GOOD theatre should always seek to challenge. And York Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society's youth production of Godspell next week will certainly be doing that. The central character in this production of the Seventies rock musical won't be Jesus, the Son of God: it will be Jesus, the Daughter of God. In a move that will raise a few traditionalist eyebrows, director Richard Bainbridge has cast York teenager Louise Rigg in the central role.

Was this in an attempt to raise questions about the role of gender in established religion? Nothing so profound, laughs Richard.

"We felt it wasn't really necessary, because of the way the piece was written, that Jesus needed to be a boy. Because it's set in this never never land, this fairy tale time, it didn't matter if Jesus was played by a girl. It's the same story. And since Jesus and Judas are the best parts, we wanted to give some of the girls a chance. Louise auditioned and did well, and she got the part."

Won't some traditionalists be upset? "The Mystery Plays had a woman playing God, so we thought why can't we have a girl playing Jesus? We thought, let's go for it!" he says. And all credit to the YAODS, too.

The show - chosen, Richard stresses, because it's a great musical, not for any religious reasons - runs from Thursday to Saturday next week at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre: and it promises to be a cracker.

The musical tells the story of the Gospel according to St Matthew. Many of the parables are brought to life on stage, including those of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, and the show takes the story of Jesus right through to the Last Supper.

But the contemporary language, Richard promises, makes it very relevant to a modern audience.

It features some great songs - including Day by Day, All Good Gifts, Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord and Save The People - and, says Richard, it is very cleverly written, especially with the way it deals with the parables.

"You get all these people stepping forward and saying: 'Do you want to hear a story?'. And then they start to tell a story," he says.

For the YAODS youth production, more than 40 youngsters aged between eight and 16 will be taking part in a show originally designed for a cast of about ten, making it into a genuine spectacle. Richard and his directorial team of musical director Jessa Marshall and choreographer Jenny Cohen have brought some imaginative touches to the show.

The Prodigal Son scene, for example, will be played out as though it were a puppet show - although the parts of the puppets will be played by the actors themselves. They will be watched by an audience of younger cast members.

With rehearsals into their last week, everything is beginning to come together nicely, Richard says. Which is not to say there weren't a few problems earlier on.

"We decided to do the rehearsals over the summer holidays, because we thought it would give the kids something to do and we could rehearse during the day rather than at night," he says.

It was made clear in advance that was how it would be, so the 42-strong cast could make sure their parents had no plans to whisk them away on holiday during the rehearsals.

"We thought, yeah, this is a great idea," Richard says ruefully. "But in hindsight it was a nightmare! Parents have this habit of taking mini-breaks all of a sudden, and we'd get kids coming in and saying 'I'm not going to be here next week'."

It's all worked out in the end, though, as these things usually do.

"It is shaping up very well, now," Richard says.

York audiences should be in for a treat.

- Godspell runs at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre for three performances only, all at 7.30pm: Thursday August 23, Friday August 24 and Saturday August 25. Tickets, priced £6 adult, £4 under 16s, are available from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 01904 623568