FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2020
THE SHEEN CENTER FOR THOUGHT & CULTURE WILL BE STREAMING THE CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN SATURDAY, APRIL 11 AT 4PM THROUGH MONDAY, APRIL 13
(New York, NY) As the most sacred time of the year approaches for Christians throughout the world, THE SHEEN CENTER FOR THOUGHT & CULTURE is offering homebound audiences, this Easter, the rare opportunity to stream the critically-acclaimed performance of THE GOSPEL OF JOHN beginning Saturday, April 11 at 4pm. The play will be available for viewing at sheencenter.org/gospelofjohn through Monday, April 13, free of charge.
The GOSPEL OF JOHN features a towering performance by award-winning Broadway actor KEN JENNINGS (Sweeney Todd, Grand Hotel, Side Show) in a production that weds prayer and theater in a profoundly intimate retelling of the life of Christ in the timeless voice of the disciple John. True to the scriptural text and masterfully performed in a slightly abbreviated format, KEN JENNINGS brings THE GOSPEL OF JOHN to life through the deeply personal gaze of the Beloved Disciple.
This one-man performance of THE GOSPEL OF JOHN is a breathtaking account of the life of Jesus, taken from what is widely regarded to be the most poetic and theologically transcendent of the four Gospels, as beautiful in verse as it is profound in wisdom.
“Every genuine art form in its own way is a path to the inmost reality of man and of the world. It is therefore a wholly valid approach to the realm of faith, which gives human experience its ultimate meaning. That is why the Gospel fullness of truth was bound from the beginning to stir the interest of artists, who by their very nature are alert to every ‘epiphany’ of the inner beauty of things.” Pope John Paul II, Letter to Artists, 1999
Audiences of all ages will be moved and inspired by this singular encounter with the “Living Word” expressed in this 90-minute theatrical performance during the holiest days of the year.
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN was directed by JOHN PIETROWSKI, one of the founding members of Writers Theatre of New Jersey in 1986, and the Artistic Director from 1991-2019, where he directed over 30 premiere productions. The play also features scenic design by Charlie Corcoran (The O’Casey Trilogy and The Emperor Jones at the Irish Rep), lighting design by Abigail Hoke-Brady (MukhAgni at Ars Nova), costume design by Tracy Christensen (Broadway’s Sunset Boulevard, All Our Children at The Sheen Center), and sound design by M. Florian Staab (Dublin Carol at the Irish Rep, The Dead, 1904).
KEN JENNINGS is best known to Broadway audiences for creating the role of Tobias Ragg in the Broadway premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Jennings received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. He created several other roles on Broadway, including Georg Strunk in Grand Hotel: The Musical, The Boss in Side Show, and memorably played Finian in Finian’s Rainbow at the Irish Rep.
###
The Gospel of John will be streamed at sheencenter.org/gospelofjohn
THE SHEEN CENTER FOR THOUGHT & CULTURE (www.sheencenter.org) is a New York City arts center located in NoHo that presents a vibrant mix of theater, film, music, art and talk events. A project of the Archdiocese of New York, The Sheen Center serves all New Yorkers by presenting performances and artists that reflect the true, the good, and the beautiful. Named for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best remembered as an inspirational author, radio host and two-time Emmy Award-winning television personality, The Sheen Center reflects his modern-day approach to contemporary topics. The Sheen Center is a state-of-the-art theater complex that includes the 270-seat off-Broadway Loreto Theater, equipped with five-camera high-definition TV and live-stream capability and a multi-track recording studio; the 80-seat off-off-Broadway Black Box Theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery.
Ken Jennings was featured on THE CARDINAL’S SHOW with Cardinal Dolan:
· https://vimeo.com/374533799/06ab1cfc8a