God at Work in Godspell

It's hard to believe Godspell is over! What an amazing show it was--tied, I think, for the best show our county has done so far. The Chicago area executive director said it was in the top tier of shows he's seen in the past ten years.

One reason it was so strong was that there were no weak links anywhere. Even the kids in the small roles--and we like to say, "There are no small parts!"--were fabulous. You felt like any one of them could have handled a lead. And the leads--Jesus and the Disciples (including Judas and John the Baptist)--just kept getting better and better as an ensemble working together. Our Jesus was so likeable and believable and passionate, too. I wish everyone I know could have seen it.

We saw God intervene miraculously during this show too. After the cancellation of one of our dress rehearsals and the school day shows which usually function as final dress rehearsals, our tech crew managed to pull off a perfect Opening Night performance, even though it was their first time doing it with every sound track and special light in place! (Unheard of!) And last weekend, a water main burst at the facility where we perform, and we were told that with the amount of time it typically took to make that sort of repair, we'd have to cancel the afternoon show last Saturday, possibly the evening show as well. But with 63+ families praying, the repair was made in record time and the show went on, only one hour later than scheduled.

Spiritually, God did a great work among the cast as well. We saw a deepening in the kids' faith and purpose to live their lives for the Lord. Several teenagers initiated times of prayer and worship back in the Green Room, leading songs with piano, guitar and voice and sharing through prayer and testimony how God was working in their lives. Their leadership had a huge impact on the other kids. I am so grateful for their example.

One snapshot: The dad at the home who hosted the cast party told me, the next day, that things were still going strong at their house at 2 in the morning. But here's what he observed at that time--a bunch of kids hip-hopping to Christian dance party music...around a small group of kids in the center, on their knees, in prayer!

Bantam17 had a great experience doing a spotlight for the first time. The adults he worked with told me he had a good feel for it and never missed a cue, even if the assistant director forgot to call it. She was delighted that he was so dependable. (And respectful, too, she said--always nice for a parent to hear.)

Tomorrow, I have pictures and details of our onstage kids' moments to shine--they all got to be funny this time! And you'll enjoy the story of Bantam12's concussion on Friday night. Who'da thunk theater could be so hazardous to one's health??

Note: The shots in the previous post were all taken with our new Nikon D300; these shots were all taken with a standard digital camera. These are less edited too, since I'm lazy that way, and there was a huge sticky (kid's) thumbprint on the lens that no amount of editing could remove anyway. But even allowing for that...you can see the difference!