the play.Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi is a retelling of the Jesus story, with Jesus as a gay man living in 1950s Corpus Christi, Texas. The show originally opened at the Manhattan Theatre Club in NYC, 1998 to intense protest and bomb threats. Deemed by religious zealots as “blasphemous,” the shock and controversy it created before it opened easily overshadowed McNally’s original intention in creating the piece: inclusive love for all people.
108 Productions has seen international acclaim since its revival tour of the play in 2006. It continued to sell-out audiences for months at Los Angeles’ Zephyr Theatre and went on to tour across America. In Europe, the play was an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression nominee at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was awarded the Intercultural Dialogue Award at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in 2008. Following, the company celebrated the show’s 10th anniversary Off-Broadway at the Rattlestick Theatre, benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation and New York’s Gay Community Center. The show continued to tour through 2010 nationally and internationally, while a documentary crew followed their travels to less tolerant communities. | the film.The Religious Right meets "the gay Jesus play." In 2006 a small troupe revived the play for an intended 4-week run; 5 years later they continue on an international tour to cities where hate and bigotry are more intensely prevalent. Mirroring the reflections of change in society today in regards to civil rights, gay marriage and separation of church and state, this production has become a vehicle of positive change for a community struggling to find its voice. And the company of actors find themselves on a journey that would forever change their lives.
Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption is a story about love. It's a story about hope amidst rancor and discourse. We follow the troupe and the playwright, sharing their stories and dialogues with their audiences, supporters and protesters as they continue their tour across the country and internationally, where voices of protest and support equally shine. |
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