By Katie Vincent
When looking for an exciting night out filled with laughter, singing, and crazy costumes, look no further than the community production of “Godspell”. A musical that was created in the early 70s, this show explores the life and parables of Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples. What sets this story apart from other tales of Jesus is the wonderful dash of 70s music, costumes, and theme throughout the scenes. This is the story of Jesus as never heard before, in the community-wide production.
This high energy, compelling show will go on at the Schoolcraft High School Performing Arts Center, Friday, Sept. 13th and Saturday, Sept. 14th at 7:00 p.m. as well as Sunday, Sept. 15th at 3:00 p.m.
Many areas of the community are represented in this cast, from Schoolcraft to Three Rivers to Vicksburg and Kalamazoo. “We have a little bit of everything,” noted Diana Pomeroy, who plays “Gilmer” in the cast. She also noted that the cast wanted to “knock down the invisible walls” that held the acting groups in this area apart from each other. “We saw this production as a huge step towards becoming a closer community.”
Cheri Bales, one of the producers, said “t all started as a seed from Pam Cowgill.” She had approached Bales earlier this year with the idea for a community production in hopes that it would bring together all facets of the community to create a musical for the entire area to enjoy. This caused Bales to reach out to her connections within the local theatre community. She spoke with members of the South County Players, Home School Performing Arts and the Western Michigan University theater department. She invited anyone interested to join their growing cast of participants. This brought together thespians from across the county, who met and discussed how they could come together to create this magnificent show.
Alone, each of the acting groups involved did not find much success in filling a cast of 13 members and a choir, but when each group sat down and collaborated they thrived. “We want to make this [the musical] available to anyone and everyone in our communities,” Bales stressed after being asked about ticket prices. “It’s completely free. Donations only will be accepted.” One anonymous donor has paid for the legal rights for the production to use the Godspell script and score. The rest of the expenses for this musical have been donated through the generosity of the participants; from advertising fees to costumes. The entire cast credited how smoothly the production has been moving to the way they all worked together. “We have a good time,” said Pomeroy with a smile. All of the actors have had previous experience both with acting and directing.
Due to the tireless efforts of the volunteers, the generosity of donors, and the collaboration of the entire community, this production of Godspell is sure to delight audiences of all ages. This show is the perfect family night out; and the cast is more than prepared to cause laughter, smiles and a good time for everyone through this year’s musical production.