Spotlight On: David Cespedes

Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Spotlight On…” series continues with a look into the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar. Get to know David Cespedes who is in the ensemble of our production!

Introduce yourself to our audience.

Nice to meet you all! My name is David Cespedes and I am a part of the ensemble for CTC’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The score for Jesus Christ Superstar is notoriously taxing. What are your specific vocal warm-up routines or rest-day rituals to maintain your voice?

I drink water to keep myself hydrated and my throat clear, I blow my nose to clear my sinuses so that I can strengthen my breath support through my nose, and I sing as a part of my vocal exercise. Lately, my warm-up routine includes singing Tower of Babel by Elton John and Careless Talk by Billy Joel. Afterwards, I just relax and rest my voice as I read or watch TV, while drinking plenty of water.

This show is largely a non-stop, sung-through rock rollercoaster. How do you maintain the dramatic arc and emotional stamina from the overture to the curtain call?

Because this show is entirely sung-through, dialogue and character progression and plot beats are conveyed through the songs’ music and lyrics.  Although we are singing, we are still portraying the emotions and thoughts of characters as told in the story as if we were experiencing these intense moments ourselves. Singing is the form of dialogue in this type of show, which is why it is
important for us as actors to recognize the depths of our roles and what our characters say and feel as if they were written with traditional spoken-word dialogue.

The musical has been thrilling audiences for over 50 years. What do you think makes this sung-through rock opera still feel contemporary and relevant to modern audiences?

Part of JCS’ staying power was because of how the collaborative partnership of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist/book writer Tim Rice approached developing JCS, making the story simple and palatable as an album to listen to and understand just through the words and music. Another part of the show’s appeal is because of how timeless the story of Jesus is, which gives directors the freedom to set their productions in whatever time period they wish. The text is versatile enough to equate multiple generations over the overzealous popularity of a charismatic leader, a government willing to make an example of someone disrupting a questionable status quo, and struggling with maintaining a sense of integrity when making a choice you believe may be right but challenges your morals.

Historically, this show has faced protests and intense debate regarding its content. Does that legacy of controversy cross the cast’s mind today, or has the cultural perception completely shifted?

I can’t speak for the rest of the cast, but I do think JCS’ legacy of controversy still persists to this day. Unfortunately, the world has no shortage of people bending the specifics of Bible verses and exploiting the faiths of believers for their own self serving gains. The fact that casting a queer woman of color in the role of Jesus for the Hollywood Bowl production of JCS can cause a tsunami of bad faith accusations based solely on their narrow minded beliefs about Jesus is proof that this show is still widely divisive amongst the catholic or christian community. That being said, there has been a culture perception shift over JCS since the 90s, where protests for its departure from certain interpretations aren’t as loud or frequent as during the show’s debut. There are people willing to engage with the material and its themes divorced from it being an adaptation of The New Testament. There is appreciation over the demystification of Jesus that digs into his own fears and doubts about his role, which puts him on the same level as others and makes him relatable to the audience. Likewise, the nuanced takes on Judas and the priests give more depth to their urgency of snuffing out Jesus before Rome can do much worse while dragging innocent bystanders into the crossfire, in addition to breaking down Judas’ “traitor” status to dive deep into the why and how of his betrayal to Jesus and the complications that come with wanting to share your compassion and mercy to the world when the powers that be intend to keep the populace in line with their rule.

From the opening overture to the final curtain, the show rarely stops for a breath. What is the rehearsal environment like trying to maintain that high-octane energy?

We are here to put on a show, to entertain and amaze audiences that have taken time out of their schedules to come see us sing and dance to this score. As such, it’s important that we act as we should in our roles and perform with integrity and respect for the text. If we put on a show where we are not giving the energy and care these songs and dances need, then why should the audience care to watch us do the bare minimum? To keep that energy alive and thriving, we do what we can to keep ourselves energized and our bloods pumping with adrenaline to make sure the show is as fun, dramatic, and engaging as it was written to be. We keep ourselves hydrated, we do our vocal warmups to get our voices primed for singing conditions, we stretch to make sure our movements don’t come across as stiff or uncoordinated, and we take small moments in between to engage with one another and entertain each other to keep our spirits alive and excited despite how tired we can be at times.

How do you balance full-time jobs, school, or family commitments with an intense community theater rehearsal schedule?

Conflicts in rehearsal schedules with other commitments are inevitable and so I take into consideration which one I think is of the utmost importance to prioritize. There are days where I will ask my managers at my job if I can work a different set of hours if there is a rehearsal date I absolutely cannot miss, but there are doctor appointments and family occasions that I absolutely cannot miss and so I will ask if I can be excused from that rehearsal date. It helps that we are asked of potential date conflicts early on so the production team is aware when we will be absent and how to accommodate for us to catch up.

Community theater casts often become incredibly tight-knit very quickly. How did this specific cast build its chemistry and trust during rehearsals?

If we aren’t working on something for the show, then we talk to one another and engage in the conversations we have. It’s as simple as getting to know your cast mate and learning about who they are outside of their role in this show or as an actor in community theatre. It helps that there is a group chat where we can continue to interact and have fun conversations outside of the rehearsal space.  We just had a community day meetup where we worked together to clean up the theater and paint the sets to prepare for the show, and the purpose of this day is to continue to spend more time with one another and actively build a kinship with each other as we are working together to make this show possible.

When local theatergoers leave the venue and head to their cars, what is the main conversation or feeling you hope they take home with them?