A lifelong passion
Wemette became involved with theatre at a young age, appearing in church-sponsored productions throughout elementary school. In high school, he began performing at school and in theaters around his hometown of North St. Paul, Minn. He continued acting in college, appearing in four different productions over the last four years: "Machinal," "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "Marat/Sade" and "Misanthrope." He also participated in the Concert Choir and the Madrigals during his freshman year, has been in the DQ since his sophomore year and has performed in Gad's since last semester.
As busy as he is, he's been able to keep things lively. During one tour with the DQ, "we sang on the subway stations in New York City and earned 100 dollars in two hours," he recalled fondly. "I think probably illegally, but we didn't care."
Despite his gifts for performance, Wemette considers himself a playwright first. "I'm more uniquely good at playwriting than I am at acting," he said. He began reading plays in high school, developing an especial admiration for the work of David Mamet: "I don't know if he's necessarily a good person, but he's a hell of a playwright." But it wasn't until he took a playwriting class at the College with Playwright-in-Residence Connie Congdon that he became interested in actually writing. "She's a big reason I'm so into playwriting here," he explained. He enjoyed the class so much he took several more courses with her, and during his senior year decided to do his thesis in playwriting.
Jesus and David Mamet
Wemette's thesis, "Three Days in Hell," detailed with wit and style the events that might have taken place in Hell between Jesus's crucifixion and His resurrection. "I came up with the idea the summer after my freshman year," said Wemette. "I was in church one day and I sort of went, 'Jesus? He spent time in Hell? Jesus?' So I became really interested in that." He wrote a short skit involving an awkward conversation between Jesus and Satan, and liked the idea so much that he stuck with it. "My biggest concern as a playwright is that I will never have another idea I love as much as the one for 'Three Days,'" he admitted. The short scene expanded into a 130-minute play through a process that involved numerous drafts and revisions over several years. He even met with Professor of Religion Robert Doran to verify that he had his religious facts straight. The writing was finally completed during Interterm this year, and the production was a smash hit during its three-day run in Kirby Theater in April. Wemette has positive recollections of the experience. "[Visiting Lecturer of Theater and Dance] Michael [Birtwistle] as the director was remarkably generous to me as a playwright. He gave me a lot of input in the casting; I was allowed to make changes throughout; he allowed me to give notes to the actors. I will not find that again," he said.
That same weekend, Wemette won the "Write Like Mamet" contest sponsored by the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco. He composed a three-page scene parodying the style of his idol, Mamet. ACT put on readings of the winning scenes, and Wemette's was performed across the country in San Francisco, Calif., the same day "Hell" opened at the College. The contest was written up in The New York Times, an incident that the surprised Wemette called "really random" but that others see as a sign of greater success to come. "My hope is that he becomes a famous playwright and then asks me to score one of his plays," said Rob Lane '05, a music major and a close friend of Wemette's. "I mean, he's already been written up in The New York Times."
The road ahead
For Wemette, however, these recent achievements are just the first steps toward his chosen profession. "I would very much like to be a playwright," He laughed. "I also want to be able to make money. I don't know if those will be compatible. I hope they will be." Wemette considers the on-campus production of "Hell" to be just a first workshop and plans to revise the play further. "I think it's commercially viable," he said. He sent a copy of the play to the Pioneer Valley Summer Theater after the company contacted Congdon expressing interest in reading the script.
Next year finds Wemette at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minn., a top regional theatre. He will be interning in dramaturgy and literary management, "which means basically that I will be researching plays for them." Although the position is uncompensated, he has been awarded the Edward Poole Lay Fellowship to help him cover his costs. "I'm hopeful that [the internship] will be a very good experience," said Wemette. "It will get me into the theatre world at a very good theatre, and I'll get to look at the production of a play from a perspective very close to a playwright's-from the script level." Wemette hopes to enter graduate school upon completion of his internship; he has his eye on Yale University, Columbia University or The Julliard School.
Great expectations
Wemette's eventual success will have as much to do with his personal qualities as his skills. Confident but modest, imaginative but down-to-earth, Wemette possesses a determination that matches his ability. Without denying his flair for writing, Wemette maintains that there is still room for improvement. "There were definitely times when I thought a better playwright should be writing ['Hell']," he confessed, but after all his hard work, the result was a smart and entertaining play-and he's still working on improving it. "Jon has a great work ethic, he's very bright, he's incapable of self-delusion, he asks a lot from himself, he's sweet-natured, he's very ethical in everything he does," commented Congdon. "Jon seems older than the other students I've worked with-he seems more like a colleague."
"After four years of knowing him I can't say I'm surprised at what Jon has accomplished,
said Lane. "He is an extremely talented writer, and a very funny guy." Added Lane, "He's one of those people that you can count on and there is really no one I respect more at Amherst."
Wemette is eager to acknowledge the role that his family, friends and the College have played in his achievement. "I don't know any not-corny way to give credit to my parents, but they deserve a lot. Of course any success I have, they are hugely responsible for," Wemette explained. He also expressed admiration for his sister, who he said is "very supportive," even though "she's very, very different from me." He credited his roommate, Jack Morgan '05, for coming up with what turned out to be an important plot point in "Hell," and praised the College for "its dedication to its students." "There are not many other schools where I could have done 'Three Days in Hell,'" he said.
With Wemette's graduation, the College sends a remarkably promising graduate out to take on the theater world. Expect great things from him. Considering his unbeatable combination of brilliance and resolve, it's difficult to anticipate anything less.