What does it mean to lose, gain and question faith? In CHURCH, Young Jean Lee transforms her lifelong struggle with Christianity into an exuberant church service. A traveling group of earnest reverends testify through narrative, song, and dance, testing the expectations of religious and non-religious alike. In its New York City premiere, Time Out New York described CHURCH as “no cheap satire of piety. Instead, it is an earnestly warped attempt to explore what gives religion its insidious appeal.”
Featuring: Jordan María Don, Nkechi Emeruwa, Lawrence Radecker*, and Alison Whismore
Assistant Director: Nailah Harper-Malveaux*
Dramaturg: Sonia Fernandez*
Assistant Dramaturg: Isabelle Smith
Stage Manager: Rachel Mogan*
Assistant Stage Manager: Kitty Dacy
Scenic Designer: Randy Wong-Westbrooke
Costume Designer: Alice Ruiz
Lighting Designer: Cassie Barnes
Sound Designer: James Ard*
Choreographer: Mark Allen Davis
Music Director: Min Kahng
*Crowded Fire Resident Artist
“Hear the good word. You’ll want to convert to Crowded Fire’s “Church,” no matter your spiritual background.”
“…makes for a singular theatrical experience: the feeling of being completely alone, yet being alone together.”
“It’s as if the divine – either spiritual or theatrical or both – is beaming down directly on you.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Genius strikes home. Director Mina Morita has assembled and designed the perfect cast and company to bring it all home to Crowded Fire Theater.”
Theatrius
“….excellent production … you feel as if someone has bothered to speak to you, has taken the time to address your ills, fears and the times in which we live.”
Supported by the San Francisco Arts Commission
The Zellerbach Family Foundation
Jennifer DeVere Brody
Karena Fiorenza and Emrys Ingersoll
Celine and Dan Shimizu
Robert Shimizu
Joseph Mallon + Susanne Trowbridge