LAKEPORT, Calif. – “Jesus Christ Superstar” will open at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport on Friday, March 20.

The production will run through Saturday, April 4.

Tickets are $23, $20 and $15, and are available at the theater box office on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 275 South Main St.; online at www.soperreesetheatre.com ; or at The Travel Center, 1265 South Main Street in Lakeport, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dedication, love and sacrifice are three commonalities possessed by the cast of the Soper Reese Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Dedication to getting it right: the notes, the meaning, the rhythm and the staging. Love of the show. Many of the cast have fond memories about the music which came out in the 70s and can tell you about the first time they saw the show or heard the music, and what it meant to them. And, sacrifice. These folks aren’t getting paid and yet they are rearranging their lives to do this show.

Three cast members drive 45 minutes to an hour each way. Several are juggling work, school and the show. Some are juggling multiple jobs and the show. One cast member is also caring for a parent. Several cast members are pretty sure they won’t be winning any parent-of-the-year contests.

Charise Reynolds is one of those parents. She plays Judas. She has always been active in theatre and ended up taking a nine year self-imposed hiatus to get married and start a family. She was looking for a show worthy of the time she knew would be spent away from her husband and five year old son when she came across the audition notice on Facebook.

“I was supposed to be installed as the vice president of a local youth soccer league and was killing time before the board meeting,” she said. “Three little words caught my attention: ‘gender blind casting.’ I immediately dug out my copy of the CD and blared it all the way to the meeting. Once there I resigned from the board so I could focus on preparing for the role of Judas, a role not traditionally offered to actresses.”

Six weeks later she auditioned and got the role.

After work she picks up her son from daycare, rushes home to make him dinner and then leaves him with one of her two sitters until her husband gets home from work. She typically doesn’t get home until after they are both asleep. On the weekends her husband often takes their son out so she can practice. “I never was as happy as the day I found out rehearsals wouldn’t conflict with T-ball,” she now laughs.

Jonathon Wynacht is also juggling his duties as a parent. “Right now, with three practices a week and a single father, sometimes I find myself doing midnight laundry sessions and sneaking off to Safeway in the late hours to make room for the practices. But my boys have been awesome and supportive, and it's a pleasure getting to know this cast of characters."

Katy Tipton is another working parent. She plays Mary Magdalene and is the director of the show. She, too, took a 10-year break during which she got married and started a family. She initially just came out to audition for the role of Mary. After winning the role she found herself being asked to direct as well, when the crew was reorganized.

Her routine is pretty similar to Reynolds’ with the exception that she doesn’t have to worry about T-ball so much. Instead she needs to get her oldest off to dance lessons before she gets herself to rehearsal.

On directing while acting in a show Tipton said, “This is a challenge for me. When I direct, I need to feel like an objective observer in order to have the show come out right. In other words, I have to be able to see the big picture. It's hard to do that when you have to insert yourself into the action. It's a balancing act, for both your concentration and your ego. Does the set look right; are the actors moving correctly; does this person have enough time on stage; am I putting 'myself' on stage too much?

“What's this thing over here and what can I use it for? Does it come in green? Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to sing right now. Can I sing this and not let the other two soloists down and still make sure the entire cast is doing what they're supposed to do? Why is the cast not with the piano? Is it time for a water break, yet? Plus, it's the weirdest thing ever to tell your former teachers what to do, and to be asked to call them by their first names. It's also really, really cool.

“So, basically, I'm freaked out and grateful and humbled that I was asked to do something this big, especially since I've been on a break from Theater for the past ten years. Amazing way to come back to it, you know, especially with this cast and crew. It's really nice to work with a bunch of talented singers and musicians who want to work and do the best they possibly can. It's wonderful,” she said.

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