Today is a big day for Pastor Paul's congregation. The church he leads has "hundreds of seats, Sunday school classrooms, and a baptismal font the size of a swimming pool," and he stands before his parishioners to tell them that today, all the costs of these constructions are paid for. But Paul has other news, which does not fit into the usual pattern of the community of believers.

A show about the fear of questioning axioms, which, although attested by their very antiquity, lose their magic when carefully analyzed. The story told by Lucas Hnath can be associated with The myth of the cave of Plato, without projecting value judgments on the truths of faith. Pastor Paul tries to offer another interpretation to one of the ideas with which we are so accustomed to attributing a certain image that it would not occur to us to try to reinterpret it. This is just an example, however, because limiting beliefs are present in different forms and in all the planes that shape our existence.

Pastor Paul's performance does not offer certainties, but raises questions, argued rationally enough that they cannot be ignored by those present. However, the purpose of the author and the character through whom he transposes his ideas is not to plant different beliefs in the mental pattern of the parishioners/spectators, but to instigate them to a thinking exercise, to launch an invitation to dialogue, to provoke a necessary shake-up in those who are convinced that they are fired up by high ideals, but who are nevertheless "lukewarm" - those who take everything for granted, often without realizing the level of superficiality with which they relate to the faith they defend so ardently.  

Distribution:

Pastor Paul – Richard Balint
Elizabeth – Adela Lazar
Jay – Petre Ghimbasan
Joshua – Razvan Vicoveanu
Jenny – Anda Tamasanu

Artistic director: Radu Iacoban
Scenography and video: Tudor Prodan
Sound design: Aida Šošić
Lighting design: Lucian Moga
Translation: Radu Iacoban

* Show not recommended for people under 14 years old!

Show duration: 1 hour 20 minutes

Premiere: October 29 and 30, 2019 – Zion Neolog Synagogue

Festivals:

"Atelier" International Performing Arts Festival, Baia Mare, June 2022.

Awards and nominations: 

Nomination at the XXVIII edition of the UNITER Awards Gala, in the category Best Supporting Actor  – Răzvan Vicoveanu, for the role of “Joshua”;
Best Actor Award – at "Atelier" International Festival of Performing Arts, Baia Mare, June 2022 – Richard Balint, for the role of "Pastor Paul".