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Produced & Maintained by Idaho Mountain Express, Box 1013, Ketchum, ID 83340-1013 
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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 


Wednesday — February 11, 2004

Arts and Entertainment

‘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.


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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.





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