After a couple of years of directing and producing Godspell, we have found that the piece works well within the context of current and accessible references to today’s culture and thinking. The one place where that culture is so obviously reflected is in the media.

The first year we played off the theme of a specific television show, Extreme Home Makeover, playing off the idea of community, hope and joy. Last year was a more general approach contrasting the corporate side of the entertainment industry mindset with that of a more creative ways of changing lives (the "political suit" shows vs. Saturday Night Live).

This year we are taking on the theme of Survivor meets Cast Away. While the stoic thinkers of the past and present find themselves locked up in their ivory towers and eventually falling to their knees, our band of players find themselves on a deserted island in what might be considered paradise, free from the rigors of legalistic thinking and exploring a new kind of journey led by a native islander named Jesus. With references from classics such as Fantasy Island, Hawaii 5-0, Gilligan’s Island, and Tarzan to the more familiar Survivor, Lost, Cast Away and The Amazing Race, it hopes to achieve another fresh take on the Gospel of Matthew that will entertain, inspire and transform!

- David Shamburger
Associate Professor of Theatre