They Got the Beat with ‘Head Over Heels’

In November, the UNCW Departments of Music and Theatre teamed up for their first musical in 15 years, and audiences fell in love.

Hailed as a “must-see” and “an endlessly entertaining experience” by the state journal Cultural Voice of North Carolina, the university’s production of "Head Over Heels" sold out on opening and several other nights.

The jukebox musical comedy is based on the 16th-century romance "The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia" by Sir Philip Sidney, set to a soundtrack by the 1980s pop band sensation The Go-Gos.

Under the direction of Mark Sorensen, professor of costume design, and Nancy Podrasky Carson, dance instructor, the beautifully costumed cast “got the beat” against a Renaissance-era backdrop.

Students from both programs participated in the production. Music faculty member Bettsy Curtis was nominated for a 2025 Wilmington Theater Award in the category of “Musical Direction” for her work on "Head Over Heels."

Theater and music lovers won’t have to wait another 15 years for another collaboration. The departments aim to provide an interdisciplinary production every two years.