MARY MAGDALENE: Sandra Shirley
PETER: Vincent Jerome
JESUS: Alexandre Achour, Theo Lowe, Femi Oyewole
CHURCH FATHER: Thomas Thoroe
JACOBUS DE VORAGINE: Amir Scott Sardari
DANCERS: Wanda Caddick, Lola Maury, Katharine Yates
CHORUS: Katie Draper, Heather Knight, Jessica Martenson, Holly Rose, Maya Sapone
MUSICIAN: Mircha Mangiacotti
CREATIVE TEAM
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Jacek Ludwig Scarso
DRAMATURG: Rishi Trikha
VOCAL ASSISTANTS: Holly Rose, Maya Sapone
FILMING: Nihat Karakum and Lazysnail Productions
ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER: Lola Maury
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Naveen Arles
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Iris Musel
TEXT and CONCEPT: Jacek Ludwig Scarso
With thanks to: Robin Wood, The Place (LCDS), The Facility: Performance as Research at London Met, Slawka G. Scarso, Maria Romero, Giannandrea Poesio, Tim Beaumont, Jadwiga Zurakowska and the teams at St. James’s Piccadilly, The Space, the Southwark Playhouse and Roma Teatro Festival, for their support to our project.
Dedicated to the memory of Julia Zurakowska.
Music credits: extracts from the Misa Criolla (with kind permission), the liturgical songs of Hildegard Von Bingen, traditional spirituals and structured improvisations devised by the company.
The Magdalene Mysteries is an imaginary journey across the life of Mary Magdalene, created by fusing original historical documents. Opening with Mary Magdalene as witness to the life of Christ and as rival to Peter in the leadership of the Disciples, the piece moves to the medieval accounts of her journey to Marseilles and her thirsty years of contemplation there. Could it be at this point in her life that the so-called mysteries were revealed to her, inspiring her own controversial gospel? As her words are erased by the early Church, her tragedy unfolds before her eyes - the repentant sinner, here symbolised by her Shadows, becomes the icon by which she is remembered, and forgotten, in history.
“Multi-disciplined, cross-cultural and trans-national theatre company Vocal Motions Elastic Theatre marks itself out here as one to watch with this new production… A fascinating exploration of patriarchy and Christianity” 4 STARS Time Out
“The work Elastic Theatre is producing is unusual, exciting and innovative… well worth a look when it opens at the Southwark and keep an eye out for this company, as they have an exceptionally promising future producing pioneering and inventive Theatre” 4 STARS Fringe Review
“It is well worth catching this intriguing contemporary dance, voice and music theatre production…The imagery, chorus of voices, and atmosphere is haunting yet gracious. It leads the audience to ponder, puzzle and admire”. Bankside Press
Presented at The Space, Canary Wharf (May 08); St James’s Church, Piccadilly (June 08);Teatro Sala Uno, Rome (Roma Teatro Festival); Southwark Playhouse, London Bridge (July 2008). With thanks to the HALE Department at London Metropolitan University, Action Claims, Hurleypalmerflatt, La Volpe e l’Uva, St James’ Piccadilly and the Southwark Playhouse
DISCLAIMER
Due to the topic of the piece, Elastic Theatre wishes to emphasise that this project is the outcome of a critical, rather than religious, research, and that there is no intention to endorse or deliberately offend any religious position. Our company celebrates cultural diversity, as reflected in the varied backgrounds of our members.