In November, 2008, ArtSpot Productions premiered four new installments of The Saint Plays, internationally acclaimed playwright Erik Ehn's ongoing cycle of contemporary adaptations of the lives of the Catholic Saints. Erik wrote these four new short plays specially for New Orleans. In celebration of All Saints Day and the opening of the Studio at Colton, ArtSpot Productions invited Mondo Bizarro, Cripple Creek Theatre Company, and Andrew Larimer to join the company in producing these works.
The Saint Plays is a diverse collection loosely based on the lives of saints and biblical characters. They are remarkable pieces of exploded biography that range widely in length, historical specificity and crypticness. Placing the protagonists and their suffering in a modern context, Ehn creates contemporary fairy tales for the stage. Each play is a contemplation, a vehicle for considering matters of faith. More than 30 theatre artists and musicians helped present these whimsical and dreamlike pieces about individuals struggling with faith, dragons, mysticism, ravens, and belief in miracles.
After the show, there was a dialogue with the playwright, who made his first visit to New Orleans. Erik Ehn's attendance and participation was made possible by Tulane University's Department of Theatre and Dance.
The Saint Plays presented were:
- Twin, directed by Andrew Larimer with youth from The Porch's theater program
- 20 Years Down, directed by Kathy Randels and featuring Diana Shortes, Chris Lane, Tony Paone, Jennifer Pagan and Monique Moss
- .50 Death: A Halloween Play, directed by Nick Slie and featuring Ashley Sparks, Phil Cramer, Chris Kaminstein, Pamela D. Roberts, Jennifer Medford, and Rising Appalachia.
- Poe-Foot, performed by Cripple Creek Theatre, directed by Andrew Vaught
All Saints Day
November 1, 2008
Studio at Colton
2300 St Claude Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70117