Event Date

Friday, May 10 at 7 PM

Join the Rev. Dr. Jimmy Shelbourn and the cast of CP’s Godspell as we explore “Godspell: The Sources and the Scriptures.” This educational and entertaining program will take place on Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at Community Players and is free to the public.

Godspell originated in 1970 and was conceived and originally directed by  John-Michael Tebelak, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. While it draws inspiration from the New Testament, it is not a strict presentation of the life of Jesus or His teachings. Instead, it weaves together parables and quotations from the Bible, primarily from the Gospel of Matthew. Schwartz used biblical texts as well as Anglican Episcopal hymnody and original texts to create the lyrics.

At the May 10 program,  Pastor Shelbourn will guide us through the show and its texts to shed light on questions about the musical and its sources (Is it Biblical? Is it historical? Is it accurate?). In addition, the cast of Godspell will be on hand to share a brief sneak peek at some of the music from our show.

Rev. Shelbourn is a native of Broken Bow with degrees from Hastings College and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He was a pastor in Kentucky and for thirty-one years served the First Presbyterian Church of Beatrice. He is a former president of Beatrice Children’s Theater and for Community Players had the roles of Eddie in Lost in Younkers, Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and the Baker in the CP revue of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Jimmy is currently semi-retired in Lincoln and working part-time for Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Godspell will open June 7 at CP and will run for seven performances over two weekends. Tickets go on sale for members on May 20, and for the general public on May 27.