St. Sebastian Youth Ministry to perform “Joseph” April 3-6

The St. Sebastian’s Youth Ministry (SSYM) will be performing a rendition of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this weekend, April 3-6, to benefit Project H.O.P.E. in the American Appalachia and the Catholic mission in Chimbote, Peru.

No tickets will be sold prior to the show, as admission is completely free. The cast and crew simply ask that, in lieu of paying for admission, spectators place a charitable contribution in one of the donation baskets located at every door.

Project H.O.P.E. helps to rebuild houses in the low-income area of Maytown, Kentucky, that have become destroyed or dilapidated. Every year, half of the earnings from the show are used to purchase supplies for renovations that the SSYM themselves will carry out on a trip to Kentucky in mid-June. Meanwhile, the other half of donations goes toward the mission in Chimbote, Peru, which offers basic necessities such as food, lodging, and medical care to the incredibly impoverished population.

During last year’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the St. Sebastian Youth Ministry raised $23,000 for the two charities; the most in it’s 41 year history.

Assistant Director Sheri Geiger-Miller says, “Year after year, this production enables students from across the greater North Hills area to, not only put on a strong show, but to help those in need in Appalachia and Chimbote, Peru, thus serving a truly charitable purpose and enriching their own life experiences and the lives of the individuals for whom we raise money”.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, is the biblical story of Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob’s twelve sons. When his brothers become jealous he is jumped and sold into slavery. After a series of successes and downfalls, including a stint in prison, Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams lands him an audience with the Pharaoh of Egypt.

The production stars Central Catholic junior Tyler Barkich as Joseph, and Eden Watterson (Aquinas Academy, senior), David Matvey (North Allegheny, senior), and Danny Melcher (Lincoln Park, senior) as the “Storytellers”. The show consists of 45 cast members from nine schools, grades 9-12.

The cast members have been practicing for eleven hours a week since late December. Though progress on the show was made at a lethargic pace for a few months, Head Director Craig Kreutzer said on Monday that “this is the farthest a cast has come in a week in ever in CYO. In my sixteen years”. The show is improving at incredible pace as the cast and crew approach Cabaret Night on Thursday.

The show times are Friday, April 4, at 7:30, Saturday the 5^th at 2 and 7:30, and Sunday, April 6, at 2.