Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The word Gospel means “Good News”, and The Gospel According to St. Mark is the earliest of the New Testament Gospels, as well as the shortest and most urgent. The author was a companion of St. Peter, and it is often thought that his Gospel is based on what Mark picked up from constantly hearing Peter telling people of his experiences with Jesus. Mark also takes a number of elements of earlier oral tradition and seems to have knowledge of at least one and maybe two or three different collections of miracle stories as a source. He weaves these together with other stories about Jesus, about teachings, about travels, about other things and makes those a part of his understanding of how Jesus' life worked and what it was intended to do.
Back in 1976, the distinguished English actor Alec McCowen memorised all 16 chapters of St. Mark’s Gospel in the famous King James Version, begun in 1604 and completed in 1611. ''That was the time Shakespeare was writing his last great plays, so it's almost like having a Shakespeare masterpiece to myself,'' he commented. ''I have the whole thing; I play all the parts. There's pleasure in that, I can tell you.'' He went on to offer his solo presentation for some thirteen years, performing it to great acclaim in the West End and on Broadway, to students at Princeton University, to invited guests at Jimmy Carter's White House and to no less than 400 bishops at an Anglican conference. It became his signature piece.
Other actors have been inspired to follow in his footsteps, both in the United Kingdom and in North America. Some have followed Mr. McCowen’s example and memorised the entire Gospel; others have offered it as a staged reading.
Although there are various members of the clergy on both sides of the Atlantic who were previously professional actors, it does not seem that any of them have attempted to emulate Alec McCowen and offer their own version of St. Mark’s Gospel. When a friend suggested to The Reverend Canon Michael Burgess, a successful actor before ordination in the Anglican Church in 1976 (who in retirement had become the Artistic Director of Stage Centre Productions) that he might like to attempt it, Father Michael was initially reluctant, but then decided to accept the challenge.
''SCP already has the Fairview Library Theatre during Holy Week,'' he says, ''and since there was no performance scheduled for Tuesday evening I decided to offer my own rendition of St. Mark. I am hoping that the idea will appeal to those who love theatre as well as to those who feel they might like to learn a bit more about Jesus from the earliest account we have. Besides, who would turn down the opportunity of having something like a Shakespeare masterpiece to perform?''
Stage Centre Productions presents
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK
A reading by The Reverend Canon Michael Burgess
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Tuesday, March 22nd at 8:00 p.m.
At the Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Drive, Toronto
ADMISSION $10 payable at the door on the evening of the performance
OPEN SEATING
DATE: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. ONE NIGHT ONLY!
TICKETS: $10 at the door on the night. Open Seating
LOCATION: Fairview Public Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Drive, North York, steps away from the Don Mills Subway Station on the Sheppard Line. There is plenty of free parking in the Fairview Mall parking lot. Both wheelchair access and hearing devices are available.
For more information about Stage Centre Productions check out our website at http://www.stagecentreproductions.com.
For further information please contact 416-299-5557
Photo: The Reverend Canon Michael Burgess.
2016-03-12
Toronto: The Reverend Canon Michael Burgess reads "The Gospel According to St. Mark" March 22