Jones took this opportunity to recast several roles, add a song and arrange new choreography for a fresh take on his entirely self-written, composed and directed interpretation of the Washington Irving short story.

Starting P&J Productions

Before his introduction to the world of theater, Jones had an admittedly “chaotic” string of jobs in his 20s, including martial arts instructor and rock musician, but now that he’s found firm footing with his P&J Productions theater company, Jones is channeling his unique background into his work.

In 1999, he took a chance at writing his own version of the Christmas Carol story, set to an up-tempo rock-inspired theme, after being inspired by The Who’s rock opera “Tommy.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Stage manager Jaime Henderson helps Carys Jones, 11, with her microphone before dress rehearsal.

His first production was put on by the Tyrone Community Players later that year, where he made his directorial debut.

Jones’ involvement with TCP led to a chance meeting with local director Oscar Stuckey in 2005, who invited Jones to audition for his production of “The Music Man” at Allegheny Regional Highlands Theatre after hearing a recording of his Christmas Carol show.

“This is regional theater, this is the closest you’re going to get to Broadway here,” Jones said.

To his surprise, Jones landed the starting role of Harold Hill — his first “big role.”

During rehearsals for “The Music Man,” Jones bonded with Neil Port, an older actor who was playing Mayor George Shinn. After the final run of “The Music Man,” Port invited Jones to lunch, where they planted the seed for what would become P&J — Port and Jones — Productions.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Ensemble actress Madison Brumbaugh helps husband, Ian Brumbaugh, who plays Brom Bones, with his hair extensions before dress rehearsal.

“If I had gotten in my car and left, I would never have met (Port), and there would be no P&J,” Jones said.

In the nearly 20 years since that chance encounter, P&J has put on a mix of licensed shows and originals including “Ghosts: The Musical,” which went on to be licensed for productions across the country and made into a full-length film in 2011.

When Jones and Port first discussed the idea of writing a musical based on the Sleepy Hollow in 2018, there was a feeling of finality.

“It was technically going to be the last show of P&J Productions, we were going to retire P&J,” Jones said.

But after that first production later that year, Jones received an invitation from Visit Sleepy Hollow to take the show to New York, and produce it in the namesake town.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Composer/director Will Smith fluffs up new wigs for the show.

“(Jim Logan from VSH) helped us organize, set up and in 2019 we went up to New York and actually did it … in the Irving Theatre, named after Washington Irving,” Jones said. “That was surreal being there.”

According to associate producer Ian Brumbaugh, who reprised his role as Brom Bones in the new cast, after the COVID-19 pandemic “stalled” the 2019 production, “Sleepy Hollow” had remained in the back of Jones’ mind as an unresolved project.

“I thought to myself, if I’m going to do it again, I’m going to rebrand it, I’m going to write a new song for it, I’m going to make it better,” Jones said.

Stage presence

After acting in the ensemble of the first two “Sleepy Hollow” productions in 2018 and 2019, Jaime Henderson took over the stage manager role after the previous manager for P&J moved out of town.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Composer/director Will Smith (left) talks with his cast members before dress rehearsal.

“So (Jones) asked me to step in,” Henderson said.

Henderson now works closely with Jones to ensure his creative vision is accurately translated to the stage, where she oversees much of the technical production of the show.

“I keep the actors on their scripts, letting them know if there is any change in rehearsals,” she said.

This is all done while simultaneously keeping track of specifically timed queues to introduce actors, lights, stage changes and curtain closures, making sure everything stays on time.

And since the overall production value is much larger in the new run, Jones said, Henderson is invaluable in keeping everything running smoothly. “Jaime is just fantastic,” he said.

Her consistently cool head helps Jones “stay on the rails.”

“I tried to keep it more grounded the first time around, now I’m just going totally halloween nuts, like they’re dancing with jack-o-lanterns,” Jones said. “I pay much more homage here to the spooky season.”

Musical direction

When Jones set out to revise and expand his original “Sleepy Hollow” musical, he knew he had to adapt the score to match his vision, and had to bring Gabriella Petrarca on board as music director.

“I not only taught (the cast) the music, but I worked with (Jones) to revive the music a little bit, and he wanted to refresh it, so we collaborated on it and made some small tweaks, and I think they sound really awesome,” Petrarca said.

With more than 20 prior productions as music director under her belt, Petrarca has ample experience to draw on for “Sleepy Hollow” in addition to her bachelors of science degree in music education with a concentration in voice and piano from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

And as a choir teacher at Tyrone High School, Petrarca said she channels her educational expertise and “passion for theater” into her work for P&J.

“I love teaching kids, but doing this work which I do in the summer … is really refreshing, I get to make art all the time instead of teaching the basics.” Petrarca said. “I get to be an artist before I’m being a teacher.”

Through her focused feedback on their vocal performance, Petrarca helps the cast develop their own artistry.

“All of us have been working together to bring the show to life in our own little facets,” Petrarca said, “I make it spooky through the music, someone else makes it spooky through the sets and the lighting, and it all comes together to create the world.”

New choreography

Head choreographer Nicole Swope brought her years of dance experience when Jones asked her to re-choreograph the show from scratch for the revived production.

Swope has been designing choreography for the stage since the Hilltop Variety Show production at her Keith Junior High School, and credits much of her expertise to long-time mentor Deborah Anthony.

From her first time working with Anthony, as a dancer in a production of “The Nutcracker” at the Mishler Theatre, Swope has taken inspiration and advice from the “local dance legend,” who now serves as a founding director for the Allegheny Ballet Company.

Swope said that choreographing a show for her studio, Centre Dance, is different from choreographing a show for P&J.

With “Sleepy Hollow,” Swope said that she can focus on just the choreography and the dancer’s performances, instead of her attention being divided in 20 different ways.

Working with Jones is another benefit of her role in Sleepy Hollow, Swope said, since “he gives me the freedom to do what I want to do, which is fun to do … what I think will work.”

According to Swope, Jones gives her the fundamental feel of a song, a few basic “guide rails” and allows her to choreograph the number how she sees fit.

Swope then works closely with her assistant choreographer, Hope Neal, a Centre Dance alumna, to design dances that convey the emotional meaning of each song.

The pair uses a cast recording of the material from the first two productions as a reference point, but completely reworks the choreography for the new cast.

One of the main challenges for Swope and Neal is to match the varied emotional tenor of the show, which goes from a gloomy, spooky atmosphere in some songs, to bouncy almost “jubilant” moments in others, Swope said.

But this process only works with the enthusiastic cooperation of the actors.

“It’s interesting to see the casting work, see the people out of and in their roles … to see them become the characters,” Swope said, “we’re all so invested in creating these characters, so we all come together to make a great show.”

Actors play their part

Baret Monahan and Bethany Lane drive much of the emotional movement of the story in their respective roles as Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel, making their interplay key to the success of the show.

Monahan has been involved in theater since his first trip to acting camp in second grade, he said, later going on to reprise roles in productions such as “Little Mermaid Jr.” and “The Lion King Jr.” during his time at Hollidaysburg Senior High School.

A director Monahan previously worked with in an Altoona Community Theatre production gave Jones a positive recommendation on his behalf, he said, which helped him land the lead role.

Monahan spends time before bed every night going over his lines, trying to fully immerse himself in the character.

“(Jones) sets a high standard, and I hope to meet that standard,” Monahan said.

In the days leading up to opening night, Monahan said that his effort turns to perfecting the little details of his performance, like vocal inflections and line delivery, and getting ready mentally. “It’s trying to hype myself up, to really prepare myself and be excited and to be engaged on stage,” Monahan said.

Lane said that she is excited to take her first lead role as Van Tassel, the romantic counterpart to Monahan’s Crane.

According to Lane, while she was in all-state choir while in high school at Calvary Christian Academy in Huntingdon, her only other theater experience was a handful of stage crew roles and an ensemble part in a P&J production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Jones saw the passion Lane had for theater, and her “willingness to work hard,” in selecting her for this role, Lane said.

“He’s helped me a lot through it, he’s helped me a lot with acting because he knew I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about (acting),” Lane said.

Petrarca gave Lane advice on her solo songs and how to sing in harmony with the rest of the cast.

“She would have (Monahan and I) do vocal warm ups together, and would help us in how we were shaping our vowels so they blended together,” Lane said.

This dynamic is critical during the song “Every Chapter of a Story” that features a duet between Lane’s Katrina and Monahan’s Crane, she said.

In the final days of tech week before the curtains open on Friday, Lane said that she has been praying for the success of the show, and bolstering her castmates.

“I try to encourage the people around me, because I know I need it, so I know they do too,” Lane said. “I just try to lift everyone up.”

Opening night

While tech week leading up to opening night of every P&J production is hectic in a totally unique way, Jones said he has a consistent ritual.

“Before every show, I talk to everybody and say ‘look around, this group of people will never be together again after this, so be present and make it count,'” he said.

This is part of the unique magic of theater, according to Jones.

“People come together from nothing in the first rehearsal, and you frame an entire world together over that four month period,” Jones said, “then you put it in the theater, and after you tear it all down together. It comes from nothing and it goes back to nothing, and I think it’s important you do it together.”

According to Jones, while he will take some time off after the weekend Mishler run, P&J has no intention of slowing down, noting their upcoming production of Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and a few “surprises” further down the pipeline.

But for now, Jones is “completely dialed in” on his three days at the Mishler.

“The show itself, I’m very excited about,” he said, “the cast has done a great job, the crew is ready, they’re prepared, they’re ready to roll. They’ve done a great job and we’re ready for an audience … I’m excited for people to see this vision of Sleepy Hollow.”

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.