Carter Spore dons the colorful coat of Joseph as his story moves from beloved son to a slave and finally the most powerful man in ancient Egypt.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat came to life on the Union stage this past weekend as the cast and crew battled the bleak weather to deliver a bright performance.

The musical, written by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, follows the story of Joseph (Carter Spore) as a favored child of Jacob as the young dreamer is forced into slavery by his jealous brothers, leads Egypt through a terrible famine, and finally forgives and reunites with his family.

“We chose Joseph because it fits the kids we thought would be interested in the show this year,” Director Tim Mitchell said. “We had a lot of strong men and some really great women who could come to the front. It was so men-heavy we had to feature them in various levels, styles that fit well for them.”

This year’s production was hinted at with clues in 2018, but Spore still felt surprised when Joseph was announced as their musical. The senior had seen the musical in middle school and felt excited to pursue the part of Joseph. Competition for the lead role was tight, but Spore was selected after auditions.

“Joseph is a character that goes on journey and that part is fun to portray,” Spore said. “Going from naive brother who is the favorite to going through adversity and finally the reunion at the end, it all sends a great message.”

Narrators Natalie Tecklenburg, Claire Thoma and Sunshine Gray. More photos on Page 8 and online on the Dysart Reporter Facebook page.

Three narrators (Sunshine Gray, Natalie Tecklenburg, Claire Thoma) move the plot along as storytellers as Joseph’s ability to interpret dreamers gets him in and out of trouble and eventually the most powerful man in the ancient world. However, before the dancing hit its stride and the Pharaoh (Mason Scott) brings out his inner Elvis, the cast had a tall order to fill.

“I’ve known this musical for awhile and was excited, yet uncertain about doing this because I’ve never really experienced being in this play,” Tecklenburg said. “Once we started practices, I really started to enjoy working with the people. We fit well together and we all have fun on stage.”

Joseph quickly shifts through scene after scene with little rest for the cast. Much of the musical is singing with little dialogue and is mainly an ensemble play. After weeks of preparation, Mitchell felt the show finally came together for their Thursday performance in front of family and close friends.

“Luckily, this is a shorter show than we’ve normally done,” Mitchell said. “However, anytime you miss 22 of rehearsal days, it’s puts a stress on them. I’m very impressed with the students for knowing where we had to be and took it to a whole ‘nother level with their first show.”

“I feel like having an audience helped us with the emotions in the musical,” Tecklenburg added. “We got used to the flow and performed as well as we could.”

Despite some flooding issues over the weekend, the show went on successfully Friday and Saturday as the community enjoyed a story of forgiveness, humility and a little bit of wackiness along the way.

“This was such a collaborative effort by everyone involved,” Mitchell said. “This group of kids really stepped up. Watching them add their excitement to what we’ve done is great.”

Photos from Joseph are available on the Dysart Reporter Facebook page through Flickr to view and download at www.flickr.com/photos/151817931@N05/albums/72157704085572152.