The play, *mark, is a solo performance of the Gospel of
Mark, the oldest of the four Gospels, which was traditionally performed
aloud—from start to finish—to give courage to what was then a “community of
quiet rebels.” Father Drance will tell the Gospel
under the guise of a street artist, in a reflection on early Christians’ use of
graffiti—such as the ichthys, or fish symbol—to indicate where they could
safely meet.
George Drance, S.J., performs in *mark (contributed photo) |
The asterisk in *mark symbolizes, among other things,
another bit of ancient graffiti that it resembles: the first letters of Jesus
Christ’s name, in Greek, superimposed on each other, he said.
The play is meant to capture the original urgency of the
Gospel’s words.
“I’ve always been intrigued by the experience of what it
must have been like to have heard the Gospel for the first time, and knowing
that Mark was a Gospel that was traditionally performed, it’s always been kind
of a desire of mine to explore that,” said Father Drance, who conceived the
idea for the performance.
The show will take place Thursday through Sunday for three
weeks, beginning Thursday, May 29, at the LaMaMa First Floor Theatre, located
at 74A East 4th Street in Manhattan, between Bowery and 2nd Avenue. The show
starts at 7:30 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets are $18 general admission or $13 for students, and
can be purchased at the La MaMa website, or by calling its box office at (646)
430-5374 or (212) 475-7710.
The play is presented by La MaMa E.T.C., a world-renowned
cultural institution devoted to supporting theatre artists, in association with the Magis Theatre Company's Logos Project. Father Drance is the theatre company's artistic director.
The show is directed by Luann Jennings, founder and director
of the Church and Art Network, with original music by award-winning
composer Elizabeth Swados.
-- Chris Gosier
No comments:
Post a Comment