Good Friday play is still on
WOKINGHAM’S annual outdoor Good Friday play will still take place this year, but on a different scale.
Instead of being performed in Market Place, it will take place in Howard Palmer Gardens. It will still feature a cast comprising local residents and it will again be a unique one-off performance.
Organised by Churches Together In Wokingham, it is called You Are Loved – No Exceptions and has been devised by Hayley Blakeman and Anna Adams. The duo have previously created Live Nativity plays for the town.
It will reflect on the events of the first Easter, which Christians believe is when Jesus died on a cross and then rose again three days later. The play that the talented pair have created is designed to be accessible for people of all faiths and none.
“We hope it will be time for people to reflect on what Jesus has done and will do in our lives,” Mrs Adams told The Wokingham Paper.
The short play is based on three stories from the Bible in which Jesus met with people and is said to have carried out miracles.
“We will talk about Jesus not just as a lovely person, but as one who challenged and broke boundaries, as well as building relationships.
“Jesus loved the vulnerable, and we want to show how he changed people and how he still does that today.
“He calls us today to break boundaries and stand up for the oppressed.”
And Mrs Adams said that the play will also focus on the events of that first Easter.
“We’ll reflect on Jesus and how we’re called to be like him, we’ll reflect on his death to contrast with what he is and what he does.
“It will be thought-provoking and accessible. It’s for anyone who wants to come along, it’s for the churchgoer and the nonchurchgoer. It might help people who don’t know much about
Jesus to get to see him as a whole person.”
The cast have been busy rehearsing the play, which lasts for around 15 to 20 minutes and Mrs Adams said that they are all people from the community.
“It’s only a small cast this year, and we hope it will be powerful. The words are really powerful and there will be live music at the same time.”
And Mrs Adams is also taking a role in the show herself.
She said: “I haven’t been in one of these for years and years. I’ve not acted for a while, so I’m quite nervous: I’m much more comfortable directing other people.”
The play will be preceded with a short procession of a cross to Howard Palmer Gardens and it starts at noon. Entry is free.