“Godspell” was announced to be the fall Musical for the 2026-27 school year via @smetheatre’s Instagram on April 16, after a series of hints were posted on their story for two days prior. Theatre teacher Tom DeFeo, with collaboration from choir teacher Ken Foley and choreographer Alexis “Bubba” Close, chose this for the musical and what hints would be posted on the Instagram stories.
“We normally announce [the fall musical] at our theatre banquet at the end of the year, but this year DeFeo wanted it to be released mid-April,” junior theater member Tori Roland said. “[DeFeo] made the hints, but the senior execs made the graphics and were in charge of posting them.”
As the director of the musical next year, DeFeo was the ultimate decider that the musical should be announced before the banquet. He didn’t want the spotlight to be taken away from fellow musical director Brian Cappello’s retirement at the banquet.
Cappello has directed numerous musicals at SM East in the past and will be missed among the students involved in such productions, according to DeFeo and senior and theatre exec Charlie Gray. Cappello didn’t take part in deciding on the musical this year due to his retirement.
The announcement came as a complete surprise to everyone, including the senior execs in charge of posting the hints, according to Gray.
“The reaction has been sort of different from the students, because they don't really know much about it,” Foley said. “It's originally done with like 11 to 12 people, but we're expanding the chorus, and it's going to be a full production.”
This is the first time SM East will put on a production of Steven Schwartz’s musical since a hybrid version was performed during COVID. The musical is based on the Gospel of Matthew from the Bible and consists of upbeat, rock and roll tunes from the 1960s and 70s when it was first performed.
More information will be released regarding auditions at the start of the next school year as DeFeo prepares for a non-quarantined production of the classic musical.
“It's interactive,” Defeo said. “Think of a circus or a playground, lots of moving things all the time. It's not a show where you just stand there and sing, it's very interactive as for getting out into the audience, which is a common thing with Godspell.”
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