Podcast #186
Ragged Wing Ensemble Presents: The History of the Devil, playing Oct 3rd " Nov 1st
Clive Barker: Playwright
A rough sketch of the interview (not transcribed word for word)
[Synopsis]: The devil is being put on trial for his alleged crimes against humanity. If he is found innocent he gets to go up to heaven and be with his father, if he is found guilty, he has to stay in hell.
What is Clive Barker trying to say about Christianity?
[Keith]: Clive barker has some issues with Christianity. I think there are a lot of themes that come up and toys with many different perspectives about what his Christianity is and what it has done to society and how its evolved and how its demented the soul of people.
How has Christianity demented the soul of people?
[Keith]: As far as Clive barkers perspective, it has become this white and Christian oriented power struggle between different religions and hierarchal power play between different aspects of society.
Author states this is not a dream play, not a mid-evil mystery play, parading semi-symbolic figure for a moral purpose, it is a history. What does that mean to you when you heard that and how does that translate on the stage?
[Jeffrey]: in order for the characters playing the chords as well as the audience to make up its minds, is the devil innocent or guilty, they have to see the scenes, where does he come from. So we get to see the people he has interacted with, and the essential moments that really define who he is as far as we are concerned. And we get to make up our own mind. It is not about parade this figure, this incarnation on stage. Its lets examine this objectively and see if we cant make up our own minds.
Make up your own minds about?
[Jeffrey]: About whether he has wreaked havoc on earth whether he has been an innocent bystander.
Christians all over the world will be up in arms with you saying maybe the devil has been a bystander with some of the evils that has gone on in this world.
[Jeffrey]: Well this play calls into question whether man is making his own evil or whether he has been provoked, and if so to what level
Are you ready for the fundamentalist to come knocking on your door ready to tear you down and shut you down?
[Jeffrey]: Id love that!
In your own idea of what religion is, define for me, from your perspective, THE DEVIL.
[Keith]: is the dark side of any ones soul, the ying yang, we have good and we have evil, we have positive and we have negative, we need both things to exist and to come to terms with being a real true person you need to comes to term with your god and your devil
[Jeffrey]: Personally I dont think of devil as anything evil in the world. To me Im not even sure I believe in god, per se, but there is definitely an energy in the universe and it allows us to make our own choices, so if I have an errant judgmental thought, sometimes I think that was devilish of me. But I dont spend time fearing the ramifications of this thing that might be out there.
What has been the most challenging part of directing this play?
[Jeffrey]: Well my history is working with objectives and tactics and focusing a lot on the acting side of things, and this is my first show for directing for Ragged Wing so there an entire physical component that is new to me, fortunately the rest of the company has enough experience that where I am lacking we all work together to make it happen.
Can you expound on this physical part you are lacking in?
[Jeffrey]: Ragged wings history is performing physically adventurous types of shows. SO even in this show we have flying, falling, abstract movement and thats been a real challenge and exciting thing for me.
What has been the most challenging part of acing the part of the devil this play?
[Keith]: A combination of the physical requirements of this character. I do a 6 foot drop, flying on a rope, physical slapping, fights, theres a lot of physical challenges, but also realigning and figuring out the course the character is taken not only over the arc of the court room but in all the different vignettes of the HISTORY of this character and how he has evolved from the first fall that we see when he was completely innocent to the very final moment when he is released, on way or the other, that you see the evolution of how this character has changed and how hes been hurt, betrayed and how he has sought revenge.
God and the Devil in the boxing ring, who would kick whose ass?
[Keith]: Its kind of a no decision, I think they would both annihilate each other and we would all go zipping out into the universe.
Thats a safe answer. That is a middle of the road answer
[Keith]: OK Ill give you an answer: Lucifer, knockout
Jeffrey as we end this interview, I am going to present this question, but in order for you to answer this, you must do this first. We are here at Central Stage in Richmond, and I need all humility sucked out of this building. There is no humility allowed. And as the humility is sucked out, the vacuum creates an inflow of ego. Why should people come see your show, The History of the Devil, running Oct 3rd " Nov 1st?
This show is so complex as a piece of theatre it give you everything. You have physicalization, you have exciting movement, you have exciting visuals, the acting is top notch, and its a new space, people havent performed here before. Plenty of parking too. So as an audience member your gonna love the parking.
SHOW NOTES
Ragged Wing EnsembleThe Website
Playing Oct 3rd - Nov 1st
The History of the Devil: Buy Tickets
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Central Stage clive barker devil god history of the devil Jeffrey Hoffman Keith Cory Davis ragged wing ensemble
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