A Special Tradition

Photo by Carrie Nicholson

Every other year, during the Holy Week that leads up to Easter, our congregation has made a tradition of presenting a drama called The Living Last Supper. We began in 2008 after the Rev. Dr. Tony Metze came to be our pastor at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Columbia, S.C. During our last production in 2012, he celebrated his twentieth anniversary of participating in the drama with his previous and current congregations.

Photo by Colleen Arnold

In The Living Last Supper, Leonardo DaVinci’s famous fresco, “The Last Supper,” from the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy is recreated on the stage and brought to life. The disciples gather in the Upper Room and with Jesus. After inviting them to join him at the table, Jesus tells his disciples, “One of you will betray me.” All the performers freeze in the positions depicted in the painting. Then, each disciple is spotlighted individually to speak about his life and experience with Jesus. At the end of each monologue, the disciple asks the question, “Is it I?”

Photo by Colleen Arnold

Pastor Tony plays Jesus. We have assembled twelve men from our congregation and  community to play the disciples. They are: John Arnold (Philip), Jim Coward (Simon), Reggie Hall (Thaddeus), Jim Jarvis (James the Lesser), Olin Jenkins (Peter), Neil Lown (John), Jim Nantz (Thomas), Randy Nolff (Nathaniel), Arthur Suggs (Andrew), Scott Stepp (Judas), Danny Varn (James the Elder), Mark Wade (Matthew). Eight of the participants have performed the same role in our four presentations. All have studied their characters’ lives to give greater depth to their portrayals. 

 

Photo by Carrie Nicholson

Our costumer, Edith Varn, has worked tirelessly to create outfits that match the artist’s rendition. In addition, she has provided costuming for our narrators, who have changed from one presentation to the next. In the 2010 production, we had a person portraying Leonardo Da Vinci explain his painting to his young apprentice and his apprentice’s mother. This year, we have three ladies begin the drama by playing Joanna (Brenda Byrd), Susanna (Valerie Ward), and Mary Magdalene (Nancy Jane Stock), also Jesus’ followers, and explaining the events of the week that preceded the meal in the Upper Room. In our presentations in 2008 and 2010, we had a single female performer sing a solo from Jesus Christ Superstar. After we were charged royalties for the second production’s use of the solo, we wrote our own song, “World Without End.”

Photo by Carrie Nicholson

Counting all who have performed in or contributed efforts to the production, about thirty people are involved, including: set builders and painters (Barry Norcutt and Sue Husman); poster and program developers and assemblers (Susan Craft, Alice Richardson, and Libby Adams); lighting and sound technicians (Dean Long and Billy Itter); a make-up assistant (Peggyjo Coward); a musician who plays both guitar and cello (Rachel Watson); a producer (John W. Henry); and a director, myself. Plus lovely people like Jane Long, Peggyjo Coward, and Marty Nantz who feed us, and Colleen Arnold, Heather Coates, and Carrie Nicholson who take photos of our production.

 

Photo by Carrie Nicholson

I’m so grateful for the diligent work of the Living Last Supper’s cast, crew, and supporters. We began rehearsals at the end January and have continued each Sunday and Monday until the performances that took place on Tuesday, April 15, Wednesday, April 16, and Thursday, April 17, 2014. Each night, almost two hundred people attended. The performances were free and included an opportunity to receive communion from “Jesus and the disciples” who left the stage and brought the bread and wine to the audience.

Photo by Colleen Arnold

For each production, we select a cast project. This year, we collected over $1,000 for a local program called Transitions, which helps the homeless obtain education, job skills, medical attention, and permanent housing.

Photo by Colleen Arnold

Thank you to all who have participated in and who have come to see our production.

Photo by Carrie Nicholson