Notes from Forum Theatre

I was fortunate enough to catch the opening night performance of THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT back in April. Like many, I was moved to laughter and tears by the rich text and the stunning performances; but the piece affected me more deeply than I expected. I walked around for days afterward replaying moments, arguments in my head. I couldn’t STOP thinking about it or talking about it (I’m pretty sure I drove my friends crazy, urging them to go see the production so we could talk about it even more). As a result, I came back to see the show two more times and each time was as affecting as the first.

The concept of despair, which is so central to this piece, stayed in my mind. Who hasn’t felt that suffocating bleakness – if only momentarily? And yet, is it all a self-inflicted state, an illusion, as Guirgis posits? Can we truly alter our reality by simply changing our perception? And is it really that simple?!

As an unofficial JUDAS groupie, I was very excited when I heard the show was coming back this December; and even more excited when I was asked to join the cast as Loretta and Mother Teresa. The last few weeks of preparation have been a whirlwind, capturing the lines, blocking, bodyshaping and dialects that Maggie Glauber-Horn and John Vreeke created so effectively. This phenomenal cast – and Maggie, in particular – have been incredibly supportive, offering their free time to help the “newbie”, long before actual rehearsals began. All this external work is allowing me to get closer to the themes of this play than I would have even in my role as groupie.

I hope you can come experience JUDAS and be as affected as I was (and am). It’s hard at this time of year to find a moment for contemplation, but it will be well worth your time. See you at the theater!

Heather