Vol. 8, No. 1, Fall 2009

[page 113]

The Hidden Sky. Music and lyrics by Peter Foley. Book by Kate Chisholm.
Reviewed by Cara Reichel.
Unpublished (contact Beacon Artists Agency)
12 actors, playing multiple characters (6 men + 6 women)
Musical theatre
125 minutes
Scenic requirements: single set; projections helpful; 3-8 musicians.

In a post-apocalyptic society where math, science, and technology have been forbidden by the ruling priests, a young woman’s yearning for knowledge leads her on a passionate journey of discovery. With a natural gift for mathematics, Ganil joins a group of underground scientists in defiance of the theocracy, risking her life, relationships, and elite position in pursuit of truth. She makes an unexpected mathematical discovery about patterns in the universe, which leads her onto a mystic path that conflicts with the scientists’ rational viewpoint.  When Ganil’s closest friend is caught and executed, she realizes she must leave the walled city she calls home, taking a profound leap into an unknown world.

The Hidden Sky is based on the short story “The Masters” by Ursula K. Le Guin, a modern myth that explores the conflict between scientific exploration and religious dogma, age-old tensions that are intensely specific yet universal, lending themselves to be explored in the realm of myth, and in the immediate and very human medium of theater.  The Hidden Sky expands the original Le Guin story to explore additional related themes:  the individual vs. society; the morality of science; personal spirituality vs. religious orthodoxy; and the visionary vs. the limited culture.  In a world rife with cultural conflicts, in which science and religion are often framed by the media as being diametrically opposed to one another, The Hidden Sky challenges audiences to appreciate multiple points of view and to think metaphorically and deeply about these issues.

Through Ganil’s dramatic journey from obedient member of a religious society to defiant underground mathematician, The Hidden Sky gives voice to a rich area of spirituality that has the power to transcend the science vs. religion dialectic and present the possibility of a path in which these two worldviews do not have to be in opposition to one another. When Ganil leaves her home at the end of the piece, she is making a choice to synthesize both these aspects of herself.

Any act of storytelling is inherently theatrical, and The Hidden Sky leads its audience on a dynamic experience of big ideas, without resorting to didacticism.  A chorus enters at the top of the show, informing us that they are going to tell a tale and why they tell it.  They then move fluidly in and out of scenes and songs, both playing the characters within the tale and observing and commenting on the story as a “meta” chorus.  It becomes clear that this ritually told story, about a human being who transcended a limited worldview in pursuit of connection with the divine, is an affirmation of the values and beliefs of the players.

Peter Foley’s score is eclectic and powerful, drawing on sacred music, world-beat, pop/rock, and folk influences, and using choral singing to create a specific and innovative sound world for The Hidden Sky.  His lyrics are clear, illuminating and propelling the story forward, and are ripe with metaphors and poetically resonant phrases.  Kate Chisholm’s book moves the [page 114] story beyond allegory into a realm of fully developed, compelling human characters caught in the midst ofpassionate desires and dramatic struggles.  She very successfully conveys the thrill of intellectual discovery and the power of mystical experience, all within a beautifully theatrical context of ritual storytelling.  The Hidden Sky is a mythical tale of aspiration, awakening, and the indomitable human spirit.

As artistic director of Prospect Theater Company in New York City, I oversaw a workshop of The Hidden Sky in February 2009, directed by Kate Chisholm, and have been involved in the ongoing dramaturgical development of the piece.  Prospect will mount a full production of The Hidden Sky in February 2010.

[page 115]

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, by Stephen Adly Guirgis.
Reviewed by Dana Tarantino.
Dramatists Play Service, 2006.
Number of characters: 10 men, 5 women (doubling of roles)
Seriocomic drama
150 minutes
Scenic requirements:  Courtroom, flexible set.

In present-day purgatory, Judas Iscariot stands trial for the betrayal of Christ.  Lawyers in the courtroom call upon historical witnesses ranging from Pontius Pilate and Caiaphas to Sigmund Freud and Mother Teresa.  Testimony from these figures and others examine faith, free will, and forgiveness.  Judas remains catatonic, unable to forgive himself for Jesus’ death, and only comes “alive” in courtroom vignettes of his past life.  The play culminates in a face-to-face exchange about forgiveness between Jesus and Judas.  The language of the play is eclectic: strong, controversial, slangy, and poetic.

Guirgis’ characters step out of the pages of the Bible and the history books and speak in the cultural jargon of urban streets.  However, the questions they ask and answer are far from mundane, as they question the notion of faith and the mercy of God. As the play begins to unfold, it becomes clear that, even though there is a jury and judge onstage, the audience itself becomes the jury and judge, as it questions itself about justice, divine mercy, and the sin of despair.

In April 2009, I directed The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at John Jay College in New York City as part of the college’s APACHE Project (Arts Partnership and Collaboration in Higher Education).  The Project brings together students, faculty and professional artists from different backgrounds in order to cultivate a cross-cultural, educational, and artistic experience. The cast and production team came from all walks of faith to participate in telling this story, and as they discovered first-hand the close relationship between theatre and theology, they brought their own diligent and passionate perspectives to the play. As we explored the layers of the play in rehearsal, more questions surfaced: Was the purpose of Judas’ existence to betray Jesus in order to fulfill a prophecy?  Or was he a traitor for his own purposes? Did God condemn Judas or did Judas condemn himself? Why did Jesus allow Judas to betray him?  Was Jesus unable to prevent the betrayal? If a perfect God must be forgiving and merciful, how can Judas be condemned to eternity in hell?

The rehearsal process necessitated lots of theological discussion.  For one of the production’s satellite events, Rev. James Martin, S.J., the theological advisor to the off-Broadway production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, led a lecture and discussion session, “Judas on Trial:  Theatre and Theology.” Rev. Martin shared with the students some of the theological insights that arose during his participation in the original production.

The rehearsals were very productive and always inspiring.  At a certain point, I made a decision to add a prologue. (It was made clear in the program that the prologue was not part of Mr. Guirgis’ play.)  It grew out of the creative process of rehearsal and was an improvised enactment of the Last Supper for the purpose of framing the play and providing a contextual point of reference. The prologue ended with a frozen tableau of the moment in Leonardo da Vinci’s [page 116] painting where Judas and Jesus reach for the same piece of bread, the moment of betrayal.  After a blackout and a crash of lightning, the play began, as written, and Guirgis’ powerful drama unfolded.

Theatre, at its best, stays with us long after we leave the venue.  It challenges, and makes us think and feel. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot was a very special theatrical experience that has remained with all involved long after the play closed.

[page 117]

Heaven’s My Destination, by Lee Blessing; adapted from the novel by Thornton Wilder.
Reviewed by Noe Montez.
Unpublished (commissioned for production by the Cleveland Play House in 2008)
8 actors (4 male, 4 female) play approximately 40 characters
Tragicomedy
145 minutes
Scenic requirements: Setting changes frequently and includes rural hospitals in Texas and Missouri, the smoking car of a train, a small town hotel lobby, a Chautauqua camp, and a Kansas City boarding house, among other locations.

Heaven’s My Destination shares the story of George Marvin Brush, a depression-era traveling textbook salesman and born-again religious convert who attempts to save every soul he meets in his quest to find a wife, settle down and found “an American home.” Brush’s insistence on practicing and preaching his radical interpretations of scripture and philosophy antagonize many of the people he meets along his journey and leads to ostracizing, arrest, humiliation, and physical harm. Nevertheless, the protagonist’s faith remains unshaken until he realizes that, in spite of his best efforts, he will never build a home with the wife and family that he longs for. Brush’s life begins to spiral downward and he is hospitalized until he receives a letter from an old friend.

Superficially, Heaven’s My Destination appears to be little more than an admonition of individuals who live by faith alone. A deeper interrogation of the play leads to a greater understanding of the complexities within the play’s characters, particularly its central figure, Mr. Brush. Brush seems in many respects to be a traditional, if occasionally overzealous, Protestant of the period. He notes his years at Shiloh Baptist College and the conversion he experienced that turned him away from his family’s secular ways. Yet at the same time, Wilder and Blessing reveal that Brush’s spirituality and moral compass are much more complex. For example, George regularly cites Gandhi as a source of spiritual inspiration, and when held hostage by a robber, he advocates the tenet of ahimsa to set the thief free, rather than impose a punishment. Moreover, Brush cites Gandhi’s desire that humans live in a state of voluntary poverty as a reason to withdraw all of his money from a bank.

Moreover, unlike many stereotypical proselytizers, Brush is well aware of the fact that his own faith is a work in progress. When questioned about why he interprets scripture in unique ways or why he holds certain beliefs, Brush occasionally admits that he has simply not thought an idea through entirely. Readers and spectators take great pleasure in witnessing the protagonist's spiritual evolution and growth, particularly in the play’s coda when George recognizes that he “can’t know everything just by thinking about it on his own.”

What is unclear in reading Blessing’s adaptation of the novel is whether the reader should take the material seriously or as a tongue-in-cheek concept. Much of Wilder’s dramatic work is precise in its intentions. In Our Town, The Matchmaker, and other works, spectators understand when the author is reaching for humor, and when he wants his audience to genuinely empathize with characters. Heaven’s My Destination is much more ambiguous in its depiction of Brush and the other characters. The script does not present a definitive message about what Wilder/Blessing want to import to their audience. Is it impossible to lead a “good” life? Does preaching goodness [page 118] automatically ensure one’s status as a pariah? While this ambiguity may lead to confusion for those who simply wish to investigate the text, it leaves room for directors and designers to interpret the play in varied and multifaceted ways.

George Brush’s tale of misguided strength at a time of economic and moral crises deserves a contemporary audience of attentive theatre-goers. However, a strong-willed director and production team will ultimately determine what those spectators think of Brush.

[page 119]

Grace, by Craig Wright.
Reviewed by Angela Konrad.
Unpublished (contact Abrams Artists Agency LA)
4 actors (3 men, 1 woman)
Drama
100 minutes
Scenic requirements: unit set.

Grace tells the story of Steve and Sara, evangelical Christians who move to Florida to make their fortune in real estate development, with the hope of one day opening a chain of gospel-themed hotels. Their next-door neighbor Sam has lost his fiancé in the car crash that left him with a badly scarred face. Bitter and angry, he rebuffs Sara’s attempts at friendship with foul-mouthed finality, refusing to be pitied by a Bible-thumper. Sara convinces Sam she needs a friend as much as he does and as their relationship develops, Steve’s life unravels.

The unseen financial backer never provides the money promised, despite Steve’s certainty that “God wants it to happen,” and Steve is increasingly distracted by a mysterious itching that spreads like a plague across his body.  In the play’s pivotal scene, Sara leads Sam through a deeply moving believer’s prayer while Steve pleads with an insurance company and an investor not to abandon him. As Steve cries into the phone, “How could you do this?” Sam’s moment of spiritual awakening turns into something else as Sam and Sara kiss.

The fourth character in the play is an exterminator, Karl, whose harrowing experience during the holocaust has brought him to the certain knowledge that there is no God. Just as events are cascading out of control, Karl re-enters with a story of forgiveness so immense we dare to hope that all will be well. But Steve’s ability to think clearly has been too deeply compromised and in the play’s tragic conclusion, he kills everyone else and then himself.

The play’s theatrical conventions make it a particular delight for audiences. First, the action takes place in two identical Florida condos represented by a single set. For much of the play, characters seem to share a room while actually existing in separate homes. As they sit next to each other, almost collide, or look right into each other’s faces, we are reminded of both their interconnectedness and their oblivion to the consequences of that connection.

The other significant theatrical element in Grace highlights the phrase “I want to go back” which echoes throughout the play. The playwright teases us with this idea, first in the dreamlike opening scene and then also at the fulcrum. When Sam and Sara kiss, the action stops, reverses, and plays again, underscoring the possibility that it could have been different.

Grace is also incredibly funny. Craig Wright’s fame and fortune were achieved as a writer and producer on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Grace shares its irreverent and quirky black humor. [page 120]

Commissioned by Woolly Mammoth Theatre in 2005, Grace received a significant rewrite for its remount at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2006.  It has since received several productions at theaters throughout North America.

Cara Reichel is the Producing Artistic Director of Prospect Theater Company, for which she has co-written and directed numerous new music-theater works including Honor, The Pursuit of Persephone, and Illyria.  She is a graduate of Princeton University, and attended the MFA Program in Directing at Brooklyn College.

Dana Tarantino, Ph.D. is a stage director and associate professor at John Jay College of the City University of New York.  She is also the director of the APACHE Project.

Noe Montez recently completed his Ph.D. in Theatre History, Theatre and Literature at Indiana University. This year he serves as the dramaturg for the Cleveland Play House’s 2009/2010 season.

Angela Konrad is chair of the Theatre Department at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. In 2007, she directed the Canadian premiere of Grace at Vancouver’s Pacific Theatre. The production won Jessie Awards for outstanding direction and production, and earned nominations for all four actors. She has an MFA in Directing from the University of Victoria.