'Godspell,' the Musical, at Riverview High School

In the midst of a very sad situation, the loss of a classmate last Friday, some Riverview High School students who were close to Brooke Ann Coats put on their drama faces and went to practice for this weekend’s performance of "Godspell."  

Sitting in the school’s auditorium at 2 p.m. on Monday, the show would go on for these teens practicing for opening night this Thursday. However, when school ended at 2:50 p.m., Principal Robert Heilman came on the intercom to announce a memorial photo was being taken by the Sharks' pool with all Brooke’s friends dressed in pink.

The drama teacher and director, Daron Hawkins, was able to sit down for a moment while many of the students went poolside for the photo.

Hawkins said this is the third time in his 13 years teaching that the school will perform "Godspell."  

“Some of these students will go on to acting school and 'Godspell' is a staple they need to know,” he said.

“'Godspell' is a way to get a lot of kids on stage at different levels. There is great music that is easily sung,” Hawkins continued.

Hawkins was full of energy with the show just days away, but definitely was not telling the kids they could not mourn the loss of a “teacher’s dream."

Coats, who died after she fell off a bull at a rodeo Friday, was in drama class and, according to Hawkins, was a “teacher’s dream” of a student, “always polite and did all of her work on time.”

'Godspell' has been performed by Broadway, students and actors since 1971 when it was created for performance by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak.  Based on the Gospel of Matthew with some influence from the Passion of the Christ and the Gospel of Luke, 'Godspell' is a two-act performance with lots of music and unusual props. 

The main two characters, Jesus and Judas, are both played by first-year drama students. Jesus is played by Corey Farrell, freshman, who has been acting since he was 6.

“I’m nervous about making sure everything is perfect," said Farrell. "With so many lines to memorize, I can ruin the whole play if I forget one or say them in the wrong order.”

Judas, played by Jacob Wilbanks, junior, mentioned the best thing about acting is “being able to take on a whole new character…making them believable to the audience.”

Godspell will have four performances beginning this Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door of the Sharks' auditorium for $10 per person. Tickets for seniors and students are $5 a person.  The show also will run Feb. 25-26, also at 7:30 P.M. and there will be a matinee on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m.