“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)
“The theater is a communal event, like church. The playwright constructs a mass to be performed for a lot of people. She writes a prayer, which is really just the longings of one heart.” – Marsha Norman, playwright
“What is community?” “What does it mean to be a part of a community?” “How does tragedy affect a community?” These are some of the questions Godspell asks. In tandem, I ask “What does it mean to do theater?” “What is necessary to put on a show?” Although I had a deceptively religious upbringing – a grade school so Lutheran that it broke away from the synod because the synod wasn’t Lutheran enough, a devoutly Catholic grandma with whom I was very close – the place I found the feelings of a religious community was theater. We didn’t attend church on Sundays, but we did have Sunday matinee tickets to the Weidner center. We usually prayed before meals, but my family was most connected when watching old musicals or movies. And, strangely, at my very Lutheran grade school, we put on full scale secular musicals every year. These musicals were the main times I felt like I fit in or could contribute something to that community.
So for this production, I took Stephen Schwartz’s note about Godspell not being a literal playing out of the book of Matthew but as a formation of a community, and set it in my/our/your community – Abrams Spotlight Productions, now, mid-rehearsal process for an upcoming show. You will not find finished sets, costumes, disco balls, confetti cannons, or magical flying cars (which is totally sacrilege for me), but you will find the essence of performing: actors trying to get their message to the audience and holding the mirror up to nature (paraphrasing Hamlet). The answers to those questions above and what is that message? Just as we interpret the bible, that is for you, the audience, to come to individually. Now more than ever, community is important. Wanting to spread one’s messages, one’s “gospel,” not isolate ourselves from those who do not agree, is vital. “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” – Micah 6:6 (NIV)
“Whatever we accomplish belongs to our entire group, a tribute to our combined effort” – Walt Disney – and I would be remiss if I did not say that Godspell, despite the note above, where I talk about me, is surely the effort of every single person you see here today, and many you don’t see, and many who have influenced and taught me.
Thank you for being a part of our community, even if only for this performance, and enjoy the show!
-Elizabeth Jolly- Haslitt, Director of Godspell