Don't Miss Your Chance to See "Jesus Christ Superstar" Live and in Person

Did you get a chance to see "Jesus Christ Superstar Live" on NBC this Easter and absolutely love it? Could you kick yourself for missing out on NBC's production with John Legend, Alice Cooper and Sara Bareilles? If you answered yes to either of these questions then I have some great news for you! Ohio Northern University's first ever student produced musical, "Jesus Christ Superstar" is coming to you less than a week after the live television event on NBC. The Audacia Theatre Project is the company putting on the musical and is run by Bryanah Austin and Michael Swain-Smith. As Swain-Smith was cast in "Sweet Charity," he took the assistant director position. Austin headed up the production and oversaw the work of a producer, costume designer, set designer, choreographer and artistic director. This girl came up with a concept for the show, designed the costumes, sets and choreography to fit with her concept, and took on the hard work of getting her project approved, funded and staged in a venue with lights and sound equipment. Austin couldn't have done it without the superb help from Lauren Steffanni, the production's amazing stage manager. Swain-Smith went to as many rehearsals as he could to assistant direct while still rehearsing for "Sweet Charity." I did sort of the same thing while acting as the music director for the show and balancing being in a school production at the same time.

The process was challenging at times, because I wanted to spend more time with the cast really nailing the music, but I had to teach them the music and then trust that they would work on memorizing it on their own. I was able to sit in on a rehearsal the other day to see the progress they've made on the show, and I'm here to tell you that this isn't a show that you want to miss. Going from teaching a group of my peers the music to seeing the production on its feet with costumes, choreography and character development was astounding. I expected Austin to do a good job with the cast, but it was way better than what I could've dreamed of. The staging and choreography worked so well, and other than a few musical notes from me, the cast sounded great too. The passion and heart that is put behind each cast member's voice was beautiful.

Swain-Smith and Austin decided to promote the show with a Facebook event. I am including screenshots of the event so you can check out the details about the performances.

There's no price to the show. We are in Ada, Ohio with a very limited amount of interesting things to do. The entire production wiss put on by fellow students. The story is timeless. The music is breathtaking. There really is no excuse not to see this show. You don't even have to be religious to enjoy the show! If you are religious you'll still get to see an inspirational story of Jesus' life, but if religion isn't your cup of tea you can take this opportunity to see the stories of everyone involved in the story of Jesus' crucifixion, including Caiaphas, Annas, King Herrod, Pilate and Judas. In all seriousness though, it really is going to be a cool show and I hope you find the time to check it out!