TACTA Presents BORN AGAIN YESTERDAY, 11/15 & 11/22

Tulsa Area Community Theatre Alliance presents "Born Again Yesterday" by Justin McKean on Sunday, November 15th and Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Nightingale Theater.

Faith is a journey. This is the tale of the long, awkward trip back.

Justin McKean's "Born Again Yesterday" guides the audience through a hilarious maze of experiences drawn from the author's life as a strict fundamentalist. "Everything in the play is based on something I did, or saw or heard," McKean says.

Laughing at himself through this two-hour comedy, McKean hopes to build bridges. "The point of the play is to humanize, not demonize," he says. "Christians who see it understand this quickly. They laugh more loudly than the non-religious people. I think this is because they know the people in the play very, very well. They've been to church with them. They have had potluck dinners with them. They went to church camp with them. You can love your family and still roll your eyes at them sometimes."

McKean calls his fellow atheists out as well. One character wants to participate in "National Blasphemy Day" by defacing a religious symbol. "That's just stupid," the main character replies. "Being non-religious doesn't mean you're being intelligent," says McKean.

"There's nothing smart or clever about picking fights. We're neighbors, right? We need to be able to work and play and live together if we're ever going to make this world a better place."

Most of the play is comedy, but there are moments of sadness. "I've made people cry," McKean says. "The show is based on a true story, and when I found that I'd lost my ability to believe the same things I did as a child, it truly devastated me." These teary moments have a lighter side, too. "I'm a happy guy. I don't take things too seriously, so there's always a joke in there. In the saddest moments of life you have to laugh through the tears."

The story ends on a note of joy and hope with a plea to the audience to work together in their community locally and globally. "There are more important conversations to have than why I'm wrong and you're right, or vice versa," McKean says. "People need food and medical care. Seems like there's a war on that we might want to find a resolution for. Surely a God would rather we argue about our differences after we've solved a few more pressing problems."

Tickets are $10.  Call 918.633.8666 for reservations.

For more info call 918-633-8666 or go to www.nightingaletheater.com.

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