Connellsville Junior High East to stage ‘Godspell Jr.’
The Connellsville Junior High East Drama Club will present “Godspell, Jr.” Friday and Saturday nights in the school auditorium. Curtain Time is 7:30. Co-director Ben Haines, music teacher at East, said the musical was a good choice. “It has several main parts; however, it consists mostly of smaller parts spread throughout the production,” he said. “We can involve more students in the production.” He also said that the show was age-appropriate for the students. “It was written to be a kid-friendly show,” Haines said. “It was age-appropriate for the students we’re working with.”
The original “Godspell” is based on the Gospel as it is recorded in the book of Matthew. It focuses primarily on Jesus’ life, specifically his parables. The show originated in 1970 as a master’s thesis by Carnegie Mellon University alumnus John-Michael Tebelak. Two Broadway producers hired fellow CMU grad Stephen Schwartz to write a score for Tebelak’s book, and depict it in the form of a musical. It opened off Broadway in 1971 in New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre. It hit Broadway in 1976.
The current production of “Godspell, Jr.” will include more than 100 performers. There will be 14 soloists as well as vocal ensembles. The music will run the gamut from lyrical to country and from jazz to hip-hop. There also will be dramatic narration.
Many other people within the Junior High East community contributed to production as well, including carpentry students at the Connellsville Career and Technical Institute, who built the set.
Kaleb Oswald, 9th grade, plays John the Baptist. He was inspired by his brother to be in the musical. “I’ve seen the musicals my brother did,” he said. “I’ve also seen musicals on Broadway. I enjoyed them.” He said that his role is challenging because his character moves around on stage a lot. “I have to sing and dance at the same time,” Oswald said. Overall, he likes his character. “I like the role that he played in the Bible,” he said. “He preached to everyone.”
Andrew Sparks, 8th grade, portrays Judas. For him, betraying Jesus was the most difficult part of his role. “It’s hard to do that and not get emotional,” Sparks said. He enjoys the dancing and the singing. “There’s a lot of variety in this show,” he said. “It really gave me the opportunity to express my love of theatre.”
Corey Breakiron, 9th grade, plays Jesus. Breakiron was challenged to stay in character for his role. “Jesus always has to be calm” he said. “That’s not my personality at all. I’ve always been more outgoing.” Breakiron still welcomed the challenge of playing the lead role. “I like it because it’s a big role. There are a lot of lines and a lot of solos. I like it.” Breakiron brings to his role considerable theatrical experience. “Godspell, Jr.” will be the 11th musical in which he has performed. “I’ve always loved musicals,” he said.
Kristy Rouse, co-director and English teacher at East, said that the biggest challenge was finding a musical suited to the students’ abilities and personalities. “Our students come from an eclectic background,” she said.
Haines said that financing the musical also was a challenge. “We have to pay for costumes, for everything,” he said. “We had fund-raisers to help defray the costs of production.”
Both teachers agreed that coordinating a musical also is challenging. “You have to visualize what the musical is going to be before you start,” said Haines.
They also agree that the students’ work will pay off. “The students are in the audience a lot during this show,” said Rouse. “The audience will feed off of it.” Haines agreed. “The kids love this musical,” he said. “The audience will catch their energy and their passion.”
Tickets for the musical are $7. They may be purchased at the school today and Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. They also may be purchased at West Side Jewelry during regular business hours.