Passion Play Easter 2004
On
Good Friday 2004, St. Andrew's put on a Passion Play for the first time. The
script was based mostly on the text of Mark's Gospel Chapters 14-16. The action
took place in the nave and chancel, with the vestry and porch serving as prison
and tomb respectively. The play was set to Mozart's Requiem, a powerful
accompaniment to the story of our Lord's last hours. The play ended with the
spiritual "Where you there when they crucified my Lord?" sung by our choir, as
Joseph of Arimathea gently carried Christ's body and laid him in the tomb, with
the women disciples looking on. The cast were all members of our congregation,
except for Jack Scrafton as Caiaphas, member of the Pantiles Methodist Church,
and Ron Brown, one of our local Councillors, as a disciple.
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Jesus is mocked by the soldiers |
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...Jesus falls on the way of the cross............... ..................... ............. |
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.. ..Jesus is crucified |
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Caiaphas sits in judgment |
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The Last Supper .................................... |
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Peter denies the Lord |
Text: Revd. Sue Shooter 2.11.2006
Origin of Play:
The inspiration for this Passion Play came to Revd. Juliette Hulme. When she was training for the priesthood at St. John's College, Durham the play was performed in Durham Cathedral under her direction. She served her curacy at St. Paulinus Church, Crayford, where she again directed the play. This time it was performed at St. Mary of the Crays Roman Catholic Church, and had an ecumenical cast. Juliette went on to become the first woman chaplain in the Army and was about to go out to Iraq on a tour of duty when we approached her for permission to perform the play here at St. Andrew's. She was delighted to give that permission.
Staging:
The nave and chancel were transformed into a theatre, yet the atmosphere of worship was retained, as this was not a "performance" in the usual sense. The Last Supper and the Crucifixion took place at the altar. Long white drapes were suspended at the east end of the chancel, uplighters that used the different liturgical colours for the different scenes. A small stage [loaned by St. Paulinus School] was erected to the left of the chancel step for the scenes in the High Priest's courtyard and Gethsemane. Lighting bars were attached to the wooden arches and a sound desk was set up at the back of the nave. The narrator and choir were accommodated in the crèche area.
Future ideas:
One idea that was not possible to realise in our production is to use a full choir to sing the parts of Mozart's Requiem that form the musical setting for t he play. This would be a massive undertaking, but one worth thinking of for any future production of "The Passion of Jesus Christ"
CAST: Narrator Josephine Gladman
Jesus : Jon Armstrong
Peter : John Baily
James: Robert Wiebkin
John: Martin Beeson
Judas: Tony Adams
Disciples:
Ted Atkinson
David Barnes
George Birchall
Ray Boon
Ron Brown
Sean Butler
John Prichard
David Smith
Women:
Rheta Birchall
Vicky Darton-Bigg
Julie Feleppe
Connie Penn
Cheryl Westlotorn
Julie Wilmot
Serving Maid: Pat Clarke
Soldiers: Ashley Field
Matt Shooter
Tom Shooter
Joseph of Arimathea: Ian Shooter
Pilate: Roger Taylor
Caiaphas: Jack Scrafton
Scribes:
John Prichard
Ted Atkinson
Sound: Gareth Twynam
Lights: Ian Shooter
Musical direction: Marilyn Davey
Props:
Maggie Boon
Christine Hoad
Margaret Poole
Costume & Set:
Susan Adams
Susan Twynam
Co-Directors: Ian & Susan Shooter