Judas Iscariot’s mother given a voice in new Easter play

Characters such as Judas Iscariot’s mother and Barabbas will help tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Susanne Lofthus, artistic director of Cutting Edge Theatre and director of The Edinburgh Easter Play told Premier why it’s so important to tell the “real” Easter story.

“Somebody once said to me that the reason for doing the passion plays and the mystery plays in the medieval times was because society was illiterate and that was the Church’s way of communicating the story to them.

“Whilst we’re not as illiterate a society nowadays, we are getting more spiritually illiterate as a society. So I think it’s really important to be able to tell the story in a relevant and accessible manner so that people then can make informed choices about the story.

“It’s up to them what they do with the story but it’s our responsibility to tell the story.”

The annual play has another twist – it’s still being written.

The play’s cast of community performers and professional actor, Duncan Rennie – who plays Jesus – are currently working on improvised scenes as well as writing parts for their own characters.

Lofthus – who has directed the Easter play for numerous years, said she felt duty-bound to share the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

“The general public are walking around and if they’ve got a perception of Jesus, it’s…