Cathedral Drama Program Concludes With a Resounding Success

Cathedral Drama Program Concludes With a Resounding SuccessOur Lord is crucified

By David Zulkoskey

It may at first seem strange and perhaps a bit sacrilegious to refer to any presentation concerning the Good Friday story as a success. Yet the final Stations of the Cross depiction at St Alban’s Cathedral in Prince Albert was indeed that. For the past four years, the youth of the cathedral have depicted the crucifixion of our Lord in a series of emotionally charged dramatic tableaus.

The essence of a tableau, or frozen picture, is to pause the dramatic motion in such a fashion as to present the emotional charge of a situation and to reveal character relationships. The link between the Good Friday story and the concept of a tableau is perfect. It is a story filled with emotion, action and most obviously the interpersonal connection between our Lord, his mother and those who wish to see him executed.

The project stemmed from a desire by high school drama teacher David Zulkoskey to enable the youth of the parish to literally play a more active role in the Good Friday service. The reading of the passion, which can in fact be deeply moving, lacked a visual connection with the story. The Catholic tradition of the Stations of the Cross provided the means to enable the young people to translate a verbal story into a visual reference for the actions of the story.

As Christ moved to his place of execution in the traditional Stations of the Cross, the youth moved from the rear of the Cathedral to Golgotha which was located in the sanctuary, the east wall of the church. The actor playing Christ was joined at times by others representing his mother, Pilate, the women of Judea, and Simon of Cyrene.

The women of Judea weep for our LordEach tableau was accompanied by a short meditation, read by one of the youth from the pulpit. This year also included a short response between the youth reader and the congregation. The addition of the sound of mallets striking wood sound boxes made for a sombre note for the crucifixion. The cross support structure served two functions; it not only provided a vertical stand for the cross carried by Christ but it also symbolically represented the three crosses of Golgotha. This structure, constructed by theatre arts students attending Carlton Comprehensive High School, brought additional youth into the production process.

The conclusion of the 2009 Good Friday presentation marks the conclusion of the drama program at St. Alban’s. The final image of the actor playing the role of Christ walking to his own tomb has certainly left parishioners with a deeper appreciation of the meaning not only of Good Friday but the celebration of Easter.