Purgatory Court Room Comes to Life in Actual Court Room in Duende Theatre Co's THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT

Duende Theatre Group will present a production of "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Matthew Ip Shaw, and co-directed by Vanesa Rendon March 31st and April 1st in an actual Court Room (850 Grand Street, Brooklyn NY, 11211) with performances on Friday March 31st at 7:00pm, and April 1st at 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Tickets ($20) may be purchased in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2893491. This is a very unique production as it will be the first one to be played in an actual courtroom. The performance will run approximately 90 minutes, with one 10 minute intermission.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a hilarious, poignant, thought-provoking work by Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Boasting a large, zany cast of characters, the play asks one of the most plaguing questions in the Christian ideology:

What happened to Judas Iscariot?

The facts (we think!) we know are these: Judas was the disciple of Jesus who betrayed his friend and teacher to the authorities. He is seen as The Man responsible for Jesus' death; afterwards, Judas fell into despair and hung himself from an olive tree; since then, he has been suffering for his deeds deep in Hell, and will continue to do so for all eternity. Is that really fair?

Was Judas the master of his own fate, or just a man who made a mistake? Set in a courtroom in Purgatory, this piece puts Judas' under the microscope while combining the church and the courts, the results of which are sure to make the inhabitants of Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and the audience reconsider what each thought they knew about forgiveness, faith, and the human inside one of the history's most infamous figures.

The cast will feature Vanesa Rendon (Cunningham), Andrew Sklar (El-Fayoumy), Tom Thornton (Judge Littlefield), Edward Heineman (Bailiff/Simon the Zealot), Audrey Brown (Gloria/MotherTheresa Soldier #1), Jowin Batoon (Saint Monica/ Soldier #3), Jason LaPenta (Jesus), Isaac Allen Miller (Satan), Matthew Ip Shaw(Butch Honeywell), Chris Alfonso (Saint Matthew/Pontius Pilate), Bree O'Connor (Henrietta/Sigmund Freud), Kate Falk (Loretta/Sister Glenna/Mary Magdalene/ Saint Thomas), Daniel Devers Newsome (Judas), Jonathan Tanigaki (Matthias of Galilee/Saint Peter/ Soldier #2).

Duende Theatre Group aims to initiate opportunities for artists to express their passions and creativity through theatre. We recognize that every step in the theatrical process is as important as the one before and we seek to foster this group as a collective group as opposed to separate individual talents. We know a truly collaborative process can help us to inspire each other along our journey as truthful story tellers. We aim to produce honest work and devote our efforts into creating intensive partnerships with new playwrights to cultivate an environment in which artists are able to work on their craft through constant training, dedicated work and discipline. We strive to stir our audiences with excitement and inspiration through The Combined efforts of our group theatre.

"Though the play is indeed the thing, the play in the theatre is not only the text or the actor or the director, but the thing created when the spirit that moved the dramatist is given a concrete body by all the people in the theatre together." - Harold Clurman

Performances will be held at:

850 Grand Street, Brooklyn NY, 11211

03/31 @7pm 04/01 @2pm & @7pm

Tickets: $20

Email duendetheatregroup@gmail.com to reserve or visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2893491

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