MendandMakeDo Theatre company return to the Civic with Jerusalem Tomorrow. John MacKenna, director, gives us some background on the play.

Jersualem Tomorrow is a radical reimagining of Mark’s Gospel set in contemporary times and grew out of a book. John MacKenna, the writer of the play, was working on a novel based on the character of Joseph in the New Testament and, as he researched the book, he came across more and more characters who wouldn’t fit in the novel but he felt they deserved to have their stories told.

Fast forward four years and he and fellow writer/actor Angela Keogh were talking about the stories and characters MacKenna had noted but not used in his novel. The conversation led to the idea of a play in which eight characters would tell their version of the events outlined in Mark’s gospel – but in a radically different way. Firstly, they would tell the story through the words and experiences of the characters. Secondly, the story would be set in modern times and, thirdly, the setting of the story would reflect contemporary Europe. Over a period of six months, the pair worked on character and story development and in choosing music that was contemporary and reflective of the stories being told.

Musicians Katie Jacques and James Gormley became involved and the result is Jerusalem Tomorrow – a sometimes funny, sometimes bitterly sad recounting of life stories. The show premiered at Watergate Kilkenny to a rapturous reception and is now on a national tour.

The eight characters are brought to life by Angela Keogh (a graduate of theatre studies at Sussex and the Lir Academy in Dublin and writer of the play The Winter Dress) and John MacKenna (founder of Mend & Makedo Theatre Co and artistic director of the company and writer of more than a dozen plays including Corner Boys and director of Leonard Cohen’s Between Your Love and Mine)

Singer Katie Jacques and guitarist and singer James Gormley are students of music at Cork School of Music  and Katie is a founder of the bank Sylvia’s Not Well.

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Jerusalem Tomorrow
Sunday 25th & Monday 26th March

BOOK HERE