuse to goof off at first (we got kicked out of a production briefly for this reason). When I got to high school I started off as a football player, but slowly found myself drawn to theatre more and more. By senior year I had put on one original play. “Hell: The Musical” is my second.
What has been your favorite theatrical moment at Hamilton? The Normal Heart. It was a show put on last year by Lauren Lanzotti about the AIDS epidemic in NYC, and it was a fundraiser for AIDS research. I had never seen an audience moved so much as the ones that sat in those seats.
What exactly IS Hell: The Musical? It’s a project I’ve been working on for two years now with a variety of student artists, including Ward Pettibone (best friend from high school) wo co-wrote the book and lyrics with me. It was made possible through funding from the Daniel Smallen Memorial Fund for Student Creativity. Admission is free, but there will be a donation box for Untitled @ Large, so future student productions can be put on at the same scale without too many financial worries.
What is your play about? Hell: The Musical is about a guy named Rick who finds himself placed in Hell on accident. Sitting in Lucifer’s office, he learns that wifi is terrible in the land of the damned, and communications with the “Boys upstairs” can get crossed. The show follows Rick and Lucifer while they wait for Rick’s ticket to Heaven to come in. And there’s music.
What other productions are you planning for the future? As part of the E-Board of Untitled @ Large, we’re putting on a 24-hour play festival, a Page to Stage workshop, and an Improv Olympics. As far as an independent project is concerned… I’m gonna keep my lips sealed for the moment.
What is your favorite event on campus and why? Easy pick; Hogwarts at Hamilton. Did it last year and fell in love with it. Can’t really think of anything better than pretending to be a wizard for an entire day.
What will you miss most about Hamilton? Wow, thanks for reminding me I’m graduating… I’d have to say the mentality. People here are completely content to be themselves, and to explore every interest they have. Hamilton students have this insane energy to do anything and everything, which is one of the reasons this show actually happened.