‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

Barclay College will be presenting the musical production of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ April 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and April 22 at 3 p.m. This will be the first production in their new Ross-Ellis Center located on the Barclay campus in Haviland, Kansas. The performance lasts approximately two hours.

Randi Shetley, director of the production says, “I am very excited about this production.  I directed and taught drama at Barclay from 2008-2012.  We were able to present several wonderful productions, but had to contend with the challenges of a stage inside of a gymnasium.  This production of Joseph will be like nothing the college, or the surrounding area, has ever seen.  This new facility is stunning!  It feels like we are in a professional theater.  The talent helping with this production is also incredible.  I live in Branson, Missouri and have been driving back and forth to Haviland to direct this show.  We have professional volunteers from Branson, MO and Atlanta, GA as well as the incredible talent of Barclay students, children, high school students and adults from the Kiowa County area. The students are already shining onstage.  Even if you have seen a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat in the past, you won't want to miss this.  With added dance numbers, professional music recordings, along with the talented live singing of our actors, this looks and sounds like something you would see touring the country. We don't want to give away any of our surprises, but I will say you won't want to miss this!” 

Tickets are free and you can order a ticket online to reserve a seat! You can arrive at the show without a ticket, but if the event sells out, you will not be guaranteed a seat without a ticket. Online ticket sales will close 1 hour before the show.

The performance is general admission seating. Seat choice is first come, first served. In the event of a sold-out show, unclaimed tickets may be released and given to others 10 minutes before show time if you have not arrived and checked in at the front door.

Handicap Seating is available. Reserve a space for a wheelchair/mobility scooter.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is presented by arrangement with The Musical Company, LP, 214 Sullivan Street, Ste. 4, New York, NY, 10012-1354. www.themusicalcompany.com Phone: (212) 598-2204. Email: info@themusicalcompany.com

This irresistible family musical is about the trials and triumphs of Joseph, Israel’s favorite son, Joseph. Lyrics by Tim Rice; Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, sha la la Joseph you’re doing fine! You and your dreamcoat ahead of your time! One of the most enduring shows of all time, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, eleven brothers and the coat of many colors.

Told entirely through song with the help of a main character Narrator, the musical follows preferred son Joseph. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled, Elvis-inspired, Pharaoh. Joseph’s solution to Egypt’s famine elevates him to Pharaoh’s right-hand man and reunites him with his family.

The magical musical is full of catchy songs in a variety of styles, from a parody of French ballads (“Those Canaan Days”), to country-western (“One More Angel in Heaven”) and calypso (“Benjamin Calypso”), along with the unforgettable classics “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door.” There are a variety of different versions of Joseph available for licensing.

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ is appropriate for all audiences and groups, Joseph is performed hundreds of times a year by schools across North America, the U.K. and around the world.

The new Ross-Ellis center is located at 600 N. Main St., Haviland, Kansas.The auditorium seats 572 people, with additional space for the tech crew and space off stage for performers. There’s a sound booth with a 64 channel Yamaha CL3 digital mixer and an ETC ION lighting console. The lighting system currently has 45 conventional incandescent fixtures and 32 LED fixtures across the catwalk, 3 motorized lift stage lines, and one fixed line for the cyclorama wall. There are two 14’ wide projector screens on either side of the main stage. There are 3 full stage width curtains and two sets of partial width legs in between them. The second floor houses a drama office, costume storage, mechanical areas, and two openings for theatrical spotlights and video cameras. There is also a control booth in the second floor for controlling lighting and the video switching system. There is a receiving area for storage with large overhead doors accessing the stage and the two loading docks. There are dressing rooms, several offices, a small classroom, a green room, and four piano practice rooms, one of which has equipment for audio recording of podcasts and music. There are two large classrooms that have moveable partitions that allow them to be opened up to expand the permanent lobby area for large events. There is a large black box recital hall with LED theatrical lighting for small drama productions, band practice, and small recitals. There is a rehearsal hall with Wenger risers for choir practice.

THE STORY OF JOSEPH’S COAT

The coat of many colors was a sign of favoritism. Coats of color were usually worn by nobility and for Joseph to have been given this, meant that he was special not only in his father's eyes, but also that he more than likely was a prince of that tribe.

Joseph's father Jacob (also called Israel) favored him and gave Joseph the coat as a gift; as a result, he was envied by his brothers, who saw the special coat as an indication that Joseph would assume family leadership. His brothers' suspicion grew when Joseph told them of his two dreams (Genesis 37:11) in which all the brothers bowed down to him. The narrative tells that his brothers plotted against him when he was 17, and would have killed him had not the eldest brother Reuben interposed. He persuaded them instead to throw Joseph into a pit and secretly planned to rescue him later. However, while Reuben was absent, the others planned to sell him to a company of Ishmaelite merchants. When the passing Midianites arrived, the brothers dragged Joseph up and sold him to the merchants for 20 pieces of silver. The brothers then dipped Joseph's coat in goat blood and showed it to their father, saying that Joseph had been torn apart by wild beasts.

 The envy of his brothers may also have stemmed from the fact that Joseph was the son of Rachel, Jacob's first love. However, Joseph's brothers were the sons of Rachel's older sister Leah and the sons of the handmaidens, who were given to Jacob during a time when Rachel could not conceive. There was a battle between Leah and Rachel to compete for Jacob's attention. Jacob had told Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, to go check on his brothers. Joseph would report back to his father of their evil deeds. In addition to this he shares his dreams of them bowing down to him. Their anger towards him only increased.