Judas Iscariot is history’s most notorious traitor; he is the disciple who betrayed Jesus himself. But is this ultimate villain status fair? Could he just be a man who made a mistake?
Stirling University’s Drama Society (SUDS) sets out to address these big questions and more with their recently announced production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis.
The play tells the tale of an imagined court case deciding the fate of Judas and will be co-directed and produced by Petra Hanusova, Eilidh Brown, and Phoebe Jenkin.
“The play involves iconic characters such as Satan, Mother Theresa, Saint Monica, and many more who all testify as witnesses,” said co-director Hanusova.
“While it may sound outdated and over religious, it’s actually the opposite – it’s a satirical adult play with a lot of dark comedy.”
SUDS will take The Last Days of Judas Iscariot to the Macrobert stage on October 10 and 11, with auditions to be held at the beginning of semester.
“We do have a lot of set ideas when it comes to things like stage production that we hope to bring to life, but in terms of actors we are aiming for a more open and collaborative approach where they can have a lot of say about the way their characters should be,” said Hanusova.
Last year, the society took on both Agatha Christie’s murder mystery And Then There Were None as well as Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy Macbeth.
With this next production they will be stepping out of their comfort zone and putting on the most modern play they have performed in a very long time.
This semester will also see Freya Stevenson step into the spotlight as president, taking over from Franco Nazareno who held the role for three years.
“Many of our members graduated last term, so my main goal this year is to recruit lots of new members to SUDS,” said Stevenson.
“We are also aiming to continue our steady run of selling out our shows. We have even added a third matinee show to our next play.”
While putting on productions is a large part of SUDS, the performances themselves are not the be all and end all; the society’s weekly Tuesday evening theatre workshops are open to everyone.
Similarly, the society does not simply restrict itself to the stage, its strong connection with AirTV often leads to exciting short film collaborations.
“We are a society that constantly has something going on, with plenty of opportunities for anyone to act, direct, or be involved backstage,” said Stevenson.
If SUDS entertaining performance of Macbeth last semester is anything to go by, we can be sure that SUDS’ next production and future ventures this year will carry the same sense of enthusiasm and passion for theatre.
With freshers students adding some new blood into the mix, perhaps we will even see some rising stars making their Stirling debut.
Featured Image Credit: SUDS
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