Fulfilled: A Musical of Redemption

When I heard for the first time that the Center for Faith Engagement was preparing a musical for Easter, my first thought was, “Okay, so they are going to pick up either a musical already made and perform it or take a bunch of Christian songs related to Easter and make up a story to connect them.” Yes, my expectations were probably low at first because I was unaware of all the talents to be discovered on campus. Once the musical officially began to be promoted, the hype suddenly increased, especially thanks to the reels posted on Instagram about the process of making the musical. Because of this, I decided to interview both the director and main author of this musical, Meryen Gonzales (sophomore, communication), and some of the participants of the project as well.

First of all, for those who were not able to attend, the musical goes through the life of Jesus, but from a different perspective: the perspective of the thief on the cross. In the musical, we can see how both characters develop, then how Klay (the thief) learns about Jesus, and how at the very end of his life, he decides to repent and accept Jesus as savior. In the end, a futuristic scene of how it would be in heaven when Klay and Jesus meet is shown to end the musical. The story contains original music made by AU students, and other departments around campus helped and sponsored the project, directed by Meryen, a dreamer and currently religious vice president at AUSA and a student member of the Center for Faith Engagement.

What inspired you to do this project?
Meryen: What inspired me to do the musical “Fulfilled: a Story of Redemption” was being able to tell the story of Jesus's sacrifice and talk about the promise that his sacrifice brought. The idea was to give the campus a different perspective, to highlight the grace and forgiveness of Jesus through the story of redemption from the thief on the cross. Telling the story in a way that we could immerse ourselves in, and understand the magnitude of what Jesus did for us.

What was the biggest challenge you had when organizing the musical?
M: My biggest challenge was working with such a large team; I had never been in charge of such a large number of people. There were dozens of people involved in each department (costumes, acting, etc.), which was one of the biggest challenges.

In what way do you think this musical impacted the AU campus?
M: Saturday, April 8, was an impressive day. PMC was completely filled with around 1,400 people, and our live broadcasts exceeded 2,000 views. We saw families enjoy themselves, we saw community members hear the message of redemption, we saw students come together to support their peers, and more. The campus witnessed the talent that Andrews University has. I feel like the two biggest impacts this musical brought to our campus were: recovering the message of what truly unites us as Adventists at Easter and remembering that God can use any talent (art, music, etc.) to make great things for his work. Today he calls you and me to work for his kingdom!

What was your favorite song/part?
M: My favorite song was the reflection between Jesus and the thief on the cross. Every time I listen to it, it makes me cry. Seeing the character of Jesus singing and imagining my savior saying those beautiful words of forgiveness through a song is just beautiful.

Anything else you would like to add?

M: I want the people who were there, whether they are children, adults, or young people, to be inspired and know that in everything they do to preach the message of salvation, God will support them and give them the strength, the equipment, and the resources to carry out their work. I was very nervous to do this because this is a new country, a new language, etc., but God told me not to be afraid because when He calls us, He also trains us. Start putting your talents at the service of your Savior, and you will see what amazing miracles will happen in your life.

Part of putting on a musical at this creative level requires a significant investment in costumes and the backdrop. Jennifer Shreshtha, a community member who handled the costume department, shared what the process behind picking costumes entails: “Costumes make such a huge difference, right? They help people get into character. They help the audience understand the emotions that these people are working with or feeling. Like [look at] color symbolism: purple is usually arrogant, rich—if you notice Pilate’s outfit, he’s got this beautiful purple belt, very rich red robe. He’s this character of influence for the rest of Jerusalem. So when we create and pick costumes, it’s very important to understand who those characters are, apart from asking if [the costumes] fit the actors correctly—are they rich, are they poor, are they thieves on the cross? It changes the way we view [the characters]; it gives us a very specific picture of who they are and what we should be feeling from their character.” [She pauses the interview to fix Pilate’s robe.] “The colors, the sashes, the little hair pieces—it all affects what you’re wanting to say to the audience. That’s why we put so much emphasis on costuming. This is truly telling one of the best stories in the world…so all the tiny little details make such a big difference in the end…Then we also look at skin tone, because you want them to look good, especially if you’re a main character. If you have lighter skin, maybe we’ll give you some darker colors…so there’s a nice contrast. First it’s your character; secondly, it’s the aesthetics. And then we work very closely with props, with lighting, with the director.”

Additionally, participants of this project have shown satisfaction and contentment with the experience of being part of the musical. Jose Daniel Sanchez (graduate, Master of Divinity), who played “Marcus” in the musical, shared that he remembers when the team sat together for the first time to hear Meryen talk about the musical for the first time, commenting that “At that moment, only the script existed, but there were no actors nor musicians, and the songs were not finished yet.” Jose also mentioned: "It was incredible to see that a fiery wish in the heart of everyone involved made the musical possible. I enjoyed it a lot, and more than that, God touched my heart with his love, as he did with Klay (the thief on the cross).”

Alanna Samms (freshman, interior design), who acted as Mary (the mother of Jesus), commented on how she got called for the cast. She said: “I got this role because I was singing at Vespers one night, and a friend came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, your voice is amazing, I would love it if you could audition for Mary.’ And I was shocked…I’ve never done a musical before, [and] I was really nervous. But then I auditioned, and the process was super easy; everyone was so nice in the audition room. I got an email later that I got the role, and I was really excited.” She also added: “I feel like [Mary] is such a big role to take on…I tried my best to read over Matthew a few times just so I could actually get into character. But playing her has been amazing, and I learned original music for the musical…I would say this play has really changed my life in the best ways—I’ve made such a close family with my cast mates; they’re all literally amazing. I’m going to miss it, but I’m glad that I did it, and I’m glad that God led me to this moment.”

Finally, Michael Nixon, Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion, participated in the musical as one of the Roman guards. He commented: “I think the performance has been great so far…I’ve been talking with my colleague, Jose [Bourget], who’s also a Roman Guard, and we’re just kind of marveling at the creativity and the talent of our students, because…this has really just been student-driven, and we’re just here to support. It’s been really fun being able to do this with my daughter Noa. She’s been having a blast, and it’s really been a cool time that we’ve been able to spend together, being engaged with the project. I’m excited about the rest of the play.”

There are many positive things to say about it, but I believe that this musical is better experienced if you watch it. When you have time, especially if you want to chill on a Saturday, click on this link to watch the recording of it and enjoy the musical as others did! Don’t miss it!