Grace Koltz is in love. Not with her character, Sam, or even Sam’s love interest, Hunter. She’s in love with the opportunity to create a character with little more than the lyrics of the three songs Sam sings in Joey Contreras’ pop musical, “In Pieces.”
“It’s exciting to create the character, especially from nothing,” Koltz said. “I mean, there are things that exist, but there’s nothing really online about it. It’s very, very little. So to get to do that is a really, really big blessing.”
Sam is a Type A career-oriented business woman.
“Sam is a very determined woman who knows exactly what she wants in her career,” said Koltz. “She’s very successful in her career, but she’s not as fortunate with love. She’s a little bit jaded, and she’s definitely learning how to not just bulldoze everybody in her path with her personality. She is so strong, but she wants someone to care for her,” Koltz said.
This comes out in Sam’s plaintive act one ballad, “Waiting for More.”
I wanted to see you smile at me
I wanted to feel the ground shake under my feet
I wanted to know that everything would grow
And now you said it would, I′m not falling now
To tell you the truth, I wanted to go from the start
'Cause you are too afraid to let it show
But if you say what is real, gotta do what you feel
′Cause I'm not gonna be here for long
I'm not waiting this time, not another shy guy
Tell me the truth, open up, and start to
Feel me, like you′ve never felt before
Under my skin, that′s where it begins right now
Love me like you've never loved before
If you want it, baby, come and get it
Don′t leave me waiting for more
I'm running and running in circles
With you, I′m going nowhere
This isn't how it should be
And though you said it′d change, why is it still this way?
I'm tired of making excuses for everything
If you love me, come and show me today
“In the second act of the show, Sam has ‘Like You Don’t Miss Me,’ a very token breakup song - kind of Olivia Rodrigo, that kind of vibe - where she really sings her little heart out about how this guy she dated, Hunter, acts like he doesn’t miss her, but she knows that he does.”
You can go out all day
Talkin' all about me
And I hear what you say
I don't mind it, I don't mind
Run and tell everyone
How gone and moved on
Hoping that I see 'em
I don't mind it
'Cause once upon a time you had my heart
But now you wanna go and play your part
Like you don't miss me
When you wipe those tears, letting it out
Like you don't miss me
When you kiss them boys, getting all around
Like you don't miss me
Fine 'cause I told ya,
Using the oldest trick in the book
Yeah!
Like you, like you, like you don't miss me
In the end. Sam and Hunter realize that while they may not be a perfect pairing, maybe they’re enough.
Koltz’s vocals combine perfectly with Contreras’ pop score to tell a poignant story of love lost and, perhaps, rediscovered.
“In Pieces” wraps with two performances on Sunday.
MORE INFORMATION:
With themes of vulnerability, resilience, and the courage to embrace change, “In Pieces” resonates as a heartfelt exploration of the human experience. Runs through June 22.
Cast includes Patience Cole as Alex, Bailey McArthur as Jael, Camila Guedes as River, Grace Koltz as Sam, Joey Bostic as Grey, Ethan McKay as Charlie, Tyler Young as Hunter, Jazmine Encalada as Austyn and Beckie Gould and Ava Szlabowicz in the ensemble.
Grey, a laidback singer/songwriter, and Charlie, a casually smart introvert, strike up an unexpected friendship that blossoms out of their high school computer science class. But when those feelings turn romantic, they experience a fleeting teenage dream with long-lasting impacts.
Alex, a curious and kind transplant, steps outside of her comfort zone, while championing River, an almost jaded good-time girl, on her revolving door of dates.
Hunter, the charismatically stubborn but eager brother of Charlie, navigates career aspirations and city temptations while dating Sam, an older and more successful consultant, determined to check all her boxes.
Koltz loves the way Contreras created eight different storylines that intersect.
“But more, when I looked at the character of Sam, I really, really related to her in so many ways. There are a lot of parallels between my life and Sam’s life. There are a lot of differences, too, but just relating to her and her story is enabling me to grow myself through her as well.”
Koltz predicts that audiences will connect with one or more of the characters in the show. Even more, they’ll love Contreras’ pop score.
“There’s a little bit of everything in there,” said Koltz. “You get to really experiment. We have the challenge of playing through a whole bunch of styles and playing with the vocals to tell the stories. It’s so good. Joey Contreras did a great job.”
Grace Koltz is an equity eligible actress. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from the University of Southern Indiana in 2022. Since graduation, she has trained under the direction of several Broadway actors.
Her recent credits include Christine Colgate in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Liesl Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music, Sister Mary Robert in “Sister Act,” Marty in “Grease,” Babe in “Crimes of the Heart,” Olivia in “Twelfth Night,” Beverly Brown in “The Mad Ones” and Marsha in “The Seagull.”
Koltz has recently taken on the role of music and vocal director at The Belle Theatre. You can follow Koltz @grace.koltz.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.