Event

The Mysteries - Part I

*** There is ABSOLUTELY NO late seating. ***

The mystery plays are one of the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. The plays are believed to have been created in connection with Feast of Corpus Christi and eventually evolved into cycles of plays that often took days to perform. Son of Semele Ensemble's production of The Mysteries will be presented as a contemporary ritual in two parts.

Part 1: THE CREATION begins with the evolution of the world (including Adam and Eve) through Noah's Flood and concludes with the Flight of Mary & Joseph.

Part 2: THE PASSION focuses on the life and teachings of Christ and culminates in his crucifixion and resurrection.

Son of Semele Ensemble explores these stories with an understanding that they are owned by people of many different faiths. The ensemble of actors comes together from their various faith backgrounds to investigate familiar biblical stories and reflect upon our current socio-political climate. The production embraces visual iconography from many world religions and takes a humanistic approach in emphasizing the emotional struggles of human beings thrown into extraordinary interactions with the divine. In weaving together several theatrical and musical styles, this highly physical production in which actors appear above and amidst the audience juxtaposes heightened language with contemporary dialogue in linking the Prehistoric to the New Age.

Son of Semele Ensemble is an award-winning and critically acclaimed collective of theatre artists whose mission is recognizing emerging cultural questions through the production of new or under-exposed plays. Son of Semele was recently profiled and hailed as "hot, hip and on the verge" by American Theatre magazine and featured on the cover of its December 2004 issue.