Family ties in film marking Easter
A Rutherglen family are among the cast of a poignant play to be broadcast over Easter weekend which tells the story of the last week of Jesus’ life.
In the production by Hamilton-based theatre company Drama Kirk, Michael Coyle and his granddaughter, Carla, play disciples who see Jesus carry the cross, but are unable to help.
Both Michael and Carla had been involved in the 2020 production, but had to step away from the work because of Covid.
They were keen to get involved again this year, as Drama Kirk filmed ‘With Arms Wide Open’ under government guidance.
Thanking Drama Kirk, Michael – who is a member of St Columbkille’s Church in Rutherglen – said: “You are doing a wonderful thing for us all during these not so good times.”
Drama Kirk have been hard at work, ensuring their fifth annual Passion Play is available to enrich Easter celebrations, despite the current lockdown.
The group, which includes performers from across churches in South Lanarkshire, will be unable to perform their Passion Play outdoors this year due to current restrictions.
Still determined to bring the story of Jesus’ final week to life through drama, this year’s dramatization has been filmed for broadcast over the Easter weekend.
Although a Passion Play traditionally tells the story of the last week of Jesus’ life, this year’s play has a fresh perspective.
It is told through the eyes of the Gospel writer Luke, putting Jesus’ story together years after his death and hearing what the disciples’ encounters meant for them.
The film presents key characters talking about their experiences with Jesus, including Mary Magdalene who describes the joy they felt as they journeyed with Jesus throughout his ministry.
Liz Blackman, who has directed the short film, explained: “We needed a script for this year that was quite different to anything we had performed in the past – something short, which could easily be adapted to social distancing, with a small number of people in each scene.
“I was delighted to find With Arms Wide Open. The script has a fresh approach.
“We see Luke discover how Jesus changed people – and we hear his views on what many of Jesus’ teachings meant.
“For us, this feels like a much more direct way of sharing the Gospel story. The main characters get to share their own story.”
Drama Kirk had added parts of the story of Jesus’ life to be told in a series of flashbacks, which allowed them to film safely in small groups and involve more of their community actors in the project.
Explaining the filming process during restrictions, Liz continued: “Each scene had to be thought through very carefully and some flashbacks we would have loved to have included were not possible – for example Jesus couldn’t wash his disciples’ feet.
“We needed to keep everyone safe – and often this meant being inventive.
“We duplicated props to ensure no two people had to touch the same thing. We used body doubles.
“We were extremely fortunate that a number of household bubbles wished to be involved, which allowed us to film some characters in close contact, making the action seem much more natural.”
The 30-minute film was shot in Hamilton, using many locations where the group have performed Passion Plays in previous years.
Liz said: “Hamilton has some wonderful locations that double nicely as a Roman palace or the wall of the great temple. However, beyond that, I still wanted to see identifiable areas of our town in the film.
“So you will see our biblical characters alongside some shops or cars – but for me that is all part of the joy of producing a Passion Play in 2021. It reminds us Jesus is still here with us.”
With Arms Wide Open can be seen on YouTube on Easter Sunday, April 3, at 2pm at: youtube.com/hamiltontold