Taylor Phillips ’15

First, the basics! Tell us a little about yourself — where are you from, what do you study, and what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I’m Taylor! A junior English concentrator in Kirkland originally from Kansas City, Missouri. What is free time? Is that like rehearsal? 

 

What are some of the extracurricular activities you are involved with on campus?

I’m an SAT tutor for HSA tutoring, actively involved with theatre (obviously!) and just recently I joined Alpha Phi! 

 

Tell us more about Little Women!

Little Women, first of all – is an absolutely incredible book. I hadn’t read it before getting cast in the show – and I started just recently and absolutely could not stop! The musical is a little bit different and a lot more focused on Jo and her story and journey as a writer. But I think they’ve done a really good job with making it about the whole family and the importance of relationships between women – especially sisters. 

The music is incredible. The story is heartwarming I’m so excited to be a part of it. 

 

What are some of the biggest challenges and rewards from being Jo in Little Women?

The big thing for me in this show has been the singing. I’ve always played small character parts before this and a show with this sheer volume of songs is very different for me. I’ve been taking voice lessons and the music directors have been really patient with me. It’s difficult to remember to control myself and balance being technical with singing so I don’t hurt myself with also being the firey, passionate, off the rails energetic character that Jo is.  

While it is the biggest challenge, it’s also definitely the most rewarding part of the show to be able to play a character that develops so much through song. Almost all of Jo’s biggest moments happen within songs and so it’s a really cool performing challenge that has a payoff like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.  Playing such a fearless character is also incredibly fun and rewarding.  A lot of my thought processes for within moments, because I do relate to Jo so much, is, “well, how would I react to this if I weren’t afraid?” and that’s what Jo would do.  She’s not afraid of anything.

 

Why do you think shows like this are so important here at Harvard?

This is a show about following and chasing your dreams – which I feel like is definitely a classical musical theatre thing. But what makes it special to me is its focus on the fact that individual achievement is never individual.  Jo is an ambitious and talented girl, but without her family, her sisters, the strength of that nuclear unit of love and support, she would be absolutely nothing – she would have no legs to stand on. I think at Harvard we sometimes forget that we are not the only ones invested in our own success and our own lives and that it pays just as much to inspire and build up those around us. This show explores not only what it means to follow your dreams – but also what it means to have them in the first place. Where our passions come from and what drives us and motivates us apart form our own selves. 

 

What are the most meaningful things you’ve taken away from your experience?

The cast and crew have gotten really close over the course of this project and we’ve all been having such a wonderful time so the experience has definitely been a lot of fun. I think the most meaningful things that I’ve taken from this experience are a new love and appreciation for storytelling in general and what it means to be passionate about telling stories – because Jo is so exciting and enthralled with what it means to “write great books” and pour her whole heart into her passion. And sort of along that vein, being so invested in this  show has led me to have to prioritize my body and my health and sleep over all else, which is a very strange phenomenon, especially here. And I think it’s really valuable to know that it is possible to prioritize yourself and your body when you’re putting it through so much on a nightly basis and the world won’t end. All in all – this has just been an incredible experience – and I can’t wait to get everyone’s hard work on it out to the world – my favorite line that Jo says in the show is “So I grabbed a story to sell, and got ready to raise hell” – and I can’t wait to raise hell with this wonderful group of people!