Walsh Middle Hosting Community Forum on Musical Choice of Godspell Monday

The award-winning Walsh Theatre Arts Department plans to stage the classic 1970s musical Godspell in December.

But at least one parent is unhappy about the choice. An email was sent to the school complaining about the decision to stage a musical based on the Gospel of Matthew and Luke and featuring Jesus Christ.

So on Monday night, Walsh Middle will host a community forum, in which parents and community members, can attend and discuss theatre and the arts in Framingham, and Godspell. The forum is from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

“Godspell is a musical with a story that is based on the writing of the Bible, as is the production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (previously produced both at Walsh and Framingham High) and is frequently performed in public schools. If there are questions about the show choice, let’s talk about it together,”said Walsh Theatre Director Sheron Doucette.

“It was always my intent to start a conversation about the play after we started rehearsals but having the question out there, either by a group or even just one, sooner seemed like a better idea than later,” said Doucette.

This is not the first time, Framingham Public Schools has staged Godspell. Last year, Framingham High staff and students, staged the musical as a fundraiser for the Framingham High School Drama Company’s trip to London.

“The show has a message worth repeating,” said Doucette.

Godspell was first staged in 1971. There have been complaints against the musical in public school settings over the years, but not many.

“Forty-five years ago there was a need for the creation of a musical to teach acceptance and kindness as a way to build and strengthen community,” said Doucette. “The reality is, forty-five years later, the need for lessons of acceptance and kindness are still needed. Godspell today may look and in some cases sound updated but the message is the same.”

Doucette said “Chaos can break down the walls of society. Teaching lessons of kindness, love, friendship and acceptance toward your fellow man can rebuild those walls. Theatre is storytelling. Music is storytelling. Dance is storytelling. Our troop of young actors discover the remains of an abandon theater and are guided to use what they know and what they can find to enact various life lessons and eventually are on their own to go off and retell these stories with the hope of building beautiful cities.”

Doucette said there are three criteria we look at when trying to select a musical or play at Walsh.

“The first, is it age appropriate for middle school students and our audience. Musicals don’t have a rating system like movies but if I were to use the movie version of Godspell as a guide, it is rated G,” she told Framingham Patch.

“The second is, does it provide ample opportunity to for a large cast where many students have a chance to shine. This production, more than most, allows for a very large cast and and is scripted in such a way that most of the main songs can be sung by different students. It also offers a wide range of storytelling opportunities for even more students,“ said Doucette.

“Finally, we look for a show that has a message that aligns with the middle school curriculum and the core values at our school,” explained Doucette. “Stephen Schwartz, states “Godspell is about the formation of a community and the inclusivity of all types of people within it.” To me, this exemplifies what we wish for our students.”

Doucette added that the production connects to the classroom too, as ”world religion is part of the seventh grade social studies Common Core Curriculum. It seems to hit everything on our checklist.”

“The Parent Teacher Student Association board of directors fully supports the Walsh Theatre Arts department’s decision to produce the musical Godspell,” said PTO co-presidents Christina Julakis and Nancy McElwain, in a joint statement Sunday night.

“Having theater in public schools offers an excellent vehicle to teach world culture,” said Doucette. “Through theatre at our schools, we have explored different beliefs, lifestyles, parts of the world and other religions. Using the arts to teach empathy and understanding to promote acceptance is my goal and obligation.”

This is not the first time Walsh has had a community forum on one of its production said Doucette.

“The last forum held at Walsh that I actively reached out beyond our school community was for our 2013 production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly, a play about children in the Terezin concentration camp,” said Doucette. “We invited the community and it included artwork, world history and personal stories ending with a group discussion about the play. It sparked many teachable moments that day and in the rehearsals that followed.”

And Framingham High School held several community forums when it stages The Laramie Project in 2010. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church protested the district choice of a production. About 500 people attended a community rally in support of the production.

Auditions for Godspell were held last week, and call backs continue this week.

The cast list has been delayed, but not because of the complaint.

“We had originally intended to have it out today (Sunday), but Framingham has a boat-load of talented kids. It’s a great problem to have and I shouldn’t complain. We extended the call backs through Tuesday. We want to have the first company meeting on Thursday so we’ll have the cast list out by then,” said Doucette. ”if you auditioned, you are in the cast. We don’t exclude anyone that wants to participate.”

Rehearsals are expected to start next week.

Doucette said the Thursday company meeting with cast and crew will be an extension of Monday night’s community meeting.

“I’m planning a group conversation about the history of the show, our concept of it and let student ask questions,” said Doucette.