ABOUT THE SHOW
Godspell explores the Gospel According to Matthew in a crisp, comedic, contemporary way and covers human themes of love, loss, and learning. When it opened Off-Broadway in 1971, it was seen as an avant-garde piece. Decades later, it has become a ubiquitous classic etched in the fabric of the American Musical Theatre Repertoire. Its enduring success is owed in part to its versatile form of storytelling but, first and foremost, its heavenly rock score.
Godspell has a unique structure. Act One is a collection of songs and parables from the Gospel of Matthew told in a modern vernacular. Act Two is predominantly a passion parable or the last seven days of the life of Jesus Christ. Like the rest of the stories, this tale is told in a secular fashion. This piece is meant to bring people together around the question “What is faith?” This is not a piece with a religious agenda. But rather, one of the power of storytelling and community.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
When selecting a musical for the young thespians of BFA, we wanted a show that would excite and challenge students. The past few years have featured narrative musicals focused around a few principle characters. Godspell presented a truly ensemble piece — one that we could shape together and showcase the diverse, abundant talents of BFA students. This is not the Godspell of the 1970's. With an updated orchestration and libretto, the 2011 Broadway Revival is a fresh, topical, relevant version which we embrace and further with our original concept. This is a production which every individual team and cast member helped to build together. Welcome to #godspell2017.
This has been both a rewarding and atypical rehearsal process. Nick acted as both director and musical director for the first half of the production, while a search committee looked for a permanent drama director and teacher. After being hired, Susan walked into an ongoing rehearsal process in which the show was cast, a concept had been implemented, and a strong ensemble was formed. Without skipping a beat, Susan took the reigns of the production and began the process of fleshing out the characters and furthering the story.
The success of this production is owed entirely to this remarkably focused and flexible group of performers and crew members, who embraced this new situation with open minds and hearts. They have been a delight to work with and have put in an incredible amount of time, energy, and dedication to bringing you this show to you tonight. Enjoy!
Nick & Susan
Directors
PS. Where would we be without our incredible families? Thank you for everything you do to support us in our passion project called life. We love you!
