Musical theater is one of the most powerful experiences a young person can have. You memorize songs, bring those words to life through movement, and channel genuine emotion through acting. It's a whole-person workout — mind, body, and soul.

When the songs and words being learned carry profound truth, the effect can be life-changing. One of our own parents recently told us that performing in Godspell— a Gospel-based musical — had dramatically deepened her faith. The lyrics and dialogue that brought the words of Jesus to life had been, in the truest sense, life-giving.

But the opposite is equally true. When the words and music young people internalize are filled with cynicism, filth, and cruelty, that shapes their character just as deeply — for the worse. My heart broke when I saw Mean Girls trending as the No. 1 most-licensed musical on MTI. Think of all the young girls saturating their hearts and minds with gossip, back-stabbing, and sexual confusion.

Broadway needs God. Its toxic messages and music are being poured at industrial scale into the souls of young people through public and private school systems alike. We may not be able to stop the tide of corruption, but we can build a dam against the rising flood.

That's why we are writing a new musical based on A Tale of Two Cities — a classic work that explicitly echoes Christ's death and resurrection. It's why we're taking our beloved production of Annie Get Your Gun on the road this fall Lord-willing. And it's why we're staging Godspell this summer, reviving the Gospel words that transformed so many of our parents and teachers, and passing them on to a new generation.

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