Go Ye Therefore...A Theatrical Baptism on the Roch!

ArtSpot Productions has been responsible for some of the more inventive and powerful works of theatre in New Orleans for much of the past decade. Years ago founding artistic director Kathy Randels and others received local accolades and a 2003 Obie for the delightfully upbeat and melancholy portrayal of "Nita and Zita," two real life performing spinster sisters with a unique acrobatic and burlesque act that made them famous, who lived in New Orleans.

Since the time since Hurricane Katrina, the company has been responsible for two award-winning productions: "Flight" and last year's "Loup Garou," co-produced with Mondo Bizarro.

The latest solo project for ArtSpot is producing is the highly personal "Go Ye Therefore..." Co-written and starring Randels and Rebecca Mwase, it is a contrast in the lives of the two actors and their forebears and a deep-seated and abiding practice of the Baptist faith.

Both Randels and Mwase detail their family histories. Randels with European and Cherokee Indian roots and Mwase, whose family once lived in what is today Zimbabwe. Randels details how her grandfather was a minister, serving 20 different churches in the South and Midwest. When her father came to the Baptist Theological Seminary with his young wife, he fully expected to move away. But, as Randels relates in "Go Ye Therefore...," circumstances led to his becoming the pastor at Lakeview Baptist Church for 37 years. 

Mwase's family history as revealed over the course of the show is told with pride, but is fraught with peril. She acquaints the audience with the fallout from British colonialism and how later, after arriving in the U.S., her family members were affected by the institution of slavery and segregation laws. But through it all her family members cling to their faith and belief in Baptism.

As in the Baptist faith, the act of immersion is central to this play as it moves from one outdoor stage to another. At first the audience is given an opportunity to learn from the two actresses their attachment to family, to faith and to the city. The play begins close to sundown. As the action continues into evening, audience members are encouraged to take seats or stand at a different stage as night slowly descends. The second stage is representative of a religious service where genuine hellfire and brimstone is preached. The two later move to another stage, symbolic of the clash of European and African cultures, and the audience follows again. Finally, the dénouement is achieved at the final stage with the two taking part in an act of spiritual cleansing that connects them to their common religious beliefs and to each other.

This is an important work and one that makes one marvel at the absolute intensity of the action and the dedication of the actors and their director, Ashley Sparks, to make an important statement about women, about New Orleans and about Christianity. 

The shows take place (weather permitting) Thursdays through Sundays at 5168 St. Roch Avenue at a private home in Gentilly, ironically situated not far from the Baptist Theological Seminary that was so critical to Randels' father's career. Showtimes are listed as 7:30 p.m.

The script architect is Lisa Shattuck, who was the co-writer of “Flight,” while Jeff Becker should be noted as designer for the unusual set. With accompanying music by Emmanuel "Manny" Burke on piano and electric keyboard and lighting by Hannah Adams, "Go Ye Therefore..." is a theatre piece that envelopes the audience and its religious fervor and the indomitable spirit of Randels and Mwase make it a powerful presentation.