Blasphemy?

If you are following us and you read the newspaper article you know that our production of Jesus Christ Superstar is modern times. I decided to do this for a couple different reasons. First because I am very aware that this show was done in the Magic Valley in the summer of 1998 as I worked backstage for that wonderful production. It is very important to me as an artist that I do not imitate another director’s work. That I make my work distinct and different than other directors.  I also work very hard to be inspired by a project I'm working on from my own feelings and experiences avoiding watching other variations of the production. I decided very early on that I could not, would not, do the play in a Judeo-Christian setting. Partly because it's been done that way a great many times.

 Mostly because I feel like the true beauty in this story (the one in the bible and the interpretive dialogue in this musical) is the universal truths about human beings. Jesus, whether a deity or not, (I'm not preaching or indicating my own feelings about him), was a charismatic leader who preached love, forgiveness, loving God and loving one another. His ideas were radical at the time. His methods were very much against the tradition not only of the Jews but also the Romans who occupied Jerusalem at the time, who were mostly pagan at the time of Christ.

Fast forward to Martin Luther King Jr. in America 1960's. His message was one of equality and love and tolerance. Forgiveness and acceptance. A greater human race that is above killing, hating and hierarchy. He was killed. Not by the government, but martyred for his beliefs none the less.

Harvey Milk in America 1970’s. A forerunner in equal rights for the LGBT community. He talked about love, acceptance, tolerance and equality. He was also killed not only because he was gay, but also because he felt like he, and others like him, deserved to be treated equally.

These are just two examples with parallels to the story of Jesus. In the 2,015 years the message of humans loving others more than themselves, despite the differences between them, has not spread far enough to be a proponent of peace among our species. Men like Martin Luther King Jr. And Harvey Milk died for what they believed in. They paved the way for change that we have seen unfold in our lifetime. We HAVE made progress. We ARE getting better…but we are not there yet.

Am I an instrument of change? Am I an activist trying to change the world? I am not. I am just a woman. Living in America with a dream. A dream of a world for my children and grandchildren where equality is not a fight, but a gift, given because we are all human. Where race, nationality, gender, beliefs aren’t a measure for a person’s worth. I like to whimsically Imagine with John Lennon.

Jesus Christ Superstar is my opportunity to share this message with the community I live in, and love dearly. If this message disgusts you. If you are closed to this idea. If you feel that what I am doing with this show is disrespectful or blasphemous I can do nothing about that.

I send this message out with a final thought. Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” The change I want to see is love, forgiveness, acceptance and tolerance.  If that means I stop honking my horn at the parents who don’t wait their turn at the 4 way stop and that’s the greatest thing I can do so be it. If that means I show my children the value in learning more about a person before deciding what kind of person they REALLY are than I will do it. I challenge anyone who reads this to do the same. Approach others with these four words: Love, Forgiveness, Tolerance, and Acceptance and I will try to do the same.  Thank you.