RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Munkustrap

Meow! Meow! Meow! Hear them? They’re all meowin’ ‘cause he’s the leader of the pack! MEOW! Well…the leader of the pack when the actual leader isn’t hanging around— you get the picture.

Thank you for joining us! Tell us who you are and who you play!

Jared Shiver: I’m Jared Shiver and I play Munkustrap.

Jared Shiver as Munkustrap in Cats with Cockpit in Court

Tell me a little bit about Munkustrap.

Jared: Munkustrap is the second cat in command. He’s right underneath Deuteronomy. He’s the main storyteller.

And what do you and Munkustrap have in common or how are you different?

Jared: I think I really got drawn in Munkustrap— I’m a teacher. I like it to be very orderly. I want everything to run as smoothly as possible. But there’s also a playful side to both him and me. He’s all up for having a little bit of fun but everything, ultimately needs to run as smooth as possible.

Got it! Why did you want to come out and audition to be a part of Cats?

Jared: I saw Cats when I was 15 or 16. The first time I didn’t really like it. But I saw it with my fiancé, her sister, and her younger sister, and they were talking about it. And for some reason, just hearing them talk about it, I understood it a lot more. A friend of a friend said he was going to audition. He told the friend, who told me, and I figured I could come in and audition and check it out. And here I am.

This is your first Bambi show? And what has that been like?

Jared: It has been a breath of fresh air. She is always so cheerful and always in a happy mood. I might not have had a great day teaching, but whenever I come in, she just brings a smile to my face. I don’t feel like I have to walk on pins and needles around her. She’s wonderful.

Charles the chunky boy, belonging to Jared.

Now I know that our readers cannot ‘hear’ you speaking these wonderful things, but your accent is giving me the distinct impression that you might not be from around these parts.

Jared: I’m actually not! I’m from Alabama. Opelika, which is right next to Auburn.

Welcome to Baltimore! Do you consider yourself to be a dancer?

Jared: When I was growing up, in high school, I did a lot of show choir. Show choir was a pretty big part of my life— dancing and singing, and I just loved it. I also did some musicals, so I don’t really know how I consider myself. A little bit of both? A singer-dancer. A mover-performer.

What does it mean to you to be a Jellicle Cat?

Jared: Ooh…that’s a good question. I think Jellicles— to put them into a category— I think they’re high society cats, where they have their once-a-year-ball. They all try to get up to being prim and proper, kind of like a Victorian-era-style experience. Bridgerton Cats… I haven’t seen it but my fiancé loves it. They like to have fun, but they also do what needs to be done. They love catching up with each other. They love hearing all the stories together and just playing and having fun.

Do you have any cats at home?

Jared: I have two! I have an orange tabby whose name is Charles. He is my chunky boy. And I have Rupert, he’s the skinny tuxedo cat, who is the spawn of Satan. I actually just took a cruise, and since I returned, they have not left my side. They are constantly begging for attention. Charles is four. Rupert is three.

We know that cats have three names. The name that the humans call them or their daily use name, their more dignified name, and their third, secret name that we can never know. What do you think the humans are calling Munkustrap?

Jared: I’ve actually thought about this, I don’t know why, but I have thought about this. He has some kind of silly name. Paul McCartney. Or something random like Cheeseburger. He spends all year trying to be okay with that name. Like “Okay. I guess that’s what I answer to.”

Rupert, spawn of Satan, also belonging to Jared.

What has been your big personal takeaway from this experience so far?

Jared: When I first got the role, I was very nervous. I actually lost 30 pounds— I did keto, started running, and ran a 5k on my cruise. It’s been a long journey. It’s amazing how just being in somebody else’s eyes, for four hours a day, three days a week, can change your perception of how you see the world. I can even tell the difference in how I taught before Munkustrap and how I teach now, which I find very interesting. I teach K through 5, general music.

If you had to sum up your experience here at Cockpit in Court with Bambi and Cats using just one word, which word would you use?

Jared: Energetic.

Cats plays July 19^th 2024 through August 4^th 2024 in the F. Scott Black Theatre of The Robert and Eleanor Romadka College Center at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard, Essex MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2787 or purchase them online.

Follow along in the “Return to the Jellicle Ball” Series here: