Through the rigorous schedule of college life, one Georgia Southern University student finds the time to share his love of musical performance with the community.

Audiences heard senior education major Jacob Furse’s tenor voice last weekend as he played the lead role of Bobby in the GSU Opera and the GSU Symphony’s production of “Company”.

As an actor he has always had a special connection to musical theatre.

Furse said, “As I started to get older, musical theater allowed me to see characters that really had substance. It was cool to dive into a character’s head and become someone new for a little while. It’s kind of a good crossroads to me between a psychological experience and music.”

The GSU Opera and the GSU Symphony put on one big show together every year and this was his seventh show with the music department.

“Being the lead was interesting. I’ve been in a lot of shows and I have a lot of experience on varying levels of relevance in a show. Lead really does not affect me. It’s just important to act well in your role that you have been given,” Furse said.

His character Bobby was a 35-year-old man who thought that he knew everything there was to know about marriage, but, over the course of the musical, learns that there is more to know.

“It was kind of difficult to step into my character because it is hard to play someone out of your age range. Instead of trying to understand the exact situation Bobby was in, I tried to relate more to the idea of finding out that everything you thought you knew about something was wrong,” Furse said.

Furse said he does not remember exactly how music has influenced his life, but does know it is a part of him that is supported by friends and family.

“I have a lot of really great people supporting me. I have incredible friends and without them supporting me I do not know where I would be,” Furse said.

“My family has never been like ‘Well what do you actually plan on doing with your life?’ when I talked to them about music as my career and all of the faculty has been very supportive as well,” Furse said.

After leaving GSU, Furse plans to continue with music and performance.

Furse said, “I want to get my masters in performance in musical theater and try to perform for a couple of years while I’m young and maybe go back later and get a doctorate and teach at a college.”