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After Thursday performances, we invite you to stay after the show for a brief Q&A with the cast and director.

Dramaturg's Note

Serving as dramaturg (historian) for this production has invited me back (sometimes kicking and screaming) into the stories of my childhood. I forgot how much I knew about the stories referenced here. Jesus’ entire life, from Nativity to crucifixion, exists in the collective consciousness as perpetual iconography. We know what we have been told. Terrence McNally didn’t write Corpus Christi to question the validity of these stories, but rather as an act of reclamation, to revisit and reimagine the story for those who had been excluded from the meaning of the message: “All men* are divine.” 

Underneath the redolent (and sometimes downright crude) surface of the work, this is hermetic text. This is a work written to remind humanity of its origin, of its purpose: to love and be loved, to regard the self and the other as product and progeny of The Most High. Released to much scrutiny and protest in 1998 (the same year Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. were killed in Texas for simply existing in the presence of those who did not believe the message), Corpus Christi is one of the most scandalous plays ever written on the subject of Christianity. Dubbed “The Gay Jesus Play” by those who would be too shocked by a summary to even read the script, at its heart Corpus Christi is a story about love, betrayal, and the acceptance of one’s own power and divine responsibility. 

I write this now for the same reason I said yes to the project: to invite you to think differently about the stories you already (think you) know, and to venerate those who have been left nameless by state-sanctioned violence. 

Who better to represent them all than the son of God? 

Come with us, allow us to take you somewhere beautiful, somewhere strange and not so far away. 

We are proud to present the Triangle premier and North Carolina revival of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi. Thank you for joining us, and remember: you too are divine. 

*Terrence McNally was a white, cis, gay man whose perspective was clearly limited to the edge of his own nose. We have made artistic choices in this production that would challenge these limitations with intention to make this story even more accessible, even more relatable, and even more resonant to the time and community in which we are living. The Play was McNally’s response to the world in which he found himself -- this production is ours. 

Serayah Silver, dramaturg

Content Warning

We recommend this play for audiences aged 18 and above.

The play shows theatrical depictions of physical and verbal violence against BIPOC and queer people, as well as moments of consensual sexual intimacy, drug use, and references to HIV. The characters sometimes use strong profanity to express themselves.

This play can bring up lots of emotions for audiences -- as it does for the actors. We have support staff at every performance to help any guests or artists that might need help processing the intellectual, physical, and emotional experience of Corpus Christi or who may need access to additional support services and resources -- whether religious or secular in nature.

If you need anything at all, please ask anyone in a St. John's MCC shirt or a member of the cast.

Cast

Creative Team

Meet the Company

Chris Acevedo

SIMON

Chris (he/him) is super excited to be back on the stage after an acting hiatus. You can usually spot him backstage as a stage manager or at your local Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor. His last acting roles were in the Oakwood Cemetery Plays produced by Burning Coal Theatre during October 2022. He would like to thank Dustin for the chance to come back and shine, his loving family and friends who have supported him, and to everyone in the Theatre and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Benaiah Adesoji

JUDAS

Benaiah (he/they) is a local performance artist in the Triangle. After some time away, he started back doing theatre consistently in 2018 and moved back to Raleigh in 2021. When he is not on stage he enjoys writing, karaoke, sleeping, and binging Schitt's Creek or New Girl. Benaiah routinely competes as Raleigh Little Theatre DIVA to raise funds for an institution he loves. You may have seen him in productions at Raleigh Little Theatre, Burning Coal Theatre Company, and Pure Life Theatre Company to name a few. He looks forward to tackling such a complex role in a magnificent piece with some amazing artists.

Byron Ard

JAMES

Byron (he/they) is a writer living in Raleigh, NC with his cats, Flamingo and Poe, and dog Sophie. In his free time, he enjoys hiking with friends, supporting the Triangle’s local music scene, and watching lots of movies. He is thrilled to be playing the role of James in Corpus Christi.

Nathaniel Bush, Jr.

JOSHUA

Nathaniel (he/him) is from Orlando, FL and has lived in Smithfield, NC since the spring of 2019. This new beginning was fueled by the trauma of losing his dear friend Deonka Dreiyton in the Pulse Nightclub shooting. His love for the LGBTQIA+ community is expansive. He assisted in planning OutRaleigh Pride last year and has been a volunteer at the LGBT Center of Raleigh since he arrived. His passions are yoga, poetry, and fruits and vegetables. He has written and self-published two books.

Kat Cupp

PHILIP

Kat (they/them) will be a junior at NC State University this fall, studying Communication and Sociology. They have been doing theater for four years. NCSU University Theatre credits include The SpongeBob Musical (Sandy Cheeks) and The Crucible (Abigail Williams). Other credits include You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Snoopy), Les Misérables (Éponine), and Titanic: The Musical (Alice Beane). Kat wants to thank their friends and family for all of their support, and hopes you enjoy the show!

Philip Guadagno

MATTHEW

Philip (he/they) is a musician, actor, and theatre critic who has lived in the Triangle for almost eight years. An alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill, he studied dramatic art and music with a focus in classical vocal performance under Dr. Eugene Galvin. Philip currently sings with the North Carolina Master Chorale, and continues to study lyric tenor repertoire from the operatic and choral canons. Professionally, he works in university development at Duke University. Philip also serves as Music Director for Corpus Christi.

Desmond Leach

JOHN

Desmond (he/him) was born and raised in Clayton, NC. He has been performing stand-up comedy throughout the Triangle since 2018. He decided to start taking acting classes, as well, to enhance his stage presence. This led to a love of a different type of performing -- acting. Corpus Christi is his first acting performance.

Naveed Moeed

THADDEUS

Naveed (he/him) is a local writer, actor, and photographer. He was most recently seen in the role of Hugo for Switchyard Theatre Company’s production of Present Laughter and recently stage-managed productions at the Communications Department of UNC-Chapel Hill as well as St. John's production of Marat/Sade. A current board member at Bare Theatre and Thee Quaker Project (a multimedia storytelling collaboration), Naveed is also a local champion of the Chicago Theatre Standards. He is trying to finish writing his first full-length play. Naveed also serves as Production Photographer for Corpus Christi.

Alastair Motylinski

BARTHOLOMEW

Alastair (he/him) is an author, actor, and transgender advocate born and raised in Raleigh, NC. His first theatre production as an adult was Our Town with the Henderson Rec Players in summer 2022. When not cowering in terror from the recent legislative assault on transgender people across the US and UK, Alastair can be found writing angry letters to executives and ingesting copious amounts of macaroni and cheese.

Mitchell Aaron Mulkey

PETER

Mitchell (they/them) is a local comedian, comedic writer, and actor. They were last seen as a writer and actor in the Oak City Tonight/The Uproar Sketch Show at various venues in Raleigh. Other credits include various roles in The Laramie Project, Charles Guiteau in Assassins, and Michal in The Pillowman. Outside of acting, you can catch them performing all across the East Coast with their Improv Teams: Newt Work Comedy, Teenage Heartthrobs, and CLUB CHiLL. "You can't have everything, where would you put it?" -- Steven Wright. Mitchell also serves as the mandolinist and the Fight Choreographer for Corpus Christi. They are certified by the Society of American Fight Directors.

Nat M. Sherwood

ANDREW

Nat (they/them) is a Raleigh native who earned their stage legs at NC State University Theatre, delivering award-winning performances as Antigone in The Burial at Thebes, Meg in Leading Ladies, Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, and Sunny Jacobs in The Exonerated. After training at Atlantic Acting School in NYC, they returned to the Triangle to portray Marat in Marat/Sade, Tybalt/Paris in Romeo & Juliet, Billy in Enemy of the People, Annie in The Play That Goes Wrong, and Letter Writer #2 in Tiny Beautiful Things. This is Nat's second show performing at St. John's MCC and fourth show under Dustin Britt's playful direction.

Xenon Winslow

THOMAS

Xenon is an actor, welder, and home builder based in Durham, NC, with recent area credits including Hamlet and Pericles with Sweet Tea Shakespeare, as well as The Tempest with Switchyard Theatre Company. Her artistic downtime is dedicated to nuclear disaster hobbyism and planning for an eventual lesbian theatre collective. Xenon also serves as dance captain for Corpus Christi.

Stephanie Yu

JAMES THE LESS

Stephanie (she/her) is a sketch comedy performer and writer who began working on theatre productions in 2022. A pianist, violinist, and powerlifter, Stephanie has been a healthcare policy advocate since 2013 and has worked with the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission and the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants. Currently, she works in clinical research for women's health. Stephanie also serves as the pianist for Corpus Christi.

Dustin Britt

Director | Graphic Designer

Dustin (he/they) has been a theatremaker in the Triangle for more than 25 years as a director, actor, designer, choreographer, educator, and writer. He recently worked as intimacy director and fight choreographer for Romeo and Juliet at Oxford Preparatory School and as director of Our Town at Henderson Rec Players, The Miracle Worker at Seed Art Share, Timon of Athens at Bare Theatre and Marat/Sade here at St. John's MCC. He'll be directing A Midsummer Night's Dream for Henderson Rec Players later this summer. Dustin also serves on the board of directors of the OutSouth Queer Film Festival and the Durham Art Guild, has trained extensively with Theatrical Intimacy Education, and holds a Master of Arts in Special Education from East Carolina University. He is glad you're here. Dustin is also the graphic designer and marketing coordinator for Corpus Christi.

Rev. Vance E. Haywood, Jr.

Producer | Scenic Artist

Vance (he/him) became the fifth pastor of St. John’s MCC in February 2018. Vance was affiliated with the Church of God in his childhood through the age of 20. He stepped away from “the Church,” unable to reconcile whom he knew himself to be with the teaching about God being presented by others. Vance joined the Metropolitan Community Church movement in 2008 after experiencing God anew a few years earlier during a drag performance of a traditional gospel song by Taj Mahal (RIP) at Legends Nightclub. Vance also served as the producer of Marat/Sade, directed by Dustin Britt and staged at St. John's in 2021.

Serayah Silver

Stage Manager | Dramaturg

Serayah (they/them) is an Artist, dramaturg, director, playwright and screenwriter working in Durham, North Carolina. Their work centers personal and social unveiling as a means to Black Queer Liberation. They are the program director and in-house dramaturg at MOJOAA Performing Arts Company -- a Black woman-owned and Queer-lead production company dedicated to supporting and showcasing Black, Queer, Trans, Southern Playwrights. Most recently, Serayah won the Del Shore’s Writing Foundation competition with the screenplay Knead, co-written with Monét Noelle Marshall. They also co-wrote, co-directed, and performed in Motherworld Devotions, a choreopoem based from a book of oracular poetry written by Destiny Love Hemphill.

Veronica Dress

Intimacy Director

Veronica (she/her) is an intimacy director and founder of The Dress Rehearsal, a sex education and sex + intimacy coaching practice. She has been shimmying across stages as a burlesque performer and actor for many years, but is a new face in the Triangle and is so excited to create art with this incredible community. Recent intimacy direction credits include Carrie: The Musical (Meredith College) and Bright Star (Cardinal Gibbons High School). Endless gratitude to the cast and crew of Corpus Christi for allowing her to join in on the special brand of magic they've created here.

Mikki Marvel

Props Designer

Mikki (they/them) uses art to uplift disruptive ideas. Favorite credits: Touring Comedian with Pineapple-Shaped Lamps 2012-2020, Second City Comedy Conservatory Graduate, Assistant Director of FurnitureLab Improv Commercials by Storyboard Media, Executive Producer of Sketch-Mess with Pineapple-Shaped Lamps, Creative Producer of Stream Raleigh, Livestream Technical Director of the National Women’s Theatre Festival, Marketing Director of Theatre Raleigh (2019-2020), and Virtual Studio Producer of Impro Theatre -- a narrative and genre-focused improv theatre in Los Angeles (2020-2023).

Alex Riggs

Sound Designer

Alex (she/they) is a professional singer-songwriter, record producer, and arts critic based in Durham, NC, who performs under the names Riggings, VAXXERS, and Criswell Brushes. She recently composed an original score for, directed the music of, and performed as Polpoch in St. John's 2021 production of Marat/Sade. She was also the music director and lead musician of Seed Art Share's production of The Miracle Worker in 2018. Alex owns & operates Horse Complex Records and has performed at large-scale festivals, recorded with popular musicians nation-wide, toured nationally, and is a regular podcast guest.

Gray Nico

Costume Designer

Gray (he/they) is a rising third-year student at NC State University this fall, and is currently studying Statistics with a double minor in Cognitive Science and Theatre. Prior to Corpus Christi, they have acted in The Music Man (Alma Hix), Cinderella (as a soloist), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), and Urinetown (Billy Boy Bill). Gray has also fulfilled multiple crew roles, including work in the costume shop and concessions. Gray is excited to fill the role of costume designer for Corpus Christi and take an even larger step behind the scenes!

Lynnette Paris Johnson

Scenic Artist

Lynnette is a designer, producer, and self-taught sustainable artist from New York City. A member of the Durham Art Guild, she works primarily with repurposed metal, paper, and wood. Locals may have seen her work displayed in Duke University's Rubenstein Library or at the Durham Art Walk Holiday Market. New Yorkers may know her as the executive producer of the Urban Fashion Awards at Lincoln Center and as an Off-Broadway scenic artist. She is the co-owner of the Legacy Yurt Village Spa & Retreat in Forest City, North Carolina and joins the creative team of Corpus Christi as part of her ongoing commitment to giving back to her community through her art.

Teal Lepley

Accessibility & Captions Coordinator

Teal (she/they) is a writer, playwright, and performer based here in the Triangle. Onstage, she has most recently appeared in Henry IV Part 2 at Sweet Tea Shakespeare, Clue at Cary Players, and Assassins at NC State's TheatreFEST. As an advocate for accessibility and as a theatremaker, Teal is delighted and grateful for the opportunity to join the Corpus Christi team. As always, much love and many thanks to her family for their continued support.

Philip Guadagno

Music Director

Mitchell Aaron Mulkey

Fight Choreographer

Xenon Winslow

Dance Captain | Scenic Artist

Naveed Moeed

Production Photographer | Scenic Artist

Mike Gauss

Technical Advisor

Jim Manchester

Marketing Associate

Multimedia

Raleigh Church Celebrates Pride With Triangle Premiere Of Terrence McNally's CORPUS CHRISTI

St. John's Metropolitan Community Church will be presenting Corpus Christi, a queer passion play by Terrence McNally, during the first two weekends in June to honor Pride month and the church's accepting and affirming position regarding all types of people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+. This is the first NC production of the play in more than 20 years and its premier in the Triangle.

"In today's social and political climate people, often the most vulnerable people are the target of misinformation, demonization, hatred, persecution, violence and criminalization. However, the Christian testament makes it abundantly clear that they are exactly the people the church universal is called to welcome, embrace, support and defend," says Reverend Vance Haywood, Senior Pastor, St. John's MCC. "Terrence McNally's retelling of the Gospel narrative through the lenses of the queer, BIPOC, and disability communities' experiences can be eye-opening for people who may not understand the struggles and difficulties lived everyday by LGBTQ+ identifying individuals. Moreover, it provides queer people the opportunity to see themselves and their experiences as an integral part of Jesus' message of love for all the people of the world."

Corpus Christi was originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on September 22, 1998. The play depicts the story of Jesus and the disciples as queer people living in Texas in the 20th century. Featured scenes include a campy Christmas play, an 80s high school dance between a Black Jesus and Judas, a ghostly encounter with James Dean, and the inevitably painful and shocking ending at Calvary.

The reimagined staging and direction of the St. John's MCC production is by Dustin Britt, Award-winning NC theatre maker. Britt is known for bold new interpretations of classic plays in immersive, fitting locations -- Timon of Athens in a queer night club, Our Town with an onstage audience, Marat/Sade in both a Friends meeting house and a Metropolitan Community Church, The Miracle Worker in a 19th century historic home, and ShakesBEER, a multi-year tour of NC breweries.

"St. John's MCC, one of the area's most beloved queer-affirming churches, is the perfect location for a staging of Corpus Christi," says Britt. "Originally written to be performed by 13 cisgender men, in this daring and unique production, I was intentional about having a cast, designer team, and production staff that consists entirely of queer creators, many of whom are taking to the stage or designing for the first time, and featuring the work of BIPOC, trans, nonbinary, and neurodivergent artists from across central North Carolina."

The play is being sponsored in part by the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. The church facility is wheelchair accessible with captions for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing projected around the space, and staged in a manner that is relaxed, inclusive, and sensory-friendly. Thursday-night performances will also include a post-show Q&A with the cast, director, and members of the production team.

CONTENT ADVISORY: because of its intense themes, representations of abuse, and use of profanity, this production is recommended for audiences aged 18 and above. On-site counselors are available to help guests that might need help processing the intellectual, physical, and emotional experience of Corpus Christi or who may need access to additional support services and resources.

Venue: St. John's Metropolitan Community Church

Address: 4 N. Blount St, Raleigh, NC 27601

Cost: Pay-What-You-Can (suggested $15 donation)

Tickets: Online via Eventbrite or at the door (cash or card). Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/corpus-christi-by-terrence-mcnally-tickets-620243835007

DATES & TIMES:

• Thursday, June 1 at 7:00 PM

• Friday, June 2 at 7:00 PM

• Saturday, June 3 at 7:00 PM

• Thursday, June 8 at 7:00 PM

• Friday, June 9 at 7:00 PM

• Saturday, June 10 at 7:00 PM

Lobby doors open to patrons at 6:00 PM. Theatre doors open at 6:30 PM.

Featuring performances by Chris Acevedo, Benaiah Adesoji, Byron Ard, Nathaniel Bush Jr, Kat Cupp, Philip Guadagno, Desmond Leach, Naveed Moeed, Alastair Motylinski, Mitchell Aaron Mulkey, Nat M. Sherwood, Xenon Winslow, and Stephanie Yu.

Directed by Dustin Britt and produced by Rev. Vance Haywood. Stage management and dramaturgy by Serayah Silver. Intimacy direction by Veronica Dress (Intimacy Directors and Coordinators), music direction by Philip Guadagno, and fight choreography by Mitchell Aaron Mulkey (Society of American Fight Directors). Costumes designed by Gray Nico, props designed by Mikki Marvel, scenic design by Paris Johnson, and sound design by Durham-based music producer and singer-songwriter Alex Riggs. Accessibility coordination by Teal Lepley. Graphic design by Dustin Britt.

Terrence McNally is the Tony and Emmy-Award winning author of the plays Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, Lips Together Teeth Apart, Mothers and Sons, and the musicals Ragtime, The Full Monty, Catch Me if You Can, and Anastasia.

Sponsors

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OUR MISSION

Encouraging authenticity, transparency and inclusion in our relationship with God by actively engaging our faith journey.

OUR VISION

Being Community

Building Relationship

Spreading Love

OUR VALUES

Inclusion, Community, Spiritual Transformation, and Social Action

Learn more about St. John's and how to support our community work at stjohnsmcc.org