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Riding Lights Theatre Company is looking for churches to host its acclaimed Passion Play Inheritance for Lent 2015, following a highly successful 2014 tour.

The Church Times, reviewing Inheritance during its 2014 tour remarked, “The play works as an icon, in not seeking accurate representation but inviting an individual response to the actions of God. It works beautifully, and has a humanity about it that shines”.

The narrative at the heart of Inheritance was commissioned by Margaret Sentamu and Jane Williams for performance at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, where it opened the plenary session for bishops and their spouses. The play wove together a number of stories from the gospels, exploring in particular some of Jesus’ encounters with women. It was extremely well received and clearly moved and challenged many in this particularly cross-cultural audience.

Written by Bridget Foreman and directed by Paul Burbridge, Inheritance weaves the strands of the biblical Passion into this dramatic new narrative. It evokes the community where Jesus lived, the people who knew him best, and the powers that brought him to execution. In the shadow of the cross, it casts light on some of the women who Jesus stands alongside, sharing in their suffering, as well the character of Jairus, whose commitment to law and tradition stands in opposition to the example of Jesus.

While developing the script last year, author Bridget Foreman commented, “Although the story that Inheritance tells is rooted firmly in biblical times, the themes speak into our lives today: not just eternal themes such as grace and compassion, but specific issues of how we build a Kingdom of Heaven which is radical and inclusive for both men and women. Wherever we stand, the Easter story tells us that nothing is impossible - and that we should expect transformation.”

Inheritance is more than a play to be performed for an audience; it is also a communal experience of theatre and worship and ideally suited to enrich Lent and Passiontide in churches. The performance is structured to ensure that the audience has the time and opportunity to reflect on Christ’s Passion and, finally, to make their own response at the foot of the Cross.

For more information or to book a performance of Inheritance for your church, please contact Amanda Mackey at amanda@rltc.org or via the office line on 01904 655317; www.ridinglights.org/inheritance.