Great Lakes Center for the Arts to present Stephen Schwartz's 'Godspell' next week

BAY HARBOR — The Great Lakes Center for the Arts has recently kicked off its five-year anniversary programming and, with it, will soon come an original production of Stephen Schwartz's "Godspell."

This production of the musical was created specifically for the center with a wholly original concept and stage created just for the center's stage and is a culmination of years of work.

"We have actually been working on this show for quite some time," said the center's current director of programming and interim executive director Matthew Kacergis.

"We were hoping to do this in 2021 but the last few years have brought all of us a bit of uncertainty, but we are so thrilled to finally be doing the show," he said.

Subscribe: Check out our offers and read the local news that matters to you

Kacergis, who is also acting as the show's director, said the musical was the first major musical offering from three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz.

The show tells the tale of a group of strangers that end of helping to tell different parables using a wide variety of games, storytelling and comedic timing.

"The musical 'Godspell' is really a show that can be set anywhere. Without giving too much away, we've set the show in an airport," he said.

"I think we can all agree that's a setting that can often feel devoid of humanity. It provides the perfect starting point for this group of people who will eventually come together by the end of the play."

The cast of 10 actors and six musicians have been rehearsing since early spring. They will all be coming to the center next week for final rehearsals and to present the show.

"We have really had a lot of fun rehearsing and to have this be our first time in having a set designed specifically for our stage," said Kacergis.

"No one has ever seen the center's stage like this and it'll be a pretty amazing opportunity for people to see the stage reimagined and transformed in this space in a way we've never done before," he said.

For those not familiar with the musical, it features a number of hits, including international hit "Day by Day" alongside others including "All for the Best," "Turn Back, O Man," and "By My Side."

"It's exciting to watch this all come together and stretch our capabilities with our most ambitious project yet. I can't wait for people to see it all come together on stage," said Kacergis.

There are numerous upcoming showings of "Godspell," with ticket prices ranging from $52 to $97 depending on seating.

The show kicks off at the center on Thursday, June 30 with an 8 p.m. showing. There are three other shows that take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 1 and again at both 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 2.

Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased online at www.greatlakescfa.org or by purchasing tickets via the box office. The box office is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and can be reached by phone at (231) 439-2610 or by email at tickets@greatlakescfa.org.

Contact reporter Sean Miller at smiller@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @seanmillerpnr, and Instagram, @sean_everest.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Bay Harbor's Great Lakes Center for the Arts to present 'Godspell'