"Jerusalem," written by Jez Butterworth first premiered in 2009 in London. Set on St. George’s Day in Wiltshire, England, this play tells the story of Johnny Byron, a ragged man who is on the verge of being evicted from his trailer in the woods. While supplying an ample amount of drugs to his friends, Johnny is dealing with the loss of control; his reign is ending.
After reading this play and workshopping it with the actors, we noticed that the central theme is a twisted coming of age story. Johnny and his cohorts of misfits are growing up and realizing that their current situation is not ideal. Some try to flee while others express great dissent about where they live. This is all happening during the Flintock Fair, an annual festival commemorating the birth of Spring. These midsummer festivals are common in European culture and are often associated with the pagan religion.
The play goes through the decline of Johnny Byron. We watch as this powerful and godly man slowly disintegrates into modern society and takes out anything in his path. This play speaks on to the human condition of voyeurism. We have a necessity to see everyone who has it all, lose it all and Jez Butterworth's masterpiece feeds into that desire.
Being a first time director is intimidating but at the same time so invigorating because now is the opportunity to let all those creative ideas flow. I wanted to take a unique approach with this project and honor the medium we’re working with. Zoom is not an ideal place to produce a play reading meant for the stage, so we didn’t treat it as such. The collaborative process between the actors and I allowed us to experiment with our cameras and computers and create a piece of art that combines film, theatre, and an HBO mini series. I made the decision to gender-bend two male roles as well. When I was first reading through the play, I felt a strong feminine energy from two of the male leads, (Ginger and Lee), and decided to go with my gut and turn them into leading women roles. I think this adds a wonderful dynamic to the show while also bringing two talented young actresses to the spotlight.
This project would not have been possible without the dedication of the actors involved as well as the wonderful crew, Raen See our stage manager, Katherine Montgomery our assistant stage manager and Valerie Rossacci our terrific costume and set designer.
Please be advised, some content and subject matter may be disturbing to some viewers. This play includes strong language and drug use.
"Jerusalem," premieres on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 7:00PM EST. The play stars Christopher Caraballo as Johnny Byron, Ts Burnham as Ginger, along with Ethan Lazaro, Tess Prusa, Lily Jeswald, and Alex Magee.
Nicholas Maloof
Director of "Jerusalem"
Class of 2022
If you are not in the School of the Arts and would like to watch "Jerusalem" live, please email our Editor Anna Proulx at aproulx@student.dean.edu. The link will be emailed out at approximately 6:30PM EST Wednesday, February 17, 2021.