FOND DU LAC, Wis. (CBS 58) – A planned production of the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Fond du Lac has been cancelled after more than half of the cast walked away just weeks before opening night.

Cast member Matthew Schmalfeldt said several actors left the musical because they believed the environment had become unstable and unprofessional. 

“For someone like me who really tries to stay away from the rumors,” said Schmalfeldt. “Something doesn’t smell right here, but it’s either we just kind of keep our nose to the grindstone and keep on going or we stick up and say, ‘I don’t think this is okay.’”

And after cast members say a private incident involving a member of production sparked concerns about how the situation was handled by leadership, they decided to do the latter - by demanding the cast member be removed from their role or they would walk. 

When asked about the situation, a spokesperson for Ghostlight Theatre Company said, “Within community theater, this is not unusual. Actors and crews volunteer their time to do a show. Sometimes what’s happening in their personal lives means they are no longer able to be a part of the show.” 

They continued, “Ghostlight Theatre does not discuss the personal lives of anyone involved in our productions. The production was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.” 

In 2024, Matthew Schmalfeldt worked with Ghostlight Theatre Company, along with fellow cast member Taylor Stefanski, in the play The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Both have also worked with the theater’s founder, Joe Gallo, before he created Ghostlight Theatre.  

Stefanski described working on Rocky Horror as one of the best times she has had in a production. 

“The production went really great and it was an overall really great time,” said Stefanski. 

And after taking a break from performing when she had her daughter, Stefanski was excited to get back into action. Especially for a stage production such as ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’

"I'm a really big Andrew Lloyd Webber fan in general and this is always a show that I was interested in for a long time," said Stefanski. "I came in knowing all of my songs like right off the bat. I don't think anyone, other than Joe, was more excited than me to be in this production.” 

Stefanski was cast as Judas with Schmalfeldt as Caiaphas, two important characters that lead to Jesus’s downfall in the rock opera. 

Schmalfeldt and Stefanski said that the environment of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ was fine, working with a fun creative team and cast. But issues started coming to light. 

“There were some transparency issues with, like, casting and some roles,” said Stefanski. “They said ‘we’re gonna be double cast,’ and then they didn’t end up being double cast. There were issues with people that were on production…They weren’t getting clear communication on, like, budgets and stuff like that.” 

Schmalfeldt described it as lacking collaboration. 

“No feeling of trust. Instead of creating a safe space expressing ourselves and creativity, it was just so secretive that it became a place where it’s just like, ‘okay, well, I’m going to show up. I’m gonna see what I have to do. I’m going to perform what I have to and I’m going to go home,” he said. 

Then on Tuesday, Feb. 10, the cast was told to sit down for a meeting. Schmalfeldt and Stefanski say that the cast was told a private incident with another prominent actor occurred but it “will not be discussed and it didn’t have to affect the show.” 

Schmalfeldt, along with Stefanski, felt that it did. 

“You tell us not to talk about something, we’re going to talk about something,” said Schmalfeldt. 

The next day, Schmalfeldt and Stefanski gathered a portion of the cast in a group chat and determined that the best course of action was to ask the individual to step down from their role, or they would walk. 

That Thursday, Feb. 12, Schmalfeldt started off a meeting with the creative team with his own statement. He told production that the cast wanted “a community of transparency, honesty and integrity.” 

An official statement was read by Stefanski, calling for the removal of the individual, claiming that “as artists, colleagues and community members, we cannot, in good conscience, continue to participate in a production where such breaches of conduct go without consequence.” 

When asked initially how many were willing to walk, five raised their hands. When told the individual refused to step down, the number turned into 12, according to Schmalfeldt and Stefanski. 

With a cast of around 21 members, the production effectively ended, according to Schmalfeldt. 

But Schmalfeldt doesn’t want this incident to scare inspiring thespians. 

“I want to tell people to go support local theater,” said Schmalfeldt. “There’s plenty of passionate people who have integrity that are putting on their shows. And the people that put on the show, all they want to do is put out a good show for you.”

After the cancellation, Ghostlight Theatre Company issued Hometown Tickets refunds to ticketholders.