I've just wrapped up my last performance at the Canadian Badlands Passion Playand all but two of the shows had fewer than 15 people in attendance, and it was what you might call an "intimate" performance. The two shows that exceeded this were sold out to the Society of Saint Vincent DePaul, for their annual convention being held in Calgary. These were great folks, and they are doing a great work helping the poor.
The previous photo is of the Canadian Badlands Passion Plays outdoor natural amphitheater in the Red Deer river valley in the town of Drumheller, Alberta. The geography in this beautiful part of Alberta is truly amazing. These Badlands are full of Dinosaur bones and audiences are surrounded by a Palestinian like landscape that transports you to a first century Israel. This is a cultural gem, and it has a team of artists that have been working together to produce powerful theatrical events for over ten years now. The costumes are exceptional, they are designed and constructed by Daniel Van Hyeist from Kings University in Edmonton. My show is NOT in the Amphitheater, it is in the adjacent black box space, an intimate little space that seats around 65 people. So for this run I have parked my Charlton Heston voice and am enjoying the nearness of a small house
I am performing the passion narrative of Mark's Gospel for the next three weeks (chapters 9-16). This is a great place, my association with the Passion play started 11 years ago, when I performed the role of Jesus in their inaugural season. I was 29 at the time and it was an incredible experience for me. Little did I know that it would in some ways be a precursor to the work that I do now with Mark's Gospel. I remember how satisfying (spiritually and artistically) the performance was and thinking that I was content as an actor and would not have to perform any other work again, that anything beyond that point was just gravy. Well, that was naive of me, but it did reflect what was and continues to be the most satisfying material I could ever imagine working with. This is my gig. I have done and will continue to do other kinds of work, but I believe that this is the core of my creative efforts. What a privilege to have been given these opportunities, to be a part of telling the most important story imaginable.
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