Playbill: When you think of Flint, Michigan, the first thing you think of is water. Or rather, the 2014 water crisis which made the water in the city undrinkable for many residents, until 2020. But for director Michael Lluberes, who has lived in Flint for six years and runs the Flint Repertory Theatre, the city is more than that catastrophe. So, when he came up with the idea to do Stephen Schwartz’s musical Godspell and set it in a working swimming pool, with actors splashing around—it felt like a natural fit for Flint.
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One of the recent sound graduates was working on this performance in michigan. I remember talking with my sister about it, saying how they are able to do sound in a pool. Clearly, the production team has thought through all of the different possibilities and safety protocols that go along with having a pool for a stage. Not to mention having a 4 person Stage Management team to facilitate, and clean the pool every night is incredible. I am so glad that it has gotten more than the recognition it deserves. This is a prime example of how theatre time and time again can come forward and bring a community together and uplift it. After reading about the history of the water crisis in Flint Michigan from another class, it’s inspiring to see that theatre is able to show the broader community that there is strength in numbers and resilience. I wish I was able to go out and see this production while it runs, because it must be a once in a lifetime experience!
This is a really interesting idea, and certainly something that would affect a lot of the areas of production. They said the actors are unmic’ed but this decision would also affect costumes, props and maintenance. I haven’t seen Godspell myself, but I am curious how this setting choice would affect the rest of the show.I am sure the outcome would be really cool, I have always been intrigued by the usage of pools of water onstage. I think the idea of adding something that can be so messy and difficult to control is a difficult one to make in a world where we want to control elements so that nothing goes wrong. But with a pool involved, there’s a certain level that is out of your control. I also think it’s funny to envision that there is a person whose role is to clean the pool.
This is so cool and talk about an involved tech process. One of the things that I love about this industry is we are doing that crazy weird bizarre thing that requires us to learn what it means to keep a pool clean and safe. What that process is. I also wonder what the under structure looks like and how they choose to work around the weight of the water and being on stage. Truly would drive 10 hours to see this. Because I would love to see how water plays on stage but not just a pool that one actor goes into at the end of the show, but a pool that is used as prop and a set. How this was described has my interest peeked. What new materials needed to be used to prevent wear. And is this a show that could run for longer than a month or a few weeks.
I think fondly of the time(s) I saw Godspell at CMU. Before the school’s performance, I didn’t know the show very well. Even now, knowing the show, I probably wouldn't imagine it's best suited in a swimming pool- but I always love theatre that pushes the boundaries of expectation and leans into the creativity and nuance of the material. The opening image of this article says a lot about the work- the vivid colors and lively movement captured is telling about the vibe that creatives want the audience to experience with this production. I find it interesting that the pool is so central and circular, on a pedestal of sorts. It makes me wonder if each number is centered around the idea of it being set in a pool, or if this concept only applies to a certain part of the show or musical number. “The front row is the splash zone, or as Lluberes jovially puts it, it’s a baptism zone.” Leaning into the whimsy and fun of this is smart and really interesting!
This is so cool! When I saw the article title I thought it was really funky and creative, but reading about the history of Flint and the water there, I love this even more than I thought I would. The “whole thing being a baptism” idea is super interesting. This seems like such a healing experience or event to happen in Flint after their water crisis, and I am so happy to read that they got an overwhelmingly positive response. From a technical aspect, putting on a musical in a pool sounds like a headache, but they seem to have pulled it off spectacularly. Using hanging mics rather than worn mics is an obvious change, but I wonder what kinds of less overt issues they faced and how they overcame them. I was thinking about how once you spend a lot of time in a pool, your fingers and everything feel all weird and gross, and I’m wondering how much time is really spent in the pool or if actors are in and out of the water enough for that not to be an issue. The article says they drink electrolytes and use lots of moisturizer, which makes me think that this project is one that needed actors who not only had the skills mentioned (acting/dancing/singing but also swimming), but also were up for an interesting and out-there experience on this show.
When I first found out about it, I thought the idea to do this show in a pool was nothing short of crazy. I thought it would add so much complication to the show and in the end turn out to be a disaster but I’m happy to have been proven wrong. The buzz surrounding this show has been off the charts. I have seen so many TikToks, heard so many reviews, and read so many articles about this show. It seems that everyone is obsessed with it and this article proves that. The fact that people will drive ten hours to see a show at a regional theater shows that when we are willing to break boundaries and do something new, audiences will be excited and be more willing to come see the art we produce. Pushing boundaries like this is challenging but I think this challenge is good and one that we should strive for with more of the art we create.
This production looks stunning, from the pool, to the costumes, to the lighting. Wow, just wow, this looks incredible. This design is such a new choice, because other than the play Metamorphosis, I have never seen a pool with water on a stage! There is one picture from this specific production that really caught my eye, and it is where one of the characters is sort of suspended over the pool, and is barley lit, maybe just some backlight and wow, it is such a stunning image to look at. However, when I first saw this I really wondered how the actors stayed safe and didn’t get prune hands from being in the water for too long. Turns out they drink a lot of electrolytes and use a ton of moisturizer. Overall, this seems like a super cool production. I would definitely love to see this if it where ever done near here.
The scenic design of this production honestly looks fantastic, and the fact that it was performed in Flint Michigan is absolutely hilarious. They really went all out with the realism in the pool and I applaud this company for that. I like how they really leaned into the pool setting by incorporating pool toys as props. It does make sense that other areas of tech such as sound had to change up what they normally do to accommodate the extra wet set. I just hope it didn’t dampen the sound quality. Similarly the fact that there was a splash zone really would just add to the immersion of it all in the silliest way. I am surprised that they really went for making an actual heated pool rather than a decorated basin of water onstage. I feel like that could’ve been a lot easier but the finished product did turn out fantastic regardless.
I have been obsessed with the idea of a pool on stage ever since it was mentioned in Only Murders in the Building. The ideas that people come up with are truly crazy, thrilling, and amazingly beautiful. While they touched on it briefly, I really am interested in the process of construction and safety in general. I wonder if they are required to have a lifeguard or any other medically trained professional watching them, as I feel like this could be a field trip to the courtroom for unions. I really liked the connection that was drawn between Flint and the pool because of their historic and ongoing water problems. I agree that Godspell was a perfect choice for this, as it really just is a show about community and spreading the love. I did alot of design work for my high school’s production of Godspell, and I was very drawn and excited by the fact that they are doing “the Good Samaritan story using the rubber ducky as a little puppet show.” This production sounds so fun but also stressful! I hope everyone had a great time!
I've heard of certain productions creating pools for certain scenes but i've never heard of an entire show taking place inside of a single pool, that is so unique and was probably a nightmare to figure out all the logistics of however it seems to have payed off and i'm glad it was such a hit with audience. It's interesting to see how much changes when you have such a unique set as a pool, lighting, sound and costumes for this show must be incredibly different from any other show i've seen and i'm curious what was done in this show to jump through all the hurdles of using a pool for the entire duration of the show. It was also interesting to hear how they used choir mics instead of body mics. I appreciate how they prioritize the safety of the actors on stage as well, sometimes people will put their ideas before the comfortability of the people on stage so I'm glad that they did as much as they could to ensure that the actors could do their job safely and well in a well monitored environment. It must of been incredibly hard to manipulate the conditions in the theater to ensure that the actors were in a stable environment in that pool (a lot of planning and consideration must of been done by the team)
The creativity brought into this show is very inspiring. Taking two things, the town of Flint and water, that together bring up ideas of tragedy and fear and turning those same two things into something creative and fun is an amazing way to change peoples perceptions. This performance brings to mind the inspiring creativity of a small child playing with toys in the bathtub to create a story. Taking props that would be seen at a local pool and using them to create the world of Godspell is truely fun creativity at work. The premise of it being a pool performance turns this otherwise standard show into a party that includes the audience, especially those in the ‘splash zone’.
I have been seeing videos about this production since their first time going to the YMCA pool to try some exercises to get their body used to doing choreography and being a pool for that long. I remember seeing it and thinking "This is so cool, I hope it doesn't flop!", and I'm so happy it didn't. There is always a gamble theatre's deal with when doing a show radically different that how it was originally done or how people think it should be done. However, a show like Godspell seems to me, the perfect one to bring into an incredibly different world. I'm incredibly curious what a day of tech looked like for this show, with typical long days I'm curious what measures were taken to keep actors safe on those days. I'd also love to know what a pre and post show looks like for the cast and the crew. Did someone get trained on pool maintenance or do they bring someone else in for that? Can the crew take a dip if they want??
This is such an amazing idea and honestly looks like such a fun show to watch and to be a part of. With a set like this, the production team really had to think of all the logistics, from the safety of the physical set to the safety of the water that the actors swim in. It's so funny that there are four people designated to keep the pool clean and safe. What also fascinated me was the training process for the actors. Even though the pool was so small, the actors still had to train in much deeper waters, training their muscles and also their breath support for when they're singing and doing other movements. As for the concept, I think it's really beautiful. With all of Flint's struggle with water, I think this is a beautiful way of showing that they're okay-- something the rest of the country hasn't heard much about since 2014.
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