One month before the opening night of GHS’s new musical, Godspell, members of the Galena High School Drama Club are hard at work preparing for yet another great show.
“I’ve been learning to portray my characters in a proper way, layering them into more two-dimensional people so that there’s more depth to them,” explains Briar Winter ‘29, one of the members of the show. Winter plays two roles: John the Baptist and Judas, both of whom are instrumental to the plot of the show. They star in the show alongside Sophomore Seven Smith, who plays the main role of Jesus.
Godspell—originally written in 1971 by Stephen Schwartz, the creator of Wicked—is a musical structured as a series of parables that Jesus teaches to a small community in the time leading up to his death. The GHS Drama Club will be staging a production of the 2011 Broadway Revival version of the musical.
“It’s a content musical in the sense that it won’t necessarily be about the plotline, but rather the theme,” says Director Ms. Anderson-Beadle, who is in her third year of directing the Drama Club at Galena High School. This will be Anderson-Beadle’s second musical after her record-breaking box office run with her debut musical, Mamma Mia, launched her show to be the second-highest selling in Galena High School history. She’s looking to capture the same excitement and fun that surrounds the musicals of GHS.
That same excitement can already be seen in the cast performing the production. “I am super excited for the show already as I get to spend my time with such amazing people,” explains Jalyn Walker ‘26, who sings We Beseech Thee in one of Godspell’s musical numbers: “We Beseech Thee”.
One of Godspell’s qualities that will set it apart from other musical productions in the past is the troupe’s decision to perform the entire musical on the floor of Turner Hall, rather than traditionally using the stage. “Doing the musical on the floor of Turner Hall allows students to challenge themselves by projecting their characters on three sides rather than one,” explains Anderson-Beadle. Smith, playing the lead role of the musical, corroborates these sentiments: “It’s a great way to connect with the audience as it becomes engaging for all of them to see the show through ground level. Being able to see them up close brings a new level of intimacy to all of this.”
However, this level of innovation from the working parts of the Drama Club comes with great responsibility. Both the cast and the crew have been busy in preparation for a show which will require numerous technical elements both on and off stage.
“I’ve been going over my critiques after every rehearsal and make sure to go over the music again to fix mistakes I may have made during rehearsal,” said Isabella Haugh ‘28, another member of the GHS Drama Club instrumental to the musical, singing the song Learn Your Lessons Well.
Doing such is hardly an easy task to perform. That’s exactly why members involved with Godspell have been rehearsing day in and out with director Anderson-Beadle and music coordinator Ms. Streich in multiple venues ranging from the GHS Cafeteria to Turner Hall. They spend the rest of their time learning and preparing music both at home and in the Choir room.
“I have been offering help sessions after school for students who may need some extra help on their vocal part,” explains High School Choir Director Ms. Streich, who also leads vocal rehearsals on the musical. Every Wednesday, she helps lead the cast of Godspell through all the musical numbers, one by one. “A musical would not be a musical without the music!”
Performing Godspell proves to hold immense challenges and benefits for both the cast and the crew; but once performed, it will be abundantly clear the work that the Galena Drama Club has put into this project over the course of months. The shows will be from April 16-18, and should not be missed—after all, it will be godly!
