In 2009, Josh Rivedal wrote and developed the play The Gospel According to Josh, a dark comedy that focuses on him going into show business while navigating the perils of life and a tempestuous relationship with his father. The play was originally intended for a traditional theatre-going audience, but after speaking with talented colleagues in show business and young performers fresh out of college who were quitting the business because they were tired of living as "starving artists" and/or taking numerous side jobs so that they could just scrape by, Josh decided to refocus the show and pair it with a seminar for college arts students on how to create and maintain a career in show business.

Josh is a playwright, producer, actor, an NYU-trained career and business coach, as well as a personal brand consultant, educator, and public speaker. Each piece of his business is art- based and set up for multiple revenue streams so he can create as much art and revenue as possible.

The aim of the play is to present a piece of quality entertainment and the aim of the seminar is to present a forum where students learn from a working actor, producer, and playwright on how to create a long and fulfilling career in the arts, and how to treat their career as a business while maintaining their integrity as an artist.

The Gospel According to Josh in schools is designed to be used as an educational tool to achieve several specific goals related to helping college students creating and maintaining a career in show business.

Develop students who have a better understanding on how one begins and maintains a career in the field of entertainment and performing arts by:

a. Showing students the importance of having a personal brand and how to leverage that brand to      
   have successful career.
b. Conveying the need to have multiple revenue streams in the entertainment business
c. Providing students with resources to aid their transition from college to NY/LA/CHI.

About The Show

A 15 character, 7 song show, about a small town boy who follows his dreams to Hollywood despite the tempestuous relationship with his pious father. Along the way he must navigate his religious upbringing, an escape to New York, his starring roles in two reality TV shows, and ultimately his father's tragic suicide.