Tonight was opening night of the Continental Drama Department’s production of Godspell. It was wonderful! Not being familiar with this musical, I only knew that it was first performed in the 1970 when prairie dresses, bell bottoms, platform shoes and great music was all in style. It was surely fun to see all of that on stage again (yes, I remember it from the 70’s!) and also to see the kids (actors) enjoying it too. The timing of this production is perfect, during the Lenten season as we are preparing for Easter, watching the story unfold on stage is extra special. Camren Burgei plays the part of Jesus and explains the various parables from the book of Matthew to his diciples played by Kaelyn Clementz, Kim Grant, Maleigha James, Same Lowe, Aubrey Noffsinger and Eythan Risner. Maverick Grant played the parts of John the Baptist and Judas. You all did a great job!
Opening night was well attended and well recieved! The kids got a hardy amount of well-deserved applause. The storytelling was wonderful and the dance scenes were fun. This is a great show that the whole family will enjoy. There are two more opportunities to see it – Saturday night at 7pm and Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm. Please take the time to support these Drama Department students as they share their talents in Godspell!
–Karen Donaldson, Theater Critic for Continental eNews
A little bit about the production of Godspell from Director Justin Etter as printed in the playbill:
Thank you for supporting the arts in Continental. Your patronage is the only way we keep putting on better and better shows. Godspell is a beautiful show based on the Gospel of Matthew. You will hear parables and stories that are straight from the Good Book itself, but Godspell is not a word for word telling. Instead, it is a story that is meant to show when people work together towards one goal in love and hope, they can accomplish anything, especially when the goal is tied to Faith. As you watch the show please think of it more than just a word for word retelling. Try to feel every emotion, all sense of wonder the disciples would have felt as Jesus showed them a better way to live.
The students have worked very hard to put together a fun and interesting show. At face value you may think this was an easy show to learn, but Godspell is no easy undertaking. The harmonies are complex, the acting is layered, the emotions are high. I hope you see every long night, every sacrifice it takes to put together a show like this as you watch, and if you do, make sure to let the students know how much you appreciate their hard work. Thank you for all your support!
