The Arcadia University Theater program will perform the musical “Fun Home” in the Little Theater in Spruance Art Center, Thursday, Feb. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 22. Directed by Interim Artistic Director Kevin Glaccum, the musical is based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, exploring her journey of self-discovery, her complex relationship with her closeted gay father, and discovery of her own sexuality.

“We consider a lot of musicals before we choose which ones to produce,” Glaccum explained. “There are a lot of factors: obviously, the story the show tells, the quality of the music, the size of the cast, etc. The fact that the story revolves around an LGBTQ+ storyline was an additional incentive as I feel like that’s a fairly large community here at Arcadia. Additionally, we see the main character at three points in her life, and one of them is as a college student, so that felt right on the money!”

Veronica Nardo ’26, Becca Remelgado ’26, and Lorraine Lombardo ’28 play young, middle-aged, and grown Alison, respectively. Throughout the musical, Alison learns of family secrets at different times in her life, leading to the audience seeing her grow and accept her own identity.

“[Learning about Alison] was such a captivating experience,” Lombardo said. “Seeing how she was able to capture her adolescence with such a clear lens is remarkable, and helps me connect more to my portrayal of her. I actually just cut off the majority of my hair to make my portrayal of Bechdel feel more honest.”

Blake McGregor ’27 stars as Bruce, Alison’s father.

“This character is a heavy one,” he explained. “This play makes it clear to people of all ages the struggle to find ways to authentically express oneself. Whether it be through clothes, art, or the people we love and surround ourselves with. Sometimes we are able to find it, but not everyone is so lucky. The music, along with the text, certainly conveys that.”

“There are songs throughout the production that tackle the subjects of LGBTQ+, complicated family relationships, and suicide head-on. Fun Home does a beautiful job of shining a light on these subjects, while treating them with care,” Lombardo added.

Lombardo and McGregor have appeared in Arcadia productions previously, with Lombardo appearing in “Twelfth Night” as well as “Planets to Pebbles to Dust,” and McGregor appearing in “The Laramie Project,” “Spring Awakening,” and several others.

In addition to Lombardo and McGregor, the cast includes Shaelyn Nuschke ’28 as Helen, Alison’s mother, and Addisyn Potter ’28 and Naomi Aldrich ’28 as John and Christian, Alison’s brothers. Groc Carpenter ’27 plays Joan, Alison’s first love in college; Evan Wagg ’28 plays Roy/Pete, and Jaymie Lewis ’28 plays Mark/Bobby, men whom Alison encounters throughout her life.

Along with the cast, there is also a full understudy cast. Glaccum attributes this to the Theater Program’s enrollment growth.

“Formerly, we would have one or two actors cover multiple parts, now there’s almost a one-to-one ratio with understudies to cast,” he said. “This way, we can have twice as many people involved in the production.”

Asked what he hopes the audience takes away from this production, Glaccum spoke of one of the main messages of the musical.

“I hope audiences discover the importance of living their own truth,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re in a time and place where being who you are shouldn’t come at too high a cost, but being reminded of a time when that wasn’t the case can keep us more vigilant.”

Tickets are “Pay What You Can.” Click here to purchase.