[NEohioPAL] Godspell in Akron!! Buy Tickets Online TOMORROW!!

[JT Buck]

News Release

First
Grace United Church of Christ

Contact:
JT Buck 330-212-6709

 

Provocative ‘Godspell’ Set for June Run at West
Akron Church

 

Akron, Ohio – April 29th,
2009

 

“This
is a Godspell designed to stir
things up,” says JT Buck, Arts Director at First Grace United Church of Christ
in Akron.   The church’s
staging of the classic musical will run June 5th through the 14th.  

 

The
West Akron church has been producing small-scale dramas for three years.  It’s time, Buck feels, for First Grace
to ‘come out of the closet’, artistically speaking.  He hopes a raw, contemporary version of this often-produced
theatrical mainstay will do just that. 

 

Theatre
goers can expect the same music and story that has made the show an enduring
hit but will also be asked to wrestle with a broad range of ideas, including
sexuality, poverty, and even the controversial torture technique of water
boarding.  

 

About the Godspell

Godspell, a musical based on the Gospel of Matthew, features
songs penned by Wicked composer
Stephen Schwartz and a book by the late John-Michael Tebalak. It originally
opened off-off-Broadway in 1970. 
Since then, the show has become a staple of church, community, and
professional theatre companies.  

 

Godspell
has a freewheeling structure allows
each production to be visually reconceived. In style and tone, Godspell is often identified with the clowns, bright colors
and a kind of innocent, flower power aesthetic held over from the original
production. 

 

So what makes this
production unique?  

In
late March, Buck gathered a cast of eleven actors who reflect the church’s
diverse neighborhood.  He worked
with them to retrace the steps of the show’s original creative process.
Beginning with improvisations based on Bible verses, the cast is working to
develop their own fresh rendering of each component of the musical.  Along the way, cultural references have
been updated and unconventional staging techniques have been employed. 

 

“And that’s just the
surface-level stuff,” according to Buck. “The real transformation is in the
message. These perilous times have brought a sadder but wiser quality to our
staging.  The humor is still there,
but it’s a haunted humor.  This is
not only a celebration of love, but a defiant demand for love in the midst a
culture edging closer to the brink.”

 

“Godspell only works when it’s both true to the author’s
intent, and true to the times. 
There’s a lot of terror out there. 
But you have to confront it with hope.” 

 

About First Grace Arts

 

Operating on a model of
‘community-through-performance’, First Grace Arts uses live performance of
music, dance and drama as a vehicle for building community among participants
and spectators.  Offerings usually
include two or three live theatre events, as well as concerts and other live
performances on an ongoing basis throughout the year. 

 

First Grace Arts also
insists on removing barriers to the arts, holding performances in fully
accessible facilities and never allowing the cost of a ticket to prohibit a
spectator from attending a performance. 


 

Production Details 

 

First Grace Arts will present Godspell
for two weekends, June 5th through the 14th.  Performance times will be Friday,
Saturday and Sunday at 8pm BOTH weekends.   We are located at 350 S. Portage Path, at the
intersection with W. Exchange St. 
Parking is free, and shared with the Akron Woman’s City Club and Coach
House Theatre. 

 

General Admission is $10.  “Buy One, Get One Free” tickets are
available to all students, seniors and groups of 10 or more.  

 

To make a reservation online visit: http://godspellakron.eventbrite.com

Or call 330-212-6709.

 

For more information,
visit www.firstgraceucc.org

 

Godspell is presented
by Special Agreement with Music Theatre International, Inc. 





JT Buck
Arts Director
First Grace United Church of Christ
350 S. Portage Path
Akron, OH 44320

Office: 330-762-8469
Cel: 330-212-6709

jtbuck at ameritech.net

www.firstgraceucc.org


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