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Jocelyn Trimmer, a 2024 ����Թ� graduate, wasted no time in getting a job after graduation. In fact, just weeks before May Commencement, she landed a spot in the ensemble cast for the North American tour of the popular musical “Mean Girls.”

Trimmer came back to Northeast Ohio for about 24 hours in May to cross the stage at Commencement, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, graduating with honors in both degree programs, and then it was back on the road.

Trimmer joined the production in April as a member of the ensemble cast and understudy for the character Regina. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, those who plan to will get to see Trimmer portray mathlete Caroline Krafft in “Do This Thing,” as well as a Bumblebee Transformer in the winter talent show scene and as “Sexy Corn,” dressed up as an ear of corn for a sexy Halloween costume.

Learning As She Goes

Trimmer shared that she had only a few weeks to learn the material for the production while on tour. “We were learning stuff in hotel rooms and in, like, the alley outside,” .

Her experiences at ����Թ� State prepared her for this moment, however. Trimmer performed in a variety of plays and musicals at ����Թ� State, including “Cabaret” as Lulu and Sally (understudy); “Rent” as “Seasons of Love” soloist, Joanne (understudy), co-choreographer and dance captain; “Head Over Heels” as Mopsa; and “Freaky Friday: The Musical” as Danielle and Ms. Meyers. She also starred in productions at Porthouse Theatre, ����Թ� State’s summer professional theatre. At Porthouse Theatre, Trimmer starred as Vibrata in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and Alyssa Greene in the regional debut of “The Prom,” as understudy for Chiffon and Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors” and Uzo in “Godspell.”

“My time at ����Թ� State and the community I have found with Porthouse Theatre has not only honed my abilities as a performing artist, but also shaped me into the person I am today. The lifelong friendships I have made have given me the confidence to unapologetically pursue my dreams and the amazing teachers I have been lucky enough to learn from have molded me into a triple threat with the skills to make those dreams a reality,” Trimmer shared in a previous interview.

Learn more about Trimmer's experiences in ����Թ� State’s School of Theatre and Dance.

Banner image provided by Jocelyn Trimmer.