​By day, Scott Altman is a software engineer. By night, he’s active in community theater, and this spring, he’s taking on a new role — that of Joseph in ShenanArts’  Read More Entertainment 

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By day, Scott Altman is a software engineer. By night, he’s active in community theater, and this spring, he’s taking on a new role — that of Joseph in ShenanArts’ production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” 

Since making its professional debut in 1972, the beloved Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the Biblical story of Joseph in the book of Genesis has been performed over 20,000 times, and now the play is coming to Staunton. 

Altman said he’s been doing theater since elementary school, but it wasn’t until 2017 that he got back into it as an adult. When he and his wife moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 2018, he started working with ShenanArts. The first show he did with ShenanArts was “Wind in the Willows.” He has also acted with other local companies. 

Altman said he thinks the “Joseph” message might be particularly applicable today. 

“It’s a joyful show, and there are the ups and downs of Joseph’s story and forgiveness and reconciliation with his family. There’s hope from how dark his story gets and comes out of it. That may be very resonant for people right now,” he said. 

The director of “Joseph,” Jennifer Vaughan of Staunton, has directed other shows with ShenanArts.

Vaughan, a retired Augusta County art teacher who has also worked at the Frontier Culture Museum, got involved with ShenanArts on the design side of a theater as a set designer and painter in the early 2000s. Then, she directed her first play, “Children of Eden,” with the company in 2016. 

“So I’ve always been involved in theater in all the different aspects,” she said. “I just never directed, and, in 2016, the opportunity came up where they needed a director to fill it, and I was like, I would like to try that. I’ve never done it, but I’d like to try it, and it turns out I love it. It is creating a work of art onstage with people.” 

“Joseph” is a show Vaughan, who is a fan of Lloyd Webber’s musical work, said she has wanted to direct for a long time. 

“it was one of his very early works,” Vaughan said, “and it, to me, is a very joyful retelling of a Biblical story, but the way [Lloyd Webber] has done it is to try to make it relatable to a wide variety of audience members because there are different genres of music in it.” 

Vaughan said the ShenanArts production of “Joseph” has a children’s choir. 

“So the approach we’ve taken, which we think is somewhat unique, is that we’re asking the audience to see the story through the eyes of the kids,” she said. 

Kate Carson of Rockingham, who plays Mrs. Potiphar and Joseph’s brother Asher, said she’s also excited to be a part of the production. 

“The story of Joseph, it’s an old Bible story, but it’s really what we experience today,” she said. “Things like jealousy, lies, guilt, forgiveness, and then ultimately love. And I just think it’s a beautiful story. I also love how funny it is. It’s really, it’s hilarious. It’s bright and colorful. There are little surprises throughout, and the coat is, I love the coat, too. I mean, the whole thing is called ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ and you just you gotta come see the coat.” 

Carson, who grew up in the Bay Area of California, spent much of her adult life in Portland, Oregon. She first lived in the Shenandoah Valley from 2005 to 2009 and previously worked with ShenanArts in their old space in Verona during that time. 

After that, Carson returned to Portland and then moved back to the Valley in 2022. She now lives on the property in Rockingham County, where her mother grew up. 

“I had done the show in Portland 25 years ago,” she said. “So once I got back here and settled and saw the call for the show ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ I said, ‘Oh, my gosh! I’ve got to work with ShenanArts again.'” 

Vaughan said that the show’s message is particularly relevant today. 

“It’s basically a message of hope and faith but also a message of perseverance and ultimately forgiveness,” Vaughan said. “And I think that’s something that maybe we need a little more of in today’s society.” 

Vaughan said that the show should appeal to people of all ages. 

“I think this is a very family-friendly show,” she said. “We have a multi-generational cast, so you’ll see actors from the age of five up to actors in their seventies.” 

“Joseph” is playing at ShenanArts, 300 Churchville Ave. in Staunton, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, as well as at 7 p.m. May 16-17 and 3 p.m. May 18th. 

Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Vaughan recommends getting tickets in advance. To purchase tickets online, go to shenanarts.org. Call ShenanArts at (540) 712-0001 for group rates or questions.