CLARKSVILLE, TN – JJ Gibson is no stranger to Austin Peay State University’s Sara and Mike Gotcher Theatre, having performed in adaptations of Urinetown, A New Brain, Zombie Prom, and more as an undergraduate.

However, watching his original musical, A Brief* History* of Manmade* Spacefaring* Objects* (*Mostly), come to life during the Department of Theatre & Dance’s 2025-26 season left him with emotions he never expected.

“I really did feel like I was watching it for the first time with everybody else,” said Gibson, who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre from Austin Peay in Spring 2024. “It was very humbling, because I have not had a work of mine produced at this level before. All the work the students put in had me floored, and the entire creative team put so much care into this project that’s near and dear to my heart.”

(*Mostly) ran from Oct. 2-5 as part of APSU’s New Musicals Project, with Gibson as assistant director. The one-act production sees personifications of Entropy, Curiosity, Hope, and Inevitability gather around a campfire at the end of the universe to reflect on humanity’s ambition, progress, and destructive tendencies.

“It’s a little weird, abstract, and out there, but that’s the brand of musical theatre I enjoy,” Gibson said. “My politics are very important to me, and this show is deeply informed by those politics and where humanity is headed if things keep going the way they’re going.”

The songs featured in the musical explore different eras of space travel, with overarching themes about what humans are willing to sacrifice to achieve their goals.

“In terms of inspiration for the show, there’s a lovely game called Outer Wilds that’s all about time loops – the universe is ending, and there are all these communities responding to it in different ways,” Gibson said. “That has always been such a grounds of inspiration for me, and it had already driven me to write three or four songs.”

Learning from the best

Gibson’s growth during rehearsal was, in some ways, an extension of his time as an undergraduate. He said APSU’s Department of Theatre & Dance helped him branch out as a performer and composer, make connections, and learn fundamental lessons about concepts like licensing.

“I would not have traded my education for anything, because I was trained by some of the most talented working professionals in the field,” he said. “I learned all the artistic and practical things I needed to know, and it gave me everything I could have asked for from a theatre program.”

The department also facilitated professional opportunities for Gibson, who attended the Southeastern Theatre Conference as a senior and landed a 10-month post-graduate acting internship with Florida Repertory Theatre.

“It’s basically an apprenticeship program for one of the most outstanding theatres in the state,” said Gibson. “You go and learn three shows for young audiences, then tour them throughout southwestern Florida. I have so many more credits on my resume, and because I had the opportunity to work on those main stage shows, I have a full contact list of working professional actors across America.”

Since graduating, Gibson has also starred as the Cowardly Lion in the Ramsey Theatre Company’s production of The Wizard of Oz. He recently moved to Chicago to look for opportunities to perform and direct in the city’s experimental theatre scene.