Broadway, theatrical and musical shows are a huge part of my life. I was thrilled that “Godspell” made several headlines in our neck of the woods, and I was able to connect with the talented Nicholas Edwards, who plays Jesus in the production. It was my opportunity to have a conversation with him regarding his life, career, and the opening week of “​Godspell” at Berkshire Theatre Group in Pittsfield, Mass.

JC: You are in the Berkshires! This is great! For our viewers, would you mind sharing a little about yourself, where you grew up, and how you got into acting and singing. ​

NE: I was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and went to high school in Bordentown. I was going to go to college for illustration or some form of visual art. I was always outgoing, so the teachers were pushing me to get into theater, then I joined the choir. Singing was a hobby and I would do it by myself, or in my parents’ basement. I got pretty lucky with some solos, and my teachers got me to audition for a few shows. I then changed my studies to musical theater. I got my BFA for Musical Theater at Montclair State University, then did some theater work from there, and the rest, as they say, is history.

JC: You are Jesus in the Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of “Godspell” directed by ​Alan Filderman,​ a great director. How did the role come about, and is this your first major role?

NE: I would say this isn’t really my first major role, in terms of playing a large principal. I’ve worked with ​Gerry Macintyre in “Spamilton,” a spoof of “Hamilton.” I had just finished my run in “Frozen,” and he had sent me a text saying “if you’re available, I’m choreographing Godspell,” but later that week, everything shut down due to COVID-19. I found out the audition was moving to video, and that things might return that summer, so I got the audition material for the character Jesus. I created the video within a week, learned I got the part, and then within another two weeks, I heard the production was cancelled. Then back and forth with them working with Equity to keep it going, and Equity needed things to be in phase 3 of re-opening to move forward, and that didn’t happen, and so again, it was closed. Then we were told it went back into phase 3, then I had to see the final safety packet before going any further. The press release came out that Monday that the production was going on. It was always going to be at the Berkshire Theatre, which was great, but there still was a lot to figure out. We had a lot of support and guidance from ​Kate Maguire​, our artistic director

JC: From a cultural perspective, do you see or feel any significant challenges going up for roles such as Jesus in “Godspell” as a man of color? ​

NE: Absolutely. That was one of my first questions before accepting the part. I really had to dig deep. I’m of Afro-Latino background, I identify as Black and Latinx, this role re-triggered thoughts of all that’s happened in the past five months. Having the racist situations and comments in my career is real. I talked to my artistic director and said I don’t want to be a token as a man of color to play Jesus, because of “tokenism.” It’s easy for anyone to use me to say ‘We have a Black Jesus’” but truly, that was not the case. However, these are the questions we have to ask. So much has come up in the news about writers and directors and actors, on the topic of race. Honestly, we are all a little unstable right now. Back to the role of Jesus — I do feel the significance of me playing this role, not just for the theater community, but other areas too, like wardrobe, production, stage crew, and everyone looking to see if this is really going to go well. Our Equity rep told me on our first Zoom call, the Equity community is looking to you as a way forward. I felt that responsibility to my Black and Latino community also looking at this as a way forward, and this production is taking place as a way forward. We actually opened the show talking about our lives over the past six months, many expressing feeling broken. We talked about ​Black Lives Matter, wearing masks and social practices, and then they’re going to see a Black man play Jesus in a very white town. People, I think, leave the show changed and inspired.

JC: Outside of acting and singing, you are also a skilled ​photographer​. Can you share a little about that? How do you choose the projects you work on, and how does the lens of fulfilment with photography click back into your life?

NE: My original love was art, so drawing, media, and photography was it for me. I started photography when I was traveling to Tokyo with “Sister Act,” and took pictures of my friends, and it began there. I do mostly portrait or lifestyle photography, I feel like throughout my day I see art in an artistic way, and it becomes a composition of a photo. I love capturing the essence of images, and getting to know people, and a lens is a way for me to express that. Photography and media are a way for me to connect to theater as well as art.

JC: On a real talk vibe, just for a second...how would you say your 2020 is? ​

NE: Overall, it has been the hardest year of my life, but it’s also been the most transformative. I left “Frozen” to do an original piece at the Paper Mill [Playhouse], working with Andrew LLoyd Weber, performing compilations of his music. I was nervous about leaving a show, and then 2020 started to line itself up with “Aida,” possibly going on tour which was scheduled to start in the fall. I was supposed to go back to “Frozen” to play Kristoff, which would’ve been my first Broadway principal, and then on March 12th I was supposed to go across the street to sign the contract. Then: COVID. I lost a lot. I started to quarantine by myself, my mental health wasn’t the best, I had some anxiety, but I had to pick myself back up. I started with the guitar, and learning some new music, then “Godspell” happened. I thought everything was cancelled, but it felt like everything was taken away from me, and here comes something incredible.

I am not the same person I was pre-COVID. I speak up for myself, I was always the silent one, always saying yes and being that kind of person. I should add, I’m also Equity deputy in this show, in a way it’s acted as Jesus on and off stage, I’ve never thought of myself as a leader, I think it’s a sign from God or higher power to say I was supposed to do this. I am not the same person.

JC: For someone who lives in New York City, what you think of the Berkshires?

NE: I got here, and I was like, Oh wow, you can hear crickets and cicadas. Everything kind of slowed down a lot, and then I’m living with other people, but I haven’t had this much interaction with people for so long. After rehearsals we were able to enjoy the Berkshires, we went to the lake, swam, had a picnic,. I really enjoyed it. I see the appeal. I haven’t been to a normal supermarket for so long. Many things I had in my childhood I haven’t seen in so long, parks, yard space. It’s been a nice break from New York City. COVID seems so controlled up here, which is different from NYC. I really enjoy the peace, hanging out and having some food. It’s a nice pace. I definitely will be back.

JC: How difficult has it been with a production like “Godspell” to stay mindful of social distancing, keep yourself safe, as well as maintaining the authenticity of the production?

NE:​ It’s interesting, because “Godspell” works as a show troup, it’s really in the second act where we talk about Jesus and his disciples, but the musical can also work as a concert. Whether it’s a chair or platform, we use that as our base and shift around. It’s not so strange to stand at your spot and react with shifts of lighting. In the aspect of the production staged with social distancing, it works. In terms of the COVID rules of singing, only five singers can be on stage at one time, we have to be 10 feet apart, and we have face masks that pull up from our necks. Movable partitions protect the front to back row. Figuring out staging was difficult — each day felt like a new challenge. The magic of theater is sparked by your imagination of how do we create this, or do that? It’s not so different from everyday life.

JC: This is the first Equity-approved theatrical production since the pandemic began. How does that make you feel? And was that a hard hurdle to overcome?

NE: Just grateful, grateful, grateful. When Jerry told me about this in March, I would never have believed that this would have so much press around it. Not a day goes by where I don’t realize how lucky I am. When you step on stage, it is a lot harder, you have some fear or anxiety looming, and you do carry the pain of the last 5 months. There were many panic moments in rehearsal for me, and that did affect my mental health. Two weeks for rehearsal and tech — I’ve never done anything that quick, and got the material a few days before we arrived. It was hard to get my mind in the space of “Yes, I can do this.” There were so many things that were working against us, following the rules, getting tested three times a week. It makes you question, was this worth it? The day of our first preview, we were running the show and rehearsal, I was sweating and dehydrated, and you start to panic. That was a rough day for me, and then you get to singing “Beautiful city.” Such an appropriate song, with what we’re going through as a nation and as a world. I felt like everything was something to get over. It wasn’t until the first preview happened that I thought OMG I can do this. It was glowing reviews, and I told myself, I can do this, and capable of so much more, and I am worth so much more than I sometimes give myself credit for.

JC: The production of “Godspell” is sold out. Congratulations, and I would like to ask you if you can share three things you hope for by this time next year?

First, that there’s a vaccine; second, that the country has come together and worked together to control this virus, moving into phase 3; and third, that other theaters that might be on the cusp of closing their doors are inspired to do like the Berkshires did. Certainly, the government has to be in place for the collaboration of openings. I hope also by the end of the run, that no one is sick, we are successful, and that we can prove if everyone takes the tests, wears their masks, that it can be done.

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