
“It's nice to hear people laugh, that's always been my job. There's been a lack of laughter lately, and for good reason. But the world is funny.”
In Spring 2025, Texas Tech will stage the world premiere of The Nerve of Minerva, a new musical by the creators of Greater Tuna, Jaston Williams (quoted above) and Joe Sears. Featuring a colorful cast of animal characters, from the bovine to the canine to the chicken-ine, the story follows Minerva, a lowly peahen who can't sing a lick, but whose weakness turns out to be her saving grace. She is joined by a burlesque-dancing sow named Honey, a quartet of henpecking hens, the villainous trio of Rat, Weasel, and Fox (who all have solos and “absolutely no redeeming qualities”), and many other big personalities for a classic tale of good guys versus bad guys in the barnyard.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, as illustrated by this show, which began life as a children's book. Williams' friend initially wrote a story about a manic-depressive peahen who can't sing and ends up somehow saving the day. Williams thought this plot sounded like a great idea for a play and recruited Sears and composer Allen Robertson to begin testing out ideas. Once the first song was written, it was determined that it would no longer be a musical for children, but more one for “immature audiences,” plenty in it to enjoy for all ages.
Williams refers to the music in the show as “astoundingly good,” calling Robertson “really extraordinary.” He continues: “I can send him lyrics in the morning, and he'll send it back fully orchestrated by the afternoon. Allen is so talented.” The show features a wide variety of musical types, including ballads, showtunes, the aforementioned burlesque number; you name it, it's all in there.
Minerva went through a workshop series last year at ZACH Theatre Austin, which brought the creators' vision from page to stage for the first time. The response from participants was incredible, with one telling Williams that the script “has Pixar written all over it,” high praise, indeed. Throughout the workshop new songs were developed, plotlines were enhanced, and one character even received a major overhaul. Originally, the hen in the lowest nest of the hen quartet was a rather small side character. However, blown away by the actress playing this hen and the strength that she gave to the character, they greatly expanded the role with a plotline to become buddies with the lead. This showcases an amazing part of the workshop process, where both the performers and creators are continuously making new discoveries and playing around with the endless possibilities of a work in progress.
The show will experience another workshop series this summer at the Wildwind Performance Lab on campus at Texas Tech, and it will undoubtedly evolve further from interaction with new sources of creative input. Williams acknowledges that, even after production has begun for the premiere, the script will likely continue to change, as he intends to be totally involved in the process (and hopes Sears and Robertson can be as well). “A lot can come about once we know who and what we're working with,” he says, elaborating that he is excited to learn from the students and simply see how it works with a new group of people. The first workshop was done with all opera singers, and the Theatre and Dance student body will bring in a variety of talents to help showcase the musical from a new perspective.
Another advantage TTU alum Williams sees in producing the show at his alma mater is to fully realize his vision of a large ensemble cast, with tons of barnyard animals able to be present on stage for any given number. With the array of skilled performers at Tech, there will be no need to double cast roles in the show and plenty of moments for performers to shine. There is also “nothing to compare” with the Texas Tech faculty, particularly Professor Jesse Jou, who will be directing the production. “I don't worry about it at all in Jesse's hands,” Williams says. “Everyone is on the same page and it's so beautiful.”
Described as vintage Looney Tunes cartoons meets MAD magazine, The Nerve of Minerva lives in satire, a comedic style with which Williams and Sears have plenty of experience. The heart of satire is in making difficult situations bearable through laughter, which is one of the main things Williams hopes audiences take from the show: “I hope they love the heroines and laugh at the villains, that for a period of time, they can let all of those hard things in life go.”