This year’s annual spring theater production, Godspell, ended just a few days ago in the Tupac Shakur Black Box Theater. Unfortunately, this production is one of the final shows for the Theater Class of ’25 since they will be graduating in just a few weeks.
Godspell, originally created by John-Micheal Tebelak, had its first performance in 1970 and is a musical retelling of the life of Jesus Christ. Godspell explores the different teachings from Jesus and life for others once he is gone. The performers tell the story of Jesus through different parables, comedy skits, community, and love.
Throughout their four years spent at Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA), students spend a lot of time honing their skills not only with their ensembles, but also with certain teachers.
These teachers, who create a strong bonds with their students, have high hopes for their students’ future and want to witness them grow both in their craft and as individuals.
Theater Department head Becky Mossing (’88) has watched the theater class of 25’ grow from auditions to now, with some students knowing her even prior to them joining BSA.
“I have known them since they were in TWIGS at 9 or 10 years old. It has been an honor to watch our students grow up and discover who they are; not only as artists but as human beings,” said Mossing.
“Our senior actors have grown in confidence and in the development of their craft. By this I mean their ability to create character, connect emotionally, use their voices both in terms of articulation, projection, their ability to move their bodies through space and in developing singing technique,” Mossing continued.
During the four years students spend at BSA, they change and grow tremendously, especially those who started learning in TWIGS. Their learning journey will soon change course as they move on to graduation.
Stage Design and Production (SDP) Department head Julianne Franz, has also watched this ensemble from auditions to their upcoming graduation. “The fall of 2021 marked the return to school full-time after the COVID shutdown. This ensemble came to BSA eager for high school, ready to train, and grateful to be together. They have built the kindest culture inside their ensemble…So what happens when you spend four years inside this kindness culture? I’ll tell you what – you bloom! You bloom in a way that only you can. Each of them has enjoyed the command and even mastery of some areas of stage design and production,” said Franz.
Returning after COVID was a big step for many. These students also made a big transition from middle school to high school.
The challenging roles they’ve taken on and wonderful lessons they’ve taught to their underclassmen have been very valuable and none will be forgotten.
“Having their leadership this year in SDP has been invaluable,” said Franz. Certain leaders that were extremely valuable to SDP this year were the Stage Managers for various productions: Kena James for the fall production of She Kills Monsters, Will Williams for Expressions 25’, and now, Isabel Hauer for Godspell.
Hauer said, “Godspell is a great final show because of its emotional weight. Not to spoil anything, but we are literally saying goodbye to each other and the community we built together with all its trials and tribulations. That final show will be the best show because it’s no longer acting, it’s everyone in their most raw emotions.”
Within the trials and tribulations, the students continue to grow, in their crafts and relationships. “To be honest, we all grew individually, but were always inspired by each other,” said Hauer. “We all grew into our specialties and honed in on our crafts…in short we grew closer over these four years and I couldn’t imagine a better ensemble to grow with.”
In the production of Godspell, the majority of the students play themselves in the show; all but two: Favian Womack, who plays Jesus Christ, and Cristan Cooper, who plays Judas.
Womack spoke on the growth he has experienced with his ensemble first hand, saying, “Our ensemble has been through so much together: highs, lows, and everything in between. Since freshman year, we’ve had to learn how to trust each other more, how to communicate better, and how to push through challenges as a unit. There have been moments where it felt like we were completely out of sync, but over time, we found a rhythm. We’ve grown not just in skill, but in how we show up for each other.”
A student’s ensemble is such a tight knit and close group of people that they work with since day one. It’s natural for many to feel very awkward at first, but Womack stated a very important thing: trust! BSA students must trust their fellow peers to always support and help them–not just throughout school, but outside of it as well. The trust in the people around you that they will always be there to help and support you throughout school and more.
To Womack, Godspell is a good final show for theri ensemble. “This show is all about building something out of nothing, and finding joy even when things are uncertain. In a way that’s exactly what our ensemble has had to do time and time again. So getting to close out my time at BSA with a show that’s so much about resilience and togetherness feels really full-circle,” said Womack.
The joy and love that they all brought to this show is evident. The love that is grown in an ensemble is irreplaceable. Their love for each other and their crafts have, as Franz predicted, bloomed.
To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.
Featured design by Ewan Lodge (’25) for the Baltimore School for the Arts.
