"Playing With Redemption" tells the stories of the touring company for 108's production of Corpus Christi, the controversial 1998 play by four-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Master Class, Ragtime), which imagines Jesus as a gay man living in modern-day Texas.
As previously reported, the screening has drawn an angry response from religious advocates in San Francisco. Although a protest outside the April 29 event is expected, 108 is standing by Corpus Christi and its message of religious tolerance.
The event begins at 1 PM with a VIP gathering at the city's Castro Theatre where Reverend Cindi Love, executive director of Soulforce—an organization engaging in nonviolent resistance to bring freedom to LGBTQ people suffering from religious oppression—will give a speech and blessing. The film will be screened at 2 PM, followed by a Q&A session with the cast.
"Fourteen years after Corpus Christi premiered in New York, I am thrilled that 108 Productions continues to perform the piece all over the world," said playwright McNally in a statement. "'Playing With Redemption' and the I AM Love Campaign add a new dimension to the conversation that my play continues to provoke, and I look forward to Corpus Christi starting many more conversations around the country."
Corpus Christi will also have live performances April 29 at 7:30 PM and April 30 at 7 PM at The First Unitarian Universalist Society. Corpus Christi, conceived as a modern passion play by McNally, debuted in 1998. In 2006, 108 Productions launched a revival production directed by Nic Arnzen at Los Angeles' Zephyr Theatre, which went on to tour across America. The show continued to tour through 2011—nationally and internationally—while a documentary crew followed their travels to less tolerant communities.
The I AM Love Campaign's mission is to "change the story on religious bullying and homophobia, in all ages and walks of life, by first learning to love the self." Beyond screenings of the film, which will be combined with performances of the play in select cities, 108 Productions will also conduct educational and arts-based workshops alongside gay and religious leaders in less tolerant communities around the country.
For more information, visit 108Productions.org.
