Easter story is back in town

Staged over three days with the first act tonight (Wednesday) at Kendal Town Hall, KCT is making use of Kendal’s newly installed wi-fi to stream action from every scene location live into the United Reformed Church, allowing those with mobility issues to see the entire Good Friday performance as it takes place.

At the production’s helm once again is KCT's innovative artistic director Chris Taylor, who directed his first play in 1970, when he was at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama: "I put together a medieval show – morality plays, music and a meal, all in the round, curiously enough for the London Welsh Association. It was against college rules - as a drama student public performances were not 'officially’ allowed. But it was a jolly good show.

“My first legitimate play, would you believe, was a one-act entitled School Play by Donald Howarth at Archway School in 1972."

Chris was born in Cheltenham and brought up in Bristol and Bath.

He was educated at Bristol Grammar School. He said he spent too much time doing plays and not enough on studying.

He added: “I left with one A level, but there were a couple of inspirational English teachers, and a headmaster who encouraged my very late academic development after I had left school."

Youth theatre was Chris's initial route into the arts: "There was a flourishing group in Bath, and it was much more exciting than school. We did local drama festivals, went to Germany and got bursaries to summer drama schools, where I was encouraged to audition for drama school. Four years after leaving school I got a place at Royal Central and three years later graduated with distinction.

"Also, my parents were keen on amateur dramatics and I was fascinated and couldn’t wait to get involved. Theatre was all I wanted to do. I did a teaching course as well the acting and found I loved that too, so I became head of drama at a London comprehensive, which was almost as exciting as being a drama student. Then I lectured at Durham University followed by a dream job in Cumbria based at the Brewery."

The “job” was lecturer in drama for Cumbria County Council. He was seconded to the Brewery Arts Centre as director of courses. He also undertook advisory teaching in schools and colleges across the county.

Chris started the Brewery Youth Theatre, worked with Theatre Royal Stratford East, Pocket Theatre and on Theatre-in-Education projects.

On Good Friday, KCT’s A Passion for Kendal, written again by Chris's wife Caroline Moir, starts at 4pm on Kendal Library steps, where High Priest Caiaphas and Annas, conclude their deal with Judas - and Jesus's fate is sealed. The spectacle continues as Jesus, played by Stephen Lockwood, carries his cross down Highgate to the Brewery Arts Centre garden for The Crucifixion.

Caroline has completely rewritten The Empty Tomb and Resurrection scene, which will be staged at Abbot Hall Park on Saturday evening (April 4) at 8pm.

Caroline is an adept playwright having penned both versions of A Passion for Kendal (2012 and 2015) and in between a play about Lady Anne Clifford.

They meet at Archway School, in Islington, London, in 1972.

"Caroline came fresh from Newfoundland and post-graduate study to teach at the same school," reflected Chris. "She was passionate about theatre and had a car. I was making a film with students and some scenes had to be shot at Heathrow, so we needed transport. Need I say more?”

Chris and Caroline have three children - Kate, an associate producer for Youth Music Theatre UK living in Edinburgh; Rachel, a theatrical agent with Casarotto Ramsay in London; and Benedict, who divides his time between Mumbai and London as both performer and composer for film and theatre.

A well-respected figure in cultural quarters, Chris is also highly-regarded as a man of the cloth, ordained in 1996 as curate at St George’s in Kendal, a vicar for the first time in Oxfordshire in 1999, then to Leeds where he was also Chaplain to the Arts, turning his beautiful Georgian church into a performance and exhibition space: “I set up theatre residencies, a poetry festival, with Caroline, and StreetWhys? Theatre, for homeless people.’’

Retirement brought them back to Kendal where he was persuaded to become chairman of Castle Street Centre. Soon after, they set up Kendal Community Theatre.

“It was a group of bold people who thought it would be exciting to do a big-scale production on the streets of Kendal, and a Passion Play is pretty big. We didn’t know what the outcome would be, but got overwhelming support from across the area from the town council, South Lakeland District Council, community groups, and church groups.

"KCT was always planned to be totally inclusive and secular and the success of the first Passion Play meant we had to continue, so after writing the Passion Play Caroline took on Lady Anne Clifford, then we did Oh What a Lovely War. We have continued to get support and have a wonderful group of actors and supporters. Our aim is to make theatre accessible, exciting and as varied as possible.”

So why a modern take on the Easter story?

"It’s about political corruption, an illegal trial and one person’s response. It’s also about how hope and love are more powerful. It’s also timeless, so Caroline wanted to show the continuing significance of the story.

“To present the Passion script only as a transcription from the bible and set it in biblical costumes runs the risk of turning it into a historical drama rather than a story that is still important and deeply relevant in the context of what is still happening in much of the world”.