This post was written by guest blogger Meredith Janay ’22. Interested in guest blogging for WAM? Email wam@newarka.edu.
From right when we got back to school after winter break to the weekend of February 28, I was in rehearsals for Newark Academy’s production of Godspell. I must admit, when the musical was first announced I never thought that I would get to that point. I thought, why would I of all people be in a show all about Jesus? However, after listening to some of the songs from the show I ultimately decided to audition, and I am so glad I made that choice. Throughout the process of bringing this show to life, I learned that this show is not just about Jesus. Yes, Jesus is a big part of the show, but it’s more about bringing people together and forming a strong bond over core values with people you learn to love.
The funny thing is, while it’s a big part of the show itself, the cast also became one huge family throughout this process. Yes, it is quite typical for casts of any show to become close because they spend so much time together, but Godspell was unique in many ways. For starters, Godspell is an ensemble show, which means that almost everyone is on stage almost the entire time. Jesus and Judas aren’t on stage for the first number (pictured) but everyone else was, and nobody exited the stage until intermission, and for one minute in Act Two. This allowed us to always be in rehearsals together, so for weeks we would spend hours together after school doing what we love. We bonded so much over the course of this show, we even went to dinner after performing for parents and faculty at the NAPA Gala (also pictured). I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to work on this amazing show and work alongside great performers and an encouraging creative team. I’ve learned that what appeared to just be a show about Jesus was about so much more than just one religion, and I’m extremely thankful for that.
