Come sing about love!

While I don't want to post about the same thing over and over, I feel a need to follow up to my most recent post on Godspell. We just finished our first weekend, and now have today and tomorrow off. It has been a great run, and I am excited about our 5 remaining performances.  So I want to take this day off and write about 2 things regarding this show.  First, what has been happening with this show, and second, what this show has ignited in me for the future.

I don't know how it happened, but this group of very different people has bonded in a way that I've rarely seen (apart from camp anyway).  Over dinner last night, our director commented on how "tight-knit" this cast has become, and while I agreed with her, it was in this conversation that I realized I really don't know most of the people in this show very well.  Yet I still have that very real sense of bonding and tight-knit community.   

2013 Godspell cast (minus Lisa Jeans who is hiding in the back; photograph from Green Room Photo)

Godspell is a small ensemble show, where pretty much the whole cast is on stage for the whole show, so you don't really get much time to spend backstage socializing.  I replied to our director's comment that I think this cast is close not because we have spent so much time getting to know each other, (because we haven't) but because we have consciously decided to trust each other.  We have let down our guards, made ourselves vulnerable, and accepted each other as we are.  This has led to a great amount of trust that creates a wonderful community and a great show.

This is also one of the most positively affirming groups of people whom I've had the pleasure to work with, and they have left me with a heightened sense of self-confidence.  While I will be happy to have more time with my family and more personal time, I will greatly miss being surrounded by this overwhelmingly uplifting group of people.

The Future
When I ran my marathon, I reached the end and said, "I'm glad I did it, but I have no desire to do it again."  Well, on the ride home, I was already thinking about next time.  (I'm registered for the Chicago Marathon this October; can't wait!!!)  I've had that same experience with this show.  Before we started the run, I thought it was going to likely be  a one-off deal, but now, I am looking toward the future and want to get more involved.

As far as being in shows, I would in a heartbeat audition for Jesus Christ Superstar or Rent.  Although at this point in my life, I would only accept certain roles (Judas or Mark or Roger; probably not good enough to be Jesus) .  I will also likely put my name out there to play in the pit for shows, as a) it's like a 2-3 week commitment, and b) you get paid for it.  What I'd really like to do though, is try my hand at directing music, and potentially some day learn to direct the whole show.  I think since I'm so critical of theatre, I would bring a fairly fresh perspective and do some new things.

I would be excited for any of those opportunities, but what I'm most excited about is that I'm revisiting the idea of writing my own show.  When I was in high school, I was working to write a rock opera, but it never really came to fruition.  Now, I have four fairly solid ideas for shows that I plan to begin writing (one at a time) when Godspell is finished.  While I don't want to give away plot points, the basic ideas are below:

1. A 4-person cast musical about musicians, where all music is "source music" (which in this case will be played by the musicians because they're musicians, as opposed to incidental music, which is more like a film score or a musical where people just sporadically burst into song)
2. A rock opera based on a classic novel (true opera genre, arias, recitative, etc. only utilizing rock music)
3. An experimental 3-act play (non-musical) about war
4. A complete farce inspired by Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (and I mean inspired by, not based on)

 My hope would be over the next year or two to have the first show in a state where I can have a first draft of a script, score, and demo recording.  The goal would be to get these shows produced locally.  I have been creating some premises and outlines for the first show and will likely begin a synopsis in the next few weeks.

Links
As of the writing of this post, you still have 5 chances to see Godspell.  Please see the following links.
For ticket information
Our review from the Central Illinois Live Theatre League
Interview on a local news show
Photos from Green Room Photo