In a play about changing times and change itself, The Dining Room actor Jody Cameron has noticed a massive transformation in himself. Since the Army veteran’s return from war over a decade ago, he’s been looking for something that will make him feel fulfilled and healed again. Jody has found it in the most “unlikely of places”: the stage. “Being here (at TNP)  is like being reborn. I did theatre long before I served, and coming back to it has been challenging, freeing, and beautiful. I feel like I’ve found myself and my purpose again.”

“I’ve had to learn how to get over myself, my insecurities, unwelcome thoughts of ‘what if’ and anxieties, and learn how to trust my director and cast mates. I feel free to be myself here and not be judged, and free to explore different aspects of my characters and myself. Every day I’m here I feel like onion layers of myself are being peeled back and I’m feeling more and more secure in putting my demons to rest. It’s cathartic and beautiful how therapeutic it’s been coming off stage and applying everything I’m learning in rehearsals to the rest of my life.”

Jody has lived in Naples for 12 years and moved here from Atlanta. He did theatre throughout middle and high school, but after joining the Army, he left behind that part of himself. “I remember my wife, Jessica, told me about The Sound of Music auditions and wanted our daughter, Emily, to audition for it. She was cast as Gretl. That was my first time in a theater in over 20 years.”

Despite not performing in The Sound of Music, Jody was drawn to the atmosphere of the community. “As soon as I stepped foot in the green room, I felt welcome. Emily was bouncing all around and with all of her cast mates, and it was great seeing how much they loved her company. The cast and crew sparked up conversations with me instantly and we started playing games together right there in the green room. It made me realize that while I had changed, theatre hadn’t. All the jokes were the same – the personalities were the same. I felt at home for the first time in a while in that green room.”

Since then, Jody has performed in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and soon, The Dining Room. The stage has not only allowed him to rediscover himself, but to develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with his family. “Emily’s older brother, Joseph, is 11, and we jive on all the same things. For the past seven years, I’ve been looking, searching, and praying for something to connect with Emily on. It’s been really hard and challenging. When she got cast in The Sound of Music, and I started going to rehearsal with her, she started to see a side of me that she hadn’t ever seen before. Singing the songs together really brought us together. And then when I was cast in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, we started singing those songs together. I still remember her screaming from the bottom floor of the house, running up the stairs, jumping up and wrapping her arms and legs around me, and hugging me so tight when she found out I was cast. That soundtrack is both of my kids’ favorite thing to listen to now. I’m grateful we all have this together now.”

Acting out eight or nine characters in one play sounds like quite the feat, but Jody says it’s been the most fun part of the process thus far. “Working with [Director] James Duggan on developing these characters has been great. I love his vision and what he – no pun intended – is bringing to the table. I play ten different characters in this show, and each character has a different trauma or trigger associated with the dining room being the center of the family unit. I have to pull from ten different areas of my life to bring their stories to life. The audience will be able to find a bit of themselves and their family in every story told. It’s been healing finding parts of myself in these characters too.”

For Jody, TNP has been a place to rediscover and reconnect with himself. “TNP is my dining room table, bringing everybody and every aspect of my life together. Everyone here is a storyteller – we gravitate towards it, and it brings us closer together. When we leave, we take a piece of the tale with us, and we keep telling the stories; not just verbally, but through our actions in real life. I tried everything to get over my demons – classes with the Veterans Affairs (VA), I was in and out of VA hospitals – but coming here has helped me far more than anything else. It’s in the most unlikely of places that you become reborn as a person, and I’m grateful to have found my place.”

Thank you, Jody, for your service and powerful story of change. The Dining Room will be performed at Naples United Church of Christ in McSpadden Hall, October 4 – 22, 2023.

All of our staff and volunteers love to get new volunteers into the mix! If you’re new to the area, or just new to volunteering at TNP, don’t hesitate to join the fun. Test your skills at the next audition or contact Pamela Larkin Caruso at 239-434-7340, ext. 104 to find out what other opportunities there are backstage and front of house!