MADISON SCOUTS 2016

[Channel3]

Integrating lyrical content seems like it may walk a tightrope between effective and corny. Best I could hope for would be some very subtle lyrical tidbits from Heaven on Their Minds or Blood Money/Judas' Death.

Plus, you also have the decision to make between having a MM sing or sampling some Carl Anderson/Ben Vereen/etc, both of which have their downsides.

Either way, definitely excited to see the product on the field come summer!

So you're saying if they do vocals, they should only do tidbits, and make it subtle.

[corpsband]

Judas was clearly and very intentionally black in JCSS. Race was carefully a factor in all the casting.

But it had nothing to do with portraying him as the villain.

JCSS is all about flipping expectation.

Jesus is blond/blue eyed. But he's NOT what any christian would expect.

Judas is Jesus's closest companion and in his heart truly loves him. Wait -- the black man loves Jesus most?
He's clearly NOT what anyone expects.

in JCSS it is Judas who is ultimately betrayed.

JCSS casting upsets stereotypes at every opportunity in both conventional and non-conventional ways especially considering the era in which is was produced.

Making Jesus white and Judas black intentionally makes the audience squirm BECAUSE they are not behaving the way the audience (at the time) expects.

I'd usually let the drivel pass but not on this one.

PS. Looking forward to Judas.

Edited March 29, 2016 by corpsband

[Nine White Russians]

I just wanna see Madison go for broke with this show and give us something that we'll be talking

about decades from now....like we're still doing with the 75, 88 and 95 shows (to name a few).

[thirdcoast]

I am just going to say,

don't wait to long to get your tickets for this summer

Just saying!

[SFZFAN]

Judas was clearly and very intentionally black in JCSS. Race was carefully a factor in all the casting.

But it had nothing to do with portraying him as the villain.

JCSS is all about flipping expectation.

Jesus is blond/blue eyed. But he's NOT what any christian would expect.

Judas is Jesus's closest companion and in his heart truly loves him. Wait -- the black man loves Jesus most?

He's clearly NOT what anyone expects.

in JCSS it is Judas who is ultimately betrayed.

JCSS casting upsets stereotypes at every opportunity in both conventional and non-conventional ways especially considering the era in which is was produced.

Making Jesus white and Judas black intentionally makes the audience squirm BECAUSE they are not behaving the way the audience (at the time) expects.

I'd usually let the drivel pass but not on this one.

PS. Looking forward to Judas.

So you just add additional drivel? Got it. :-)

[Channel3]

Judas was clearly and very intentionally black in JCSS. Race was carefully a factor in all the casting.

More than a few film critics noticed as much in the early 1970s. A TIME magazine article in 1971 gave an appropriate title of the cast: “Jesus Will be Blond; Judas Black.” The glaring visual racial imagery was enough so that even Roger Ebert had to at least address it in areview. And there were outcries from several that the play, and the film that followed, was “anti-black” and filled with blatant racial coding. When a group of African-American Baptists charged racism over the casting of Anderson as Judas, studio producers insisted it was not a matter of race but aesthetics. The Baptists countered if it was not race, then why couldn’t Jesus have been black?

JCSS casting upsets stereotypes at every opportunity in both conventional and non-conventional ways especially considering the era in which is was produced.

All stereotypes except two small ones. That Judas is historically portrayed as black for reasons of discrimination. And that European Christians have depicted Jesus as white and blond for centuries as a matter of recruitment.

Making Jesus white and Judas black intentionally makes the audience squirm BECAUSE they are not behaving the way the audience (at the time) expects.

It made black audiences squirm because it perpetuated the black Judas myth. Yes, JCSS humanizes Judas, and that's great, but why is he black?

I'd usually let the drivel pass but not on this one.

Right. Roger Ebert, Time Magazine, and tons of books and articles about Judas portrayed as a racial stereotype in Jesus Christ Superstar, including tons of references and footnotes is drivel. https://pdjeliclark.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/my-own-personal-judas-revisiting-jesus-christ-superstar/ If the producers of JCSS wanted to break stereotypes, they should have portrayed Jesus as black. Just because JCSS adds depth to the character of Judas doesn't mean the racial stereotypes go away.

PS. Looking forward to Judas.

If Madison mires itself in literal depiction, the entire show becomes a cringe-inducing cesspool of racial angst, historical revisionism, monotheism and a dated 70's rock opera passion play complete with crapping camels. However, if Madison keeps this show design as abstract as possible, avoiding the narrative pitfalls that plagued JCSS since the film premiere, then, and only then, it may win.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Channel3

[Shempy]

If Madison mires itself in literal depiction, the entire show becomes a cringe-inducing cesspool of racial angst, historical revisionism, monotheism and a dated 70's rock opera passion play complete with crapping camels. However, if Madison keeps this show design as abstract as possible, avoiding the narrative pitfalls that plagued JCSS since the film premiere, then, and only then, it may win.

"Win" as in take home the Founders Trophy, or "win" as in the show will be effective/well-received/etc? Genuinely curious as to what you mean.

[JoshClements403]

Could you imagine the craziness that would ensue if Madison vaults itself into the top 3

[Shempy]

Could you imagine the craziness that would ensue if Madison vaults itself into the top 3

So many babies thrown.

[xandandl]

This sounds cool: http://www.scvanguard.org/about/news/?uuid=a4cfce96-64e6-4f6c-8e45-3543a47a2e63