In May of 2015, I had the pleasure of performing in a community theater production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Back then, I took on the role of Pharaoh and had a complete blast bringing the story of “Joseph” to life, sharing the stage with some exceptional performers. 10 years later, to the month, I get to share my love of theater with a new generation of performers, who now have the mantle of telling this poignant story of resilience, forgiveness, and the power of dreams.
As an islander, I am partial to “Benjamin Calypso” as one of my favorite songs from the show, but “Grovel/Grovel” has been etched into my mind mostly because of the catchy and creative writings from the dynamic duo of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Fans of the musical should also look forward to the performances of “Close Every Door”, “Joseph’s Coat” and “Song of The King”. We always carefully curate the musicals as we see them as opportunities to build relevant musical theater skills. “Joseph” is completely sung, which gave the creative team an opportunity to strengthen the vocal chops of the cast, while challenging them to do even more demanding choreography.
Our aim for our children’s theater program is to make sure the next show is better than the last. The 32-member strong cast, have been working extremely hard since the beginning of the year to bring to the stage a high-quality artistic experience. This being our fourth musical, it is heart warming and humbling to see many of the cast performing in their third and even fourth musical with us. If you’ve been joining us for the theatrical ride, I hope you can see the tremendous growth that has taken place over these past two years.
Our production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a celebration of joy and a call to look towards a brighter tomorrow. 10 years ago I would not have imagined when I was performing in this production that I would be now directing a children’s version through my own nonprofit. But it was my love of the arts and belief in its ability to positively transform lives that led me down this road of eventuality. The take away here is, don’t stop dreaming, because “Any Dream Will Do”.
- Jason A. Ellis
@ellisja876