‘ Godspell ’ to be performed at Clary Gardens in July

By Josie Sellers

Live theater will be back at Clary Gardens in July when Rogue Elephant Productions presents “ Godspell .”

This musical was originally written in 1971 and went through a revival on Broadway in 2012 , which is the version being brought to Clary Gardens .

“‘ Godspell ’ is a loose interpretation of the

Kent State Tuscarawas sets its open houses

Kent State University at Tuscarawas will hold open house events on Tuesday , June 28 or Wednesday , July 27 from 2-6 p . m . in Founders Hall . Students who are just starting their college career , transfer students and those with some college credits but no degree are encouraged to attend .

All prospective students are invited to drop in during open house hours to complete an application , file the FAFSA , tour campus , review transfer credits or speak with admissions and academic advising .

Gospels ,” said Mark Kittel , director and producer of the show . “ Jesus is a modern-day person gathering a group of contemporary people around him . The main theme is community building , teaching people to live and work together , and love one another . This is all done through games and the re-enactment of stories . It doesn ’ t follow a straight narrative , but near the end there is a recognizable story drawn from the Gospel .”

The show will be performed Friday through Sunday , July 1-3 and Thursday through Saturday , July 7-9 at Clary Gardens in the amphitheater . The Sunday , July 3 show will start at 2 p . m ., and the others will begin at 7 p . m . General admission is free . Seating in the two front rows is $ 15 ,

All attendees will be entered to win one of four $ 100 book scholarships .

Applications are still being accepted to Kent State Tuscarawas for Summer III , beginning Thursday , July 14 , and fall semester , beginning Thursday , Aug . 25 .

For more information about the open house events , call 330-339-3391 or email infotusc @ kent . edu .

Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia .

and there are four VIP seats per show available for $ 25 each .

“ These VIP seats will be at the very front at stage level ,” Kittel said . “ These guarantee that we will pull you into the show . The cast will be more than happy to pull random people out of the audience , but if you definitely want to be part of it , this is the way to go . The modern version we are doing has a lot of audience participation and opportunities for the cast to pull people on stage to participate in games and be a part of the story .”

The cast of “ Godspell ” includes Amanda Kittel , Mattie Kiser , Grace Cullison , Trip Mills , Mitch Baughman , Gabe Baughman , Halley Jones , Jenna Kay Jordan , Kayla Wyers , Graham Beaumont and Heath Chaney . Amy Jo Burton is the musical director .

“ She has been an integral part of teaching the music of this show to our cast ,” Mark Kittel said . “ This is critical because , unlike a lot of musicals , there is almost no downtime at all for the cast . Cast members sing in pretty much every single song . If they aren ’ t taking a lead , they are part of the ensemble . Every cast member has the lead at least once in the show and gets their chance in the spotlight . There are no small parts .”

He said it ’ s been a real pleasure working with this group .

“ I worked very closely with them at the onset to explain my vision for the show and what we were going to try to accomplish ,” Mark Kittel said .

“ I told them I was going to put a lot of trust into the cast members to take what was written on the page , build on it , and run with it to come up with their own additions and embellishments and build something funny and meaningful for the audience .”

Visit www . reptheaterohio . com / tickets to make your reservations . Next year ’ s production is already picked and will be “ Spamalot .” Auditions will be held in September or October of this year .

“ We will be able to get people their scripts early and have a good eight to nine months to perfect the show for our audiences ,” Mark Kittel said .

For more information on Rogue Elephant Productions , visit www . reptheaterohio . com .

The Coshocton County Beacon June 23, 2022 | Page 5

General Seating is FREE ! Front Seating $ 15 per person

‘ Godspell ’ to be performed at Clary Gardens in July

Kent State Tuscarawas sets its open houses

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General Seating is FREE ! Front Seating $ 15 per person