Cardinal Gibbons has a countless number of traditions woven into the school’s history and culture, and for the fine arts department, the biggest tradition is the musical: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The show is performed every four years, so every grade will get to see this production, no matter when they go to Gibbons. 

The musical is based on the biblical story of Joseph in Genesis. It follows his journey from being taken from his family, then becoming a slave, and eventually becoming a powerful figure in Egypt.

“It’s about this boy named Joseph, and he’s kind of favored by his family. They say he’s special and he’s one of a kind. That’s because of his dreams,” said Stela Roberts. “Pharaoh has a bad dream, and he [Joseph] says there will be seven years of famine and seven years of prosperity… And so basically Joseph becomes this hotshot, and so everyone loves him.”

Although the musical follows the Biblical story, it is modernized and transformed through the songs, dance numbers, and more.

“It’s the 70s. It’s disco. It’s the biblical story with a modern twist,” said Evan Wardaska.

Behind the Scenes

Putting together a musical is so complex and takes numerous intricate changes to make perfect. The way to do this is through countless strenuous rehearsals. While the cast is working hard constantly, they still can find a way to have fun and enjoy the moment.

“I’d say my favorite part is just how we keep our energy up during it, especially during Tech Saturdays. We all basically lose our minds, and it’s so funny,” said Kelsey Rangnow. “Just silly moments like that help us keep our energy up; those were the most fun for me.” 

“One of the most rewarding things, I’d say, was that one day where we just ran ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’ over and over again, the whole rehearsal, but we got it in a really good place. It was really rewarding, despite how tiring it was,” said Snail Hunter.

Performing In Front of Peers

Performing in a huge musical like Joseph is a stress-filled task that would be hard to do in front of strangers. Gibbons’ drama students have to do the same task, but in front of hundreds of people they know a night. 

To some, this could seem like something that would discourage them from performing, but for the cast of Joseph, they love seeing people they know.

“I love it so much. Any audience is a great audience, for the most part. I just love performing for people, and it makes me really excited and gives me so much joy,” said Isabelle Koziarz.

“I got really excited when I found out my friends were going to come see it, mainly because of how crazy it is. One of my favorite things is making people laugh,” said Rangow. “It’s really good when you see someone in the audience, and they are just absolutely dying of laughter. It really gives you a good energy boost.”

It can be especially nerve-wracking when the people staring from the crowd are the same people who teach you every day. Wardaska believes that his teachers coming to watch him makes his bond with them stronger. 

“My teachers have mostly enjoyed it. I’ve made close bonds with a lot of teachers from them coming to see me in a musical, like Mrs. Burns, Mr. Humpal, and Madame Binanay.”

How The Cast Members Became The Cast

The cast of Joseph all had different reasons for trying out for the musical, from their friends trying out to fulfilling a childhood dream. 

“Joseph at Cardinal Gibbons was the first show I ever saw, and it was the reason why I got into theater. So I made a promise to myself that four years later, I’d be in it,” said Livi Swain. 

“I love teater, just as a whole, and everything that it represents. And I loved my first production here, and it made me more confident in myself. I had a lot of fun doing Shrek last year, and so I just really wanted to do Joseph, and I want to continue doing every show here because I’ve met a lot of great people,” said Roberts.

“I auditioned for the musical because theatre is my favorite thing in the world. It has been a passion of mine for so long, and doing Gibbons Drama is such a fun experience as a whole,” said Lia Marcus.

What The Audience Should Take Away

The best feeling after seeing an amazing performance is always full of joy and happiness. Everyone in the cast of Joseph worked extremely hard to give every spectator this feeling. 

“I think that doing a show like this; it’s lighthearted and fun,” said Hunter. “It gives people the chance to just get rid of everything else that’s going on and pay attention to something fun, and to step away from all of the stress of the world. I hope that this does that for them.”

The ultimate goal of the cast is to put on a show where the audience laughs, smiles, and genuinely enjoys the performance.

“People come to Joseph to experience fun and joy. We give it to them,” said Wardaska.