A Fresh New Theatre Company

By Jack Krayenhoff

"A fresh new theatre company" - that is how Noelle Antonsen and Joseph Goble bill their company, called Epiphany Productions. And "fresh" and "new" are certainly the right words to describe these two new comers. They are fresh in their enthusiasm, energy and approach to the musical they are putting on, which is Godspell. Godspell first burst onto the scene in the seventies, and lately had a revival on Broadway. And they are new in that both of them just graduated from the Canadian College of Performing Arts. They are co-directing Godspell, Noelle taking on the musical aspect and Joseph the choreography.

It is not that they are new to performing. Noelle grew up in a musical family and herself sang from an early age with her sisters, later in many choirs, among which the Victoria Operatic Society, and recently was part of "Singin' in the Rain". Apart from her artistic gifts, she has a head for business and for organizing, and of course without those the new company could not operate.

Joseph grew up in Smithers, B.C. Now you may not think of Smithers as a place to breed ballet dancers, but you would be wrong. Joseph explains: "As a child I was extremely energetic, I and my sister. You might think our parents might have put her into ballet and me in soccer, but instead we were both put into ballet. But as it turned out I loved it. I've been dancing since I was six, including tap-dancing, and I never quit. In high school I got involved in choir, band and drama as well." He continues, "The only thing was that I did not have the right figure for ballet: I'm short and stocky."

So here we have the two principals/directors. Where does the cast for the show come from? Most of them are grads or alumni from the Canadian College of Performing Arts as well. "We have a very talented cast," Noelle says. "I'm excited. It's going to be a really good show. We're not going to perform on stage, but in a church. We'll be dancing through the aisles, all around the audience."

And the music - canned? Oh no, the cast itself has some very competent instrumentalists; they will do it themselves. Especially the pianist is very good.

Now about Godspell. Roughly the first half consists of parables Jesus told. They are acted out by the cast, and this will be really fun. It will be high-energy, with a lot of physical humor. Later the story unfolds of Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees, the Last Supper, and the crucifixion.

Is the performance targeting any particular audience? Yes, while it is enjoyable for all ages, it is particularly good family entertainment. Children have always enjoyed Godspell. Instead of the usual 8 pm, it will start at 7:30, so that children won't get too tired. Also there will be one matinee, on Sunday, so that the family can go to church, get something to eat and then come to the show. The admissions are also family-oriented: $10 for children under twelve, $15 for students and seniors, and $20 for adults. Besides families, Godspell will be of particular interest to people who know the Gospel of Matthew, though a church background is by no means necessary to enjoy the show.

Joseph and Noelle have a particular sense of mission toward young performers who are trying to start out on their career. That is very difficult in our country these days. You can only hope to get started with the help of a grant, but you can only get a grant on the basis of previous performances. For that reason they plan to pay the cast (it will be a percentage of the ticket sales). They themselves surmounted the financial obstacles by raising money through the internet.

Finally, they intend to give 10% of the ticket sales to Rainbow Kitchens, a local charity. "We want to give back to the community," Joseph says.

Tickets will be available at the door (cash only) and through the internet:epiphanyproductionstheatre.wordpress.com/tickets

When: May 30, 31 and June 1, 2 at 7:30pm. Where: St Matthias Church, 600 Richmond Rd.