By Terrence McNally

Performed at Milwaukee Gay Arts Center

March 11 - 26, 2011

Directed by Mark E. Schuster

This most controversial and talked about play begins: "We are going to tell you an old and familiar story." But from that point on, nothing feels quite familiar again. What follows is a story that parallels the New Testament's, and its subject is nothing less than the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. But McNally's Christ figure is a character named Joshua, a young man born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the early 1950s. Different from the other boys because he is homosexual, Joshua grows up in isolation and torment, an object of scorn. He flees Corpus Christi in search of a more accepting environment, gathering along the way a group of disciples who are bound to him by his message of love and tolerance. Joshua delivers his Sermon on the Mount, and officiates at a gay marriage ceremony, but, inevitably, his radical teachings (like Jesus') will not deliver him from his fate. Returning to Corpus Christi, he is betrayed by his lover, Judas, and crucified in front of the jeering throngs who hated him as a boy, and still do. His plea, that we look upon all souls as equal in the sight of God, falls unattended.

CAST

in order of appearance

Matthew - Roger Rivas

John - Charles Lynch

Andrew - Keith R. Smith

James - Joel Marinan

Bartholomew - Tairre Christopherson

Simon - Mark Neufang

Thomas - James Lautenbach

James the Less - David Goines

Thaddeus - Jeffrey S. Berens

Philip - Brian Firkus

Peter - Michael Endter

Joshua - James A. Skiba

Judas - Joshua Devitt

PRODUCTION STAFF

Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster

Lighting Designer - Kevin Czarnota

Costume Designer - Sharon Sohner & Cast

Sounds Effects - Dan Harmon

Sound Board Operator/Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty

Publicity/Program Cover Photography - Keith Kucharski

Joshua's Makeup - Brian Firkus

REVIEWS & PRESS

Terrence McNally's "Corpus Christi" to be revived in Milwaukee 

- Thomas Peter, Playbill.com, January 26, 2011

Troupe tackles controversy with "Corpus Christi"

- John Quinlan, Wisconsin Gazette, March 10, 2011

Theatrical Tendencies stages Terrence McNally's take on Jesus

- Rosy Ricks, Milwaukee Urban Dial, March 12, 2011

Ensemble Finesse: Theatrical Tendencies' "Corpus Christi"

- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, March 12, 2011

Theatrical Tendencies Present "Corpus Christi" at Milwaukee Gay Arts Center

- Paul Masterson, Quest Magazine, Volume 18/Issue 3, March 11-24, 2011