Students of the sordid history of psychological treatment might be aware of social psychologist Milton Rokeach’s experiment, chronicled in his book The Three Christs of Ypsilanti, to lessen the delusions of three paranoid schizophrenic patients who all believed themselves to be Jesus Christ—by putting them in close contact and encouraging them to confront their conflicting statuses as the Christ.
Ethically questionable, to say the least, but it proves fascinating source material for Peculiar Works Project to mine for their new site-specific show 3Christs, presented, appropriately, at Judson Memorial Church.
Listen in as co-creators Barry Rowell & Ralph Lewis, actors Catherine Porter & Donald Warfield, and magic consultant Ben Nemser, discuss belief, site-specificity, the messy history of treating mental illness, magic tricks, and how to play crazy without stepping on everyone else’s crazy.
“…this is not a play about religion at all, it’s a play about belief, and what we believe in…”
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Peculiar Works Project presents
3Christs
by SM Dale and Barry Rowell
based on The Three Christs of Ypsilanti, a psychological study by Milton Rokeach
directed by Kelly O’Donnell
September 11–28
Thursdays–Sundays
all performances @ 7PM
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
Manhattan
tickets: $18 ($12 students/seniors), available via OvationTix
photos © 2014 Jim R Moore / Vaudevisuals
An excellent podcast! Everyone is articulate and informative. And the interviewer is engaging and asks the right questions, covering all the aspects of the production that make me want to see it.