John-Michael Tebelak
Encyclopedia
John-Michael Tebelak was an American
playwright
and director. He was most famous for creating the musical Godspell
based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew
. The music was by Stephen Schwartz
. Some of the lyrics are original, with others taken from either the Bible
or traditional hymns in the 1940 Episcopal
Hymnal.http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell-lyricsources.htm
, at Carnegie Mellon University
in December 1970. He had been studying Greek and Roman mythology, with the deadline for his thesis two weeks away, but became fascinated by the joy he found in the Gospels. He attended an Easter Vigil
service in 1970 at Pittsburgh
's St. Paul Cathedral
, wearing his usual overalls and T-shirt. A police officer frisked him for drugs after the service. He wrote of this experience, "I left with the feeling that, rather than rolling the rock away from the Tomb, they were piling more on. I went home, took out my manuscript, and worked it to completion in a non-stop frenzy." Though he never completed his coursework at the university, Carnegie Mellon nevertheless awarded him a degree.
Subsequently, Tebelak directed productions of Godspell at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
, the Cherry Lane Theatre
, the Promenade Theatre, and on Broadway
. He was named Theatre Man of the Year by Elliott Norton of the Boston-Record American, and Most Promising Director of 1971 by the New York Drama Desk. He was also named an Outstanding Ohioan by then-Governor John J. Gilligan
. John Michael Tebelak graduated from Berea High School
(Berea, Ohio) in 1966.
's Fuenteovejuna in Madrid in 1975. He co-wrote with David Greene the 1973 film version of Godspell
.
Tebelak once said that he "walked into a theatre at the age of nine and stayed there." He was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church, possibly thought about becoming a priest, and may have attended an Episcopal seminary for a time. He was dramaturge
for the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
in New York
and staged liturgical drama
there. According to Rev. James Parks Morton, "whether it was a sermon series or a two-day conference on the environment, he turned it into theater."
In 1980, Tebelak was sued in State Supreme Court in Manhattan
by his former live-in companion, Richard Hannum. At that time, Hannum was represented by famed divorce lawyer Marvin Mitchelson
and was working with noted writer Norman Mailer
on a stage adaptation about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe
called Strawhead
. The lawsuit was an early effort to define the rights of cohabiting homosexual couples.
John-Michael returned to his native Berea, Ohio to direct the 10th Anniversary production of "Godspell" at the Berea Summer Theater, Summer of 1980. He subsequently directed "Cabaret" there, Summer 1981.
Tebelak died on April 2, 1985 of a heart attack in New York City
at age 35. He was survived by his parents, John and Genevieve Tebelak, his sister Trudy Williams and niece Abbey Williams.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and director. He was most famous for creating the musical Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
. The music was by Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
. Some of the lyrics are original, with others taken from either the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
or traditional hymns in the 1940 Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
Hymnal.http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell-lyricsources.htm
Biography
Tebelak originally produced Godspell at age 22 as his masters thesis project, under the tutelage of Lawrence CarraLawrence Carra
Lawrence Carra was an American professor of drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a director of theater and television as well as a mentor to hundreds of actors and directors....
, at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in December 1970. He had been studying Greek and Roman mythology, with the deadline for his thesis two weeks away, but became fascinated by the joy he found in the Gospels. He attended an Easter Vigil
Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this service that people are baptized and that adult catechumens are received into...
service in 1970 at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
's St. Paul Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Paul in Pittsburgh
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
, wearing his usual overalls and T-shirt. A police officer frisked him for drugs after the service. He wrote of this experience, "I left with the feeling that, rather than rolling the rock away from the Tomb, they were piling more on. I went home, took out my manuscript, and worked it to completion in a non-stop frenzy." Though he never completed his coursework at the university, Carnegie Mellon nevertheless awarded him a degree.
Subsequently, Tebelak directed productions of Godspell at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
, the Cherry Lane Theatre
Cherry Lane Theatre
The Cherry Lane Theatre , located at 38 Commerce Street in the borough of Manhattan, was New York City's oldest, continuously running off-Broadway theater...
, the Promenade Theatre, and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. He was named Theatre Man of the Year by Elliott Norton of the Boston-Record American, and Most Promising Director of 1971 by the New York Drama Desk. He was also named an Outstanding Ohioan by then-Governor John J. Gilligan
John J. Gilligan
John Joyce Gilligan is a American Democratic politician from the state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and the 62nd Governor of Ohio. He is the father of Kathleen Sebelius...
. John Michael Tebelak graduated from Berea High School
Berea High School
Berea High School is a high school located in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1882, and the current structure was built in 1929. It was the first of two public high schools in the Berea City School District, the other being Midpark High School. Berea High School serves grades nine through...
(Berea, Ohio) in 1966.
After Godspell
In 1972 Tebelak directed the Broadway play Elizabeth I, the off-Broadway play, The Glorious One in 1975, and Ka-Boom in 1980. He also directed Lope de VegaLope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
's Fuenteovejuna in Madrid in 1975. He co-wrote with David Greene the 1973 film version of Godspell
Godspell (film)
Godspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas...
.
Tebelak once said that he "walked into a theatre at the age of nine and stayed there." He was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church, possibly thought about becoming a priest, and may have attended an Episcopal seminary for a time. He was dramaturge
Dramaturge
A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
for the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and staged liturgical drama
Liturgical drama
Liturgical drama or religious drama, in its various Christian contexts, originates from the mass itself, and usually presents a relatively complex ritual that includes theatrical elements...
there. According to Rev. James Parks Morton, "whether it was a sermon series or a two-day conference on the environment, he turned it into theater."
In 1980, Tebelak was sued in State Supreme Court in Manhattan
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
by his former live-in companion, Richard Hannum. At that time, Hannum was represented by famed divorce lawyer Marvin Mitchelson
Marvin Mitchelson
Marvin M. Mitchelson was an American celebrity lawyer who pioneered the concept of palimony, calling it "marriage with no rings attached."-Biography:...
and was working with noted writer Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
on a stage adaptation about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
called Strawhead
Strawhead
Strawhead is a play by American writers Norman Mailer and Richard Hannum about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. The play is a stage adaptation of Mailer's 1980 book, Of Women and Their Elegance, an imaginary memoir told in Monroe's voice....
. The lawsuit was an early effort to define the rights of cohabiting homosexual couples.
John-Michael returned to his native Berea, Ohio to direct the 10th Anniversary production of "Godspell" at the Berea Summer Theater, Summer of 1980. He subsequently directed "Cabaret" there, Summer 1981.
Tebelak died on April 2, 1985 of a heart attack in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at age 35. He was survived by his parents, John and Genevieve Tebelak, his sister Trudy Williams and niece Abbey Williams.
External links
- John Michael Tebelak at musicalschwartz.com: Biography and interview