Former Westboro Baptist Church Members Support GOD HATES MUSICALS, 8/13-24

Since announcing publicly the production of God Hates Musicals: A Parody of the Westboro Baptist Church a wave of support and discussion for creating the show ensued. There was a surge of support on the show's IndieGoGo campaign that lead to it being fully funded, support on Twitter and Facebook, and most interestingly follows and mentions by the WBC itself that included an offer to provide signs for the show. But most importantly support from former WBC member and grandson of Fred Phelps, Zach Phelps-Roper, came as well.

Writer/Director Joe Creedon first reached out to Zach for support and feedback when developing the script. "I wanted to create characters that were satiric but never lost their central human core," says Joe. "The point of the show is to combat the hate that the WBC thrives off of. Seeing church members as flawed human beings, and not hate filled monsters, might be the first step towards a deeper understanding." Zach originally rejected the idea as the shows characters include former WBC spokesperson Shirley Phelps-Roper who also happens to be his mother, and of course the WBC founder and his grandfather, Fred Phelps. But after reading the script and watching the launch of the production's IndieGoGo campaign Phelps-Roper changed his mind offering public support on Twitter and communicating with the production team. Phelps-Roper is even making an effort to come see the show. "This of course says quite a lot about the show and it's content," says producer Pablo Rojas. "Zach obviously sees that the intent of the show isn't just about poking fun at his family, but to address concrete issues about faith and love through a humorous vehicle." Creedon, who has been in direct contact with Phelps-Roper and other former WBC members hopes that he can put together a talk-back session following a performance of one of the shows.

God Hates Musicals opens to previews on Wednesday August 13th and performs through Sunday August 24th, 2014 at BU's TheatreLab@855 within the College of Fine Arts building. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased through their website at www.godhatesmusicals.org.

For more information about the fundraising campaign or the show visit www.godhatesmusicals.org.

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