Crosby and Ricks: Festival productions explore religion's boundaries

Theater producers take pride in presenting challenging works that not only delight our audiences but also start meaningful conversations. The annual Acts of Faith Festival convened by Second Presbyterian Church is a particularly exciting opportunity, inspiring Richmond-area theater companies with the challenge of producing works that present themes of faith.

Participating in the Acts of Faith Festival helps fulfill our respective missions in very relevant ways: For Richmond Triangle Players, the issues of sexuality and faith are inherently intertwined, and for Henley Street Theatre the exploration of faith transcends the boundaries of religion.

The festival also brings us audiences who are looking for something more than mere entertainment — who want to leave the theater somehow transformed, different in their thinking and attitudes than when they arrived. This transformation is at the core of why we all do what we do.

Last year our companies collaborated on what was one of the most talked-about plays of the season and winner of "Best Play" at the Richmond Theatre Critic's Circle Awards. "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" by Stephen Adly Guirgis was an act of faith in itself for both companies. The play not only depicts a hypothetical trial of history's most famous sinner, it expresses some of the strongest language you're likely to hear on stage anywhere. We always held our breath as Saint Monica strutted onstage to a hip-hop beat, dropping the "f-bomb" left and right. It's a play that's both sacred and profane, wrestling with the fundamentals of religious teachings and traditions, stuffed with words and making profound demands on an audience's attention. And although it was packaged in some pretty strong language, challenging the most conservative of tastes, we never lost an audience member. In fact, it sold out every performance.

Richmond Triangle Players is a 19-year-old company whose mission centers on works relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The strictures of many churches can make it difficult for an LGBT person to participate publicly in a life of faith, although — contrary to many fundamentalist beliefs — the two are not mutually exclusive. Past RTP entries include "Visiting Mr. Green," "Altar Boyz," "Facing East" and, last season, "Judas Iscariot" and "This Beautiful City," a docu-musical about the rise of the mega-church movement in Colorado Springs and the fall of evangelical preacher Ted Haggard. This season offers the recent Tony-nominated "Next Fall," which details what happens when life and faith (or the lack of it) collide as a family awaits news in a hospital lounge.

Henley Street Theatre, now in its fifth year, has participated in the festival twice. Prior to "Judas Iscariot" Henley Street presented the popular stage version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," the story of an anti-authority figure, lionized by his fellow inmates at an insane asylum as he attempts to lead them to freedom. This year will see an adaptation of the famous novel and philosophical allegory by William Golding, "Lord of the Flies," depicting biblical parallels as well as an in-depth exploration of human society and the human condition.

Every one of these works brought new audiences to our respective companies, but more than that, they brought audiences for whom a light evening of entertainment was not always enough. They brought people together who wanted to wrestle with ideas, challenge their own thinking and congregate with others who wished to do the same. Every production in the festival offers at least one after-show discussion, or "talk back," where the audience, the play's cast and moderators from various faith communities discuss the work just seen.

Participation in the festival has also led Richmond-area theaters to produce some of their best work. Of the 10 productions nominated for Best Play or Best Musical by the Richmond Theater Critics last season, six of them were Acts of Faith entries.

Who else is participating this year? Barksdale Theatre, Richmond Shakespeare, Cadence Theatre Company, Firehouse Theatre Project, HATTheatre, Sycamore Rouge and Chamberlayne Actors Theatre are just a few of the theaters in the 2012 lineup. You can get a glimpse of what each company will be presenting at the Acts of Faith Preview on Friday, Jan. 13, beginning at 7 p.m. at the November (formerly the Empire) Theater. Admission to the preview is free. The festival website, www.theactsoffaith.org, has a complete listing of plays and discussions.

So come see Henley Street's "Lord of the Flies," opening Jan. 26, and RTP's "Next Fall," opening Feb. 22 — as well as any of the 15 other productions. You will be challenged, transformed, refreshed and fulfilled in ways you have rarely been before at the theater.

Will we take part again next year? You can put your faith in that.