UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Transcend the written word …

The Gospel of St. Mark is widely considered the most ancient of the four canonical gospels. It was probably written in the late 60s of the first century and based on stories circulated by word of mouth. It is the oldest, fastest, shortest and simplest of the Gospels. It is a work of art.

Some have suggested that the author features himself in the story as a young man wearing nothing but a linen cloth, who, upon the arrest of Jesus, leaves even the cloth to run off naked. In this interpretation, he appears again later, dressed in white and announcing that Jesus has been raised. The ancient converts were baptized naked, then clothed in white garments as a sign of their new lives in Christ.

Mark stresses the human nature of Jesus, who takes risks of great compassion for others, challenges authorities for the sake of others, and reinterprets the rules of his time in favor of society’s marginalized individuals. Mark reveals a Jesus with a sense of ironic humor, a quick wit and a profound sensitivity. He possesses a calm humility, a magnetic personality and a piercing intuition — a man and a healing touch who is sometimes annoyed by his followers yet shows an extraordinary love for them and for total strangers. He is a Jesus who talks less and does more.

Early Christians met in houses and shared these stories with largely illiterate populations. It would be years before “the good news” became recorded on paper. So the oral experience of this performance invites you more deeply into that early experience. Join the ancient illiterate communities and see and hear the eyewitness accounts of those who were there. Let the Gospel escape the gravity of ink and paper and enter into the story of this very brief chance to share the love that changes life on earth and leads to eternal life through the power of compassion.