Courtesy Brophy College Prep recently partnered with Xavier College Prep to put on “Godspell.” The two schools came together to present the audience with two sections of singing and acting.
The purpose of the play was to share with others different stories in the Bible.
The play took on a comedic side in explaining biblical stories such as imitating characters in humorous ways. For example, the character Judas almost slipped and said “Jesus Christ” but the other actors stopped him from saying that in front of Jesus himself.
Xavier students involved were junior Isabella Cucchetti, senior Morgan Vasiliauskas, junior Ryleigh Mangundayao and junior Gabriella Fisko. All four performed dances and songs, along with special solos throughout the play.
A surprising aspect of this play for the audience was that all of the actors not only memorized their lines but also performed everything in ASL, also known as American Sign Language. ASL is a natural process used with hands and mouthing words to communicate to those who are deaf, or hard of hearing.
Vasiliauskas said that the cast learned ASL from Professor Austin Cary at Arizona State University. She stated, “He was very kind and would teach us ASL through Zoom calls for our different songs. He and our director, Ms. [Brooke Feldman], would clarify any questions we had and made the process both fun and easy. Mr. Cary even flew out from California to see our show, which meant a lot to us.”
The play was lively and entertaining, and it was easy to understand. Many audience members were touched by the performance.
Lonnie Taylor, a freshman at Xavier, said, “The show was hilarious at some moments, and also very exciting to watch.”
Cucchetti stated, “The cast was so small so we were all so close. I loved that I got to spend a few weeks with my talented friends telling an incredibly powerful story that would move us all to tears. The love that we had for each other on the stage was real, so I hope the audience was able to feel it.”
Xavier actors shocked the audience not only with their talents, but also in the way they all executed excellent high notes that raised the performance to another level. Taylor noted that the high notes almost brought her to her feet in joy, and she cannot wait to see more of what the theater community displays next.
