DSC interview-Dec 21 2013

Down Stage Center

The Official Newsletter of The Essential Theatre Winter 2014 Volume VI, Issue IV

December 21, 2013

I want to introduce our DSC patrons to a woman whom I consider to be a wonderful mensch. La'chris Jordan (LJ) has been inspired to write about her journey in the Jehovah Witness faith and is developing her play under The Essential Theatre's New Play reading Series now titled, "A Matter of Faith." Too often we struggle with religion and what we believe to be most practical. Here in a DSC exclusive, Jordan discusses her play that explores one family's struggle with a life or death decision based on a religious philosophy.

DSC: What is "A Matter of Faith" about?

A Matter of Faith is a semi-autobiographical play about Betty Morgan, a devout Jehovah's Witness who may die if she doesn't receive a blood transfusion. However, it is against Betty's religion to receive blood under any circumstances, even to save her own life. Betty knows that if she takes the transfusion, she will be ex-communicated as a Jehovah's Witness. Yet, before a final decision is made, Betty falls into a deep, life-threatening coma, leaving her husband, Sam, to make the difficult decision in the face of fierce objections from Betty's sister and members of the Kingdom Hall she attends.

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DSC: Why did you write this play?

I wrote this play because I wanted to challenge and explore this notion of 'belief' and pit it against a real-life situation. Essentially, we are all philosophers with core beliefs that shape and guide our lives. But what happens when those beliefs are challenged, especially in the face of life or death? To me, this isn't really a play about religion so much as it is a play about a couple forced to make a tough decision that will affect the rest of their lives. For Betty, her faith is an extension of her belief and she holds fast to it. For Sam, faith is intangible and it is not enough, especially as he struggles with the decision to give Betty the blood transfusion or not.

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DSC: Is there a particular message you want to get across?

That nothing in life is "black and white" when it comes to beliefs, and not just those related to religion. We must question everything that has been taught to us, especially when it comes to the question of life and death. We must learn to listen to our own voices and not deny them if we are to control our destinies.

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DSC: There are socio sexual overtones in your play that might appeal to a certain group. Who did you write this play for?

When I write a play, I don't ever think of a specific group or audience. I focus on the human experience first and go from there, and write stories that appeal to a wide range of people. Ultimately, we're all searching for answers and we often find them in other people's stories. However, the beauty in all of this for me is to create a world that generates more questions than answers. But if pressed to say who I wrote this play for, I would say this play is for anyone who has ever struggled internally with "the burdens of belief."

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DSC: Why did you feel it necessary to compose this mix of sociosexual and religion in the play?

The imposition of religious mores and memes has literally kept the discussion of sex in the closet. Sex and religion have always been strange bedfellows, but in the case of "A Matter of Faith," I felt it was important to not only show complex characters dealing with complex issues, but to bring to light how the religious, moral codes laid out in the play control their behavior or not. To ignore these characters' sexuality because of the religious themes in the play would have been, frankly, unrealistic. Sexuality and reproduction are fundamental elements in human interaction and societies worldwide.

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DSC: It's always interesting to ask writers how much of the subject in a piece is based on personal or indirect experience. How much of "A Matter of Faith," is based on experiences you have had?

I grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, so many of these characters are coming from real places. My family and I were Jehovah's Witnesses and followed the tenets of the Kingdom Hall pretty strictly for many years. Yet, I remember asking my dad one day would he give my mother a blood transfusion if she needed one. He said, "Yes." From that response came the full confession: Many years ago, while my mother was undergoing a complicated abdominal surgery, my father was told by her doctor that she needed a blood transfusion or she would die. Without a moment's hesitation, my father signed the papers allowing the hospital to give my mother, who was a Jehovah's Witness, a blood transfusion. I asked my dad why he did it without consulting any of the elders in the Kingdom Hall and he said, "Because I wanted your mother to live."

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DSC: What led you to this play development program and how has it contributed to your growth as an artist and your play's growth as a piece of theatre?

My relationship with S. Robert and the Essential Theatre has proven to be one of the most impactful experiences in my playwriting career, and not just with regard to A Matter of Faith. The support and commitment I've received these last three years on this project has strengthened my voice and added clarity to the work. It's also renewed my faith in the play development process which often leans towards the "institution" of play development for the sake of development.

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DSC: As the playwright, how do you want your play to impact an audience member?

I want audience members to walk away feeling that their lives have been changed in some way by seeing this play, that the ground has shifted a bit. My hope is that in seeing these characters, they also see themselves and gain deeper perspectives where they once had self-doubts.