Stepping into the shoes of a famous teacher that is worshiped around the world in the midst of a crowd made up entirely of students has proved to be a challenging task.

Casey Huls, a Grand Valley State University student, has to meet this challenge. Taking on the role of Jesus, Huls has been rehearsing in character for the upcoming musical production of “Godspell 2012.”

“It has definitely been difficult to figure out how to portray Jesus, especially in the setting of this show,” Huls said. “Everyone is constantly running around on stage being goofy and doing crazy stuff, so it’s sometimes a challenge to gauge whether I should be goofy with them, or be ‘teacher’ Jesus, who observes and keeps things in order.”

“Godspell 2012” is a production that tells the story of Jesus’ life through music, dance and acting.

Graham Smith will be playing the role of Judas, the betrayer of Jesus. Smith said playing Judas has been different than any other character he’s had to bring to life, but the methods the cast has been using to rehearse have helped him develop his character. Smith said he enjoyed running through the performance multiple times because he had the opportunity to find moments with his character that he could reflect on and improve on as they rehearsed.

Dale Schriemer, the artistic director of “Godspell 2012,” said that even though there are themes of classic biblical stories such as The Gospel of St. Matthew and teachings of Jesus, this production is easily accessible to anyone.

“(These teachings), which even if you’re not a religious believer, teach an ethical behavior, but (the actors) do it all with a fresh, modern comic storytelling,” Schriemer said. “It’s a very emotional show so people are going to have a great experience. They’ll leave different than when they walked in the door.”

Smith will not only be playing Judas, but also a character named John the Baptist. Stephen Swartz, the composer of “Godspell 2012,” wanted the same actor that plays Judas to also play John the Baptist. This has been a stark contrast in characters for Smith because they both have very different ways of communicating with Jesus. Smith said he had to work through the challenge. With the exception of Jesus and Judas, most of the characters in the production are referred to by their actor’s names.

“Our director has been pushing us to really let our real personalities show through our characters, and to bring something new to each rehearsal,” Huls said. “Instead of taking a character and trying to find the best way to become like them, we’re doing the opposite and making our characters our own.”

GVSU’s Opera Theatre will be presenting this updated version of the original musical production: “Godspell.”

“This is the revival version of the show, so both the script and the music have been updated and made more modern,” Huls said. “There’s pop, rock, some ukulele and a lot of other really awesome (music) that I know people would love.”

Showings of “Godspell 2012” will take place on Feb. 5, 6, 12 and 13, at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 7 and 14, at 2 p.m. All performances will be held in the Louis Armstrong Theatre located in the Performing Arts Center on GVSU’s Allendale Campus. Ticket prices are $14 for adults, $12 for alumni, seniors, faculty and staff and $6 for students and groups.