Dramaturgical Notes

Hannah at the JUDAS opening, surrounded by Coke products

Hannah’s notes from the Last Days of Judas Iscariot program:

About Judas, not a lot is known except that he was chosen to be an Apostle, he betrayed Jesus, and then he hung his-self. Not a lot to go on.

- The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Truly I tell you: one of you will betray me…The Son of Man is going the way appointed for him in the scriptures; but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had never been born.

- Matthew 26:21, 24 (NEB)

The story of Judas takes up a very small part of the Gospels. Judas was an apostle. He was trusted, respected, and yet he turned on his leader. Thirty pieces of silver were placed in his hand and the course of history was changed. Jesus was kissed and arrested, tried, beaten, and put on the cross. Judas killed himself before he was able to see Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus was revered and Judas was cast as the lowest of villains.

The stories continue to be told of Judas in Hell. Judas has been reviled throughout history, along with the Jews, Caiaphas the Elder, and Pontius Pilate. Dante envisioned Judas in the lowest level of Hell, hanging out of Satan’s mouth. Only the recently unearthed Gospel of Judas shows Jesus and Judas working together. The apocryphal Gospel was admonished by early Church leaders and disappeared. God did not forgive Judas, and neither did man.

In Catholic school, Stephen Adly Guirgis was told the story of Judas. The nuns told him the story of God turning away from a man. The God that he had been told was forgiving did not forgive. This new view of a vengeful, unforgiving God made Guirgis doubt. That doubt stayed with him for years. In his introduction to the published edition of Judas, he writes,

From then on … I was in no hurry to seek out God. In fact, I had no sense of who or what God was. I did believe that “God” existed—I still do—but that was about it. And knowing or believing that God existed but avoiding him probably instilled in me a lot of shame and guilt. There’s nothing wrong with that. I wasn’t avoiding “God.” I was avoiding myself.

But Guirgis could not avoid exploring his spiritual connection for long. His doubts made him question God, and that questioning inspired his writing. In plays like Jesus Hopped the A Train and Our Lady of 121st Street, Guirgis fused his knowledge of the world surrounding him with his own spiritual quest. In The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, that quest became a trial.

Guirgis’ play questions faith and is at the same time an act of faith. The characters we see on stage come out of the Bible, but their voices come off the streets. The questions they ask are to both God and man: should Judas be forgiven? Should he have a reprieve from Hell? These are the questions asked in the courtroom. But Guirgis is implying something deeper. The arguments are not being made just for Judas. It is Guirgis on trial, it is all of us. In Guirgis’ courtroom, the audience is asked to see themselves. We are the jury, we are the judge, we are the defense, and we are the prosecution. We are Judas, stuck in self-doubt and despair, and we are Jesus, with the capability to bestow love and forgiveness. The questions we are left with are not about Judas and what has passed, but about our lives now. Can we forgive? And can we be forgiven?

Why We Chose This Play and What It Means To Us

My notes from the Last Days of Judas Iscariot program:
“Forum Theatre’s goal is to create an environment where ideas about our common experience can be expressed, discussed, and shared through the plays we produce. Over the years, we’ve covered the horrors of war, the corruption of government, the pernicious influence of the media, and loads else. You know that adage, “Don’t talk about religion or politics in public”? Well, we figured it was time to fully break that rule.

What we didn’t expect was the debate it started.

Forum has produced 11 shows in our four years in DC, and never has one generated so much discussion among the company. From the actors, to the designers, to the backstage personnel, this play has touched on something deep within all of us. No matter our background or belief, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot has already been a remarkable experience. From the back and forth e-mail discussions to the rehearsal break debates to the production meetings, the ideas of this play have had us talking nonstop about belief, faith, and forgiveness. Even the auditions were filled with personal stories and fascinating religious debates. Each and every one of us has brought a unique perspective to the play. The result is a deeply passionate work that we are eager to share with you.

Every winter, the company sits down to discuss possible scripts and ideas for the next season. We usually start with about 25 possibilities and slowly narrow down the field until we’ve agreed on three or four plays. We knew from day one that Judas had to be seen. The night I found it at a bookstore, took it home, and read it three times, I knew it was something special. John Vreeke and I had been looking at several projects over the years to collaborate on, so I passed it on to him the next day. It took him much the same way it took me, and we decided immediately that we wanted to do this show.

Finally, after nearly two years of planning, casting, and rehearsing, we have arrived at the most exciting moment: the time we share this show with you, our community. We are very eager to bring the discussion and experience to you. No matter where you come from or what you believe, we hope that the ideas raised in this play will stick with you and carry over to your post-show commute, your dinner tables, or your workplace break rooms.

Thank you for coming and being a part of this journey.

Michael”

Notes on Antigone

From the Antigone playbill by Forum Theatre Dramaturg Hannah Hessel.

The memory is very clear: me at maybe 15 years old, sitting on my bedroom floor reading Antigone. It was not the Sophocles version I was reading, though I had studied that at school. It was a version of Antigone that spoke directly to me. It pulled me, as an American teenager, into a tragedy that seemed close. I read Jean Anouilh’s adaptation over and over until Antigone’s words were in my head. I was caught.

Antigone was, to my teenage mind, everything I wanted to be. She was smart, quirky, and she got the boy even though she wasn’t the prettiest. And she was strong, so strong that she put her life second to her beliefs. So strong that she would stand and fight, and yet she was human—I could feel her pain. In Simone Fraisse’s book Le Mythe d’Antigone, she is called “the daughter of the Revolution.” Antigone is the ultimate rebel with a cause.