By Katarzyna Pipin
James Richardson sits on the steps of the altar admiring the grandeur of the Christ Church Cathedral.
“I remember the first time I walked in here last April and I just said ‘Wow.’”
Richardson is the founder of the Third Wall Theatre Company which is performing offstage this week as it brings T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral to Sparks Street.
“The overall dramatic power of this place was too unbelievable to pass up,” he says.
It is Richardson’s first time producing a play outside of a theatre but he says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Christ Church Cathedral approached him with the idea of directing the play in their cathedral, he says he couldn’t refuse.
Written in 1935, Murder in the Cathedral is one of the great plays of the century.
It tells the true story of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered by the king’s knights.
Becket’s appointment as the archbishop resulted from his friendship with King Henry II who valued Becket’s allegiance to the throne.
Once appointed, Becket transferred his loyalties to the Church, angering the king and inciting four of his knights to kill him in a cathedral.
He was canonized three years later.
“By bringing the audience into this space and not having to alter it…you can just have knights storming in through everybody in the cathedral! It would be pathetic in a theatre,” Richardson says.
While he admits he couldn’t replicate the cathedral onstage, Richardson says filling the space has been a challenge for the company.
Among the production’s additions are dramatic lighting effects, costumes from the period and a choir which will sing medieval songs.
The cast has also had to make some changes.
“Here in the cathedral, the grandeur of the place resonates so deeply,” says William Beddoe, who plays Thomas Becket. “A film voice is not going to reach the back of the hall obviously. It’s a heightened style and you have to fill that space.”
The group has been practicing at the church for the last few weeks.
“It’s a good place to have it and it’s in the tradition of the church,” says Rev. Canon William Fairlie of Christ Church Cathedral. “The cathedral has always been open to the community. We do a lot of concerts and events.”
The proceeds will go towards restoration projects at the church.
“Even though we’ve only been around for a year, a lot of people are interested,” says Richardson. “I truly believe that this will be a huge event.”
The theatre group will fill the cathedral for four consecutive nights starting January 22.
Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors and students. For information call 236-1425.