The Factotum groom & glow Lounge

The Next Generation of GSA
Years after training at GSA themselves, Will Liverman and DJ King Rico return as creators, working directly with the next generation of young artists to bring Factotum: The Groom & Glow Lounge to life.

From Students to Mentors

Nearly 20 years after graduating from Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA), I returned to the place where so much of my own journey began- this time as a composer, mentor, and performer.

Bringing Factotum: The Groom & Glow Lounge home to Norfolk was a full-circle experience. Will Liverman and I had the opportunity to work directly with GSA students throughout the process, developing a new adaptation of Factotum specifically for young artists.

For me, the experience became even more personal when I performed alongside the students for all three shows, including a final performance presented especially for GSA students. Every show took place in the same theatre where I graduated from GSA in 2007.

Even our rehearsal process carried a piece of home with it. We rehearsed inside MacArthur Center, a place that had been part of the Norfolk landscape throughout my youth, during its final chapter before closing for good.

What made the experience even more special was seeing what the students brought to the work. I was genuinely impressed by the talent, commitment, and personality they brought to these characters and this music. They didn’t just perform The Groom & Glow Lounge, they made it their own.

What began years ago as two GSA students finding our own paths in music had come full circle: returning home as creators and watching the next generation bring new life to something we created.