Arts & Entertainment

Drama Ministry Begins with 'Godspell'

We caught up with Beth Mappes, who is leading the new drama ministry at St. Oliver Plunkett Catholic Church, to see what all the hubbub is about.

More and more, churches are developing unique programs that speak to not only their members, but the community at large. And, at in Snellville, they are aiming to do just that with its new drama ministry.

Snellville Patch caught up with Beth Mappes, who is leading the ministry, to see why she wanted to start something like this and a little bit about the first production, "Godspell" by Stephen Schwartz.

Tickets are on sale now for the production. Times and dates are: 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on both March 24 and 31. Tickets are $10.

Find out what's happening in Snellvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cast members are: Jeremy Dotson (Jesus), Joseph Johnson (John the Baptist/Judas), and Eric Arvidson, Dahlia Elsherbeiny, Kelli Hughes, Carol Kruskamp, Caitlin Matonak, Robbie Summerour, Amanda Vercher and Chuck Westbrook (Disciples)

Q&A with Beth Mappes:

Find out what's happening in Snellvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Question: Why did the church decide to start a drama ministry?

Answer: Originally, another woman started the drama ministry a couple of years ago, but she resigned from the post. Mappes, who had performed at the local , among other community theaters, took it on as a calling. "It was something that I thought I was called to do," she said. "It was something that I really wanted to do. To bring people in our church together in a way that we hadn't done before in the performing arts."

Question: What made "Godspell" the obvious first choice for a production?

Answer: "Personally, I love the shows. It's something I've always wanted to be a part of," Mappes said. "Once I started reading about it and researching, it was great because it was all about community, and that’s what I want this ministry to be all about." In addition, Mappes said most people only know Stephen Schwartz from his musical "Wicked." That makes this "Godspell" production a cool way to introduce Schwartz to some, she said, as well as a fun way to tell Jesus' parables.

Question: How has the community supported this effort?

Answer: "Actually over half our cast does not go to our parish," Mappes said. "Actually, they are from the community." When she put the word out about the production, lots of her theater friends came to the audition, she said. "Starting off, it's been great to have all the support from my friends in the local theatre," Mappes added.

Question: What’s coming up for the drama ministry?

Answer: "Well next is, we're doing the "Emperor's New Clothes," which will be a children's musical," Mappes said. "That will be April 28th. We just had auditions for that. Next year, were' looking at having some multiage plays, from children to retirees." She added that the drama ministry may also look at doing a dinner theater, perhaps a murder mystery, to be more interactive with the audience. "Because this is a ministry, to me this is place where people can learn about being a part of the performing arts," Mappes said. "Let people have a chance to be a part of something -- maybe something they thought they would never have the chance to do, and it's never too late to start, that's my motto."

Question: What do you all like about being part of the Snellville community?

Answer: "We really do enjoy being a part of the community," she said. "The Snellville community is just wonderful. I've been a part of this parish for 18 years, and I've lived in the area for that long as well." Although the city is growing, she added, it still maintains a small-town feel. "It's great to see the different activities they do to bring the community together. So, I think that we're very blessed that as our church has grown that we have been able to stay a part of the community."

To learn more about St. Oliver Plunkett Catholic Church, click here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here