[British actor Robert Powell as Jesus in Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth]Which Jesus would you vote for? And be honest ...
I've been thinking about depictions of Jesus because this Saturday I start rehearsals for the NSW Bible Society's annual Celebration of Word and Song. This event started over a decade ago as an Easter gathering for supporters of the Bible Society, allowing them to hear the easter story read, to sing together, and to enjoy musical performances. However, over time the bible readings have grown into staged performances of the biblical texts. Staging the biblical texts poses some really interesting questions: How exactly do you present the character of Jesus, and the context in which he lived and ministered, onstage? What impact do your representational choices have on your audience? Are they helpful? Are they a hinderance? And what do your choices say about how you view Jesus?
It seems that in this age, in which the primacy of the visual has reached an apogee, our imaginations are highly influenced by the variety of movie representations that exist, from the rather ponderous The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) to Mel Gibson's almost unbearably gory The Passion (2004). Most of these (with some notable exceptions) seek a large audience beyond the church by attempting what you might call 'historical renderings': Jesus is shown in some sort of recreation of 1st century Palestine as he heals the sick, reasons with the scribes and pharisees (who can be easily recognised by their rather impractical headwear) and hangs out with a bunch of scruffy unwashed disciples and various filthy villagers. But does this Jesus get in the way of us meeting the risen Christ on his terms?
[Jo Kenny and Neil Modra perform during the Celebration of Word and Song 2006 - photograph by Ramon Williams]For last year's Celebration I opted for a rather traditionally inflected stage presentation. Jesus, and the other characters, wore suitably 1st century-ish garb and handled stage properties that evoked a vague historical setting: scrolls, baskets of bread, swords, a crown of thorns, etc. The staging did however include some necessary stylisation. During Jesus' crucifixion, for instance, the actor playing Jesus stripped himself, applied the crown of thorns to his own head and took up a cross bar which he then held across his shoulders. This took place whilst a narrator described these actions being done to Jesus, effectively allowing the audience to imagine the surrounding scene.
This year I've decided to take a new tack. I realise that I have the privilege of creating a performance for an audience who know the biblical accounts of Jesus, who know his teachings, his healings, his death and resurrection. However, at the same time, in what way do they know it? Is it a knowing that is accompanied (or even formed) by various movie depictions of Jesus (like the willowy form of Max von Sydow?) Has their understanding of Jesus been shaped and determined by these cultural images? As a challenge, this year I've decided to stage an ensemble performance in which five actors will together re-tell the story of Jesus. Dressed in contemporary clothing, and gathered around a large table on which sits the remnants of a meal, they will begin to recount (rather than re-enact) the story using the text of the four gospels. From this they will then start act out episodes, thereby presenting some of the characters. But, in each scene, Jesus and the other characters will be presented by different actors (both male and female). I hope that this will be a Jesus who can in some way be heard (and seen) afresh through the testimony of his disciples.
1 comment:
Great idea for the production. Hope it works well.
Post a Comment