You might think that being a priest and a play director don’t go hand in hand. But, for Reverend James Pacey, getting involved in creative projects is a perfect way to spend his time. Our writer Jonathon Doering catches up with the Reverend as he directs The Nottingham Passion, learning more about the ways that priesthood and creativity are intertwined…
I am shadowing QMC chaplain and former theatre director Reverend James Pacey during the rehearsals for The Nottingham Passion at St Mary’s in the Lace Market. Nottingham born and bred, James studied Performance at Clarendon College and a BA in Theatre at NTU before staging such critically acclaimed productions as King Lear, and Anorak of Fire. Initially, these careers might seem different, but James perceives links: “On a day-to-day basis, directing and ‘priesting’ are about connecting with people, hearing their stories.” The Passion combines different elements: “We’re entering into a tradition going back hundreds of years. This is such a wonderful thing for Nottingham: a real celebration of community, faith, and theatre.”
Nottingham city centre is pin-sharp on a crisp February evening: cafés, restaurants, and bars throb with warmth and life. I step briskly through the Lace Market, finding the door that opens into the choir room, then into the main church’s vaulting body.
James is working with his diverse cast (including Ade Andrews, also known as Nottingham's Robin Hood, playing Judas) on the scene when Pilate and his wife are woken as Jesus is brought, the resulting trial, the choice between Jesus and Barabbas, the release of Barabbas, and the Stations of the Cross. The creative process is palpable, cast fully engaged, which excites James: “What I love is that we’re taking a diverse group, collaborating on a story…. It’s wonderfully uplifting and fun, and hugely beneficial to my own faith.’ No matter what level audiences approach the play on, there is meaningful engagement: ‘People come to the theatre in a way that they won’t come to church: it’s invitational, non-threatening and immersive.”
This is a rewarding experience and the fifth staging for James: previous productions have run in Newark, Southwell, Cambridge and Hucknall. “Each version is slightly different…. I sometimes feel like George Lucas with Star Wars, tweaking it every time it’s re-released! Every production is different because every actor brings a unique perspective, angle, aspect to it.”
Nottingham city centre is pin-sharp on a crisp February evening: cafés, restaurants, and bars throb with warmth and life
The actors work on, James observing closely, offering positive feedback and encouragement, plus a director’s forensic attention to detail. At times he unpicks characters’ psychology, at others inviting actors’ thoughts: “What’s going on for Pilate right now? How might this affect how you say this line…?”
Conversations shift back and forth. Sections are run through, beating the dramatic gold into shape, before moving on. There is a short break, before the scene is run through once more from the top, with no interruptions. The performers’ heightened polish is clear: lines flow with energy and focus, and a stronger, satisfying sense of dramatic momentum.
James combines a directorial sense of technical logistics with priestly empathy. It is an attitude that this (amateur) cast reflects fully, bearing out his view that actors’ effectiveness comes down to attitude: “I’ve worked with some ‘amateur’ actors who are utterly professional in their approach and some professionals who aren’t – and vice versa! If people are passionate, have a sense of fun and commitment, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been acting all your life, or this is your first time on stage.”
He is alive to the differences and connections between vocations, having completed an MA on the links between drama and liturgy. “…they’re both about real, honest, truthful storytelling…. the best, most affecting worship is like theatre when we are completely swept up in the narrative being presented. When we truly believe what we’re doing, something powerful and inexplicable takes over.’”
St Mary’s, with its impressive space, is an ideal setting, but why stage it here now? “At the invitation of Tom [Gillum, the Vicar]. It’s a stunning space with so much to offer the city that, given the creative hub of the Lace Market, the Passion is an ideal project that can support its mission.”
Of course, Passions are not just a British phenomenon, but date back to the Thirteenth Century, their roots in the re-telling of Jesus’ trial and death in church services. They quickly evolved into living dramas that have incorporated local traditions and interests over the centuries in such places as Britain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, America, Hungary, Holland, Poland, Sri Lanka, and Mexico.
On a day-to-day basis, directing and ‘priesting’ are about connecting with people, hearing their stories
The drama’s central aspects have jostled with informal and formal language. Priests quickly grasped that this was a prime outreach opportunity. James explains: “The play enables people to enter into the story in a way that church doesn’t…. There’s also a wonderful sense of community, bringing people together from both inside and outside the church…. And that’s to say nothing about the actual story: whether people believe or not, the story touches on a profoundly emotional, spiritual level…. [The] themes of sacrifice, love, betrayal, and desperation - it has it all.”
In the Middle Ages this powerful story received provocative handling. In their drive towards a clear-cut story of Good versus Evil, playmakers deployed anti-Semitic ideas. James is acutely aware of this historical stain: “Any anti-Semitism in Passion Plays must be resisted. I’m indebted to Ed Kessler at the Woolf Institute in Cambridge who was instrumental in helping us ensure that… [we] resisted any simplistic caricatures and actively sought ways to not only resist but also speak against anti-Semitism.”
The Nottingham Passion carries much that is good, and much needing to be carefully addressed. For James, the central image is reconciliation. When Barabbas and Jesus walk past each other – one newly freed, the other approaching death, “We stage it simply: as music plays, Barabbas slowly, fearfully, exits. He passes Jesus, looking him in the eye. That conveys everything: understanding, gratitude and the realisation of who Jesus is and what he came to do. That for me is the Gospel…. If I can give audiences a glimpse of that, I’ll be happy!”
Ultimately, of course, it all comes back to people: “The Passion can only work by the strength of the cast’s commitment. I'm truly blessed to be working with such a diverse group of dedicated and brilliant people.”
The Nottingham Passion will be performed at St Mary’s in the Lace Market on March 31 and and April 1
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