‘Almost Holy Picture’ searches
for faith
By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer
Priests are not considered the
most risky creatures on earth but one of the Wood River Valley’s own
holy men is shedding his robe for the stage—temporarily.
Brian Baker appears as a
conflicted priest in the Heather MacDonald play "An Almost Holy Picture"
produced by St. Thomas Playhouse in Ketchum. Photo by Kevin Johnson
The priest in question is the Rev.
Brian Baker of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Ketchum. Baker, who’s done
small bit parts in some valley plays, has never taken his calling in
this direction before. Now he must, for the play he is appearing in is
"An Almost Holy Picture," by Heather MacDonald. It ran on Broadway in
2002 with the actor Kevin Bacon as a conflicted priest.
"An Almost Holy Picture," produced
by the St. Thomas Playhouse and directed by Denise Simone, is being
staged in the intimate setting of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Feb. 13
through 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Baker plays Samuel Gentle, an
Episcopal minister in New Mexico who resigns his priesthood after a
tragic bus accident. He becomes a groundskeeper at a cathedral in the
East. He eventually marries and has a child, who he loves desperately
but who has a rare birth defect. He contends daily with his anger at God
and struggles to reclaim his faith.
"It’s a complicated play," Baker
said. His character questions God constantly. "Why do innocents die?
What is our responsibility and what is God’s? Why are children born with
birth defects?"
Though he regularly recites
sermons and litany to his parishioners at St. Thomas, Baker, who is
using a six week sabbatical in order to do this show, said the "topic
isn’t difficult but the process is. I wanted to do something artistic,
challenging, meaningful and totally out of the realm of what I normally
do.
"It’s interesting for me to
explore the times in my own spiritual life when I have been pissed off
at God," he said. "There have been times of deep doubt and despair."
Simone is the associate artistic
director and a founding member of Company of Fools. Her directing
credits include "The Laramie Project," "The Gift of the Magi," "Talley’s
Folly," "Diary of a Madman" and the New Voices series for Theatre
Virginia, among others. Simone is currently serving as a commissioner
for the Idaho Commission on the Arts.
"Brian and I are really good
friends and it’s been an honor to do this with him," she said. "It’s a
challenging piece. The good thing is it’s material he can relate to."
McDonald wrote to Baker recently:
"It’s a daunting task, that play and I think of men who have embodied
Samuel Gentle as an elite band of looney, brave, soulful warriors."
Her other plays include "Dream of
a Common Language," "Faulkner’s Bicycle," "The Rivers and Ravines" and
"Available Light."
St. Thomas Playhouse presents
plays and musicals that celebrate the human experience, build community,
and explore our lives both theologically and personally. This is the
2004 offering in STP’s Lenten Series, which selects a work that
challenges the mind and soul with questions about the mystery of God’s
presence in our lives or that broadens our understanding of people of
different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Ten percent of all proceeds from
this show will be donated to the Animal Shelter of the Wood River
Valley. Tickets are $15 and may be reserved by calling 726-5349 ext. 13
or at Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum.