A floating platform in the middle of a church becomes the site of a faux-gospel pageant. Jesus is a spiritual teacher is of no importance outside of his small circle of fellow spiritual teachers, until, one day, he demonstrates miraculous healing powers. His capacity to create political and social change improves– until he learns that he’s not really the source of miracles; rather, that they’re attributable to a different teacher with actual magic powers who also happens to be named Jesus.
In this experimental community theatre, all the collaborators perform–actors, musicians, writer, director, choreographer, designers–bringing uniform commitment to wildly divergent interpretations of acting and the public representation of self. Horizontalizing skill and “talent,” Other Jesus shows the paradoxical labour of acting “authentically”–in performative, mythical and material senses.
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Text by Evan Webber. Direction by Frank Cox-O’Connell. Scenography & Costumes by Sherri Hay. Music & Sound Design by Christopher Willes. Choreography by Ame Henderson. Lighting Design by Ken Mackenzie. Production Management by sandra Henderson. Production Assistance by Lauren Page Russell. Additional collaboration and performance by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster, Ishan Davé, William Ellis, Thom Gill and Liz Peterson. Artistic Production by Sascha Cole. Produced by Public Recordings and EW & FCO. Co-Produced by Festival TransAmériques. Created with the support of Tarragon Theatre’s Workspace, Videofag and St. Matthew’s United Church. Photos: Yuula Benivolski and Rachel Weiner.
