Interview by Jeremy Kinser
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

Starring models James Brandon Williams and Austen Rey play Joshua and Judas, respectively, in Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi, an update of the Christ story. Director Nic Arnzen discusses the controversial play, which runs through Sept. 30 at the Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., L.A. For tickets or more information, call (323) 852-9111, or visit www.mccinthevalley.com.

Corpus Christi is one of the most controversial plays of the past decade. Why is that?

It’s actually stated in the play itself—people want their religion the way they want their religion. They don’t want you to mess with it. Of course it comes down to how they interpret it and how they interpret it is always the only way. If one person—like Terrence McNally—questions their religion it questions what a lot of people have put their belief, their faith in and what their entire life rests on. In a way we’re pulling out the rug on their entire life.

So it was religious groups that originally protested the play?

When the show opened in New York in 1998, the Catholic League manipulated the protests and bomb threats against the Manhattan Theatre Club, which delayed the opening for two weeks. There was a lot of uproar from the gay community because they thought the Theatre Club was buckling so they did their own protest against the Theatre Club and in two weeks the play did open.

Specifically, what is the content in the play that created this uproar?

Remember, this was nearly 10 years ago. Looking at it now, the play comes off really tame to me. There is a gay marriage in it. There’s a gay Joshua. There are implications that Mary had more than just a mother/son relationship with Joshua—I really play that up now. I’ve tried to knock all the “tame” out of it. There’s a priest who clearly has eyes for Joshua—that’s a touchy subject. They basically crucify him for being gay.

Why did you decide to produce this particular play?

I was raised Catholic and although I moved away from (it), I realized I do have strong roots in the religion I just can’t shake. The play doesn’t really condemn the idea of organized religion and neither do I and I think that’s where my connection is. I have an amazing passion for this play. In a way theater is my religion and a marriage of those two is amazing to me.

What do you hope people take away from the play?

I hope they learn tolerance. I told my cast that day to day, we all break our tolerance levels—whether it’s just in the car cursing at somebody. Now I have children and I’m much more aware of being tolerant and I have such less patience for adults when they act immature. We have to remind ourselves to treat people better, even strangers. When you’re faced with (hostility), the first reaction is to push it back in their faces and that just breeds contempt.

What’s the response to the show been like so far?

The only negative comment that has come up is from a gentleman who complained that I cast women in the show as well as men. This gentleman wondered why I’d do that to a play written about gay men and I argue that it’s a universal message. It’s about gay men and women and transgendered and straight people. What I did was add more diversity to the play and McNally seems very supportive of that. It’s about loving each other. He saw the show and commented that it was a wise move and appreciated what we did with it. The other reactions we’ve gotten have been positive.