EdFringe Talk: Breaking Up with Jesus

Posted in *Written Interviews, EdFestivals 2023 by

“I learned that if you ask a coffee shop/bookstore to host your fundraiser and they have never hosted an event like yours, you take the lead and give them the space to say no if necessary.”

WHO: Joseph Richards

WHAT: “Getting out of a toxic relationship is hard, especially when you happen to be dating Jesus Christ. Joseph Richards blends stand-up and dramatic storytelling on their journey back home to the Southern US to revisit their toxic ex. Along the way, audiences will meet a loving stepdad, a Baptist preacher and a pivotal nightgown. Join Joseph as they break up with Jesus nightly in this one-person show dealing with family, gender, sexuality, religion, loss and forgiveness.”

WHERE: theSpace on the Mile – Space 1 (Venue 39) 

WHEN: 21:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time to Edinburgh after a path that began with watching The Young Ones and Suzy Izzard whenever they appeared on US television in the 1980s and 90s. I soon learned that all that wit and mayhem ended up and was honed at the Fringe, which was a magical place for absurdity, failure and beauty, often at once. Now that I’ve created my own show, I finally have the chance to be a part of that. A great festival is one that is a mad jigsaw of possibilities where pieces are odd, yet they fit together. A great festival is a series of planned accidents and unplanned encounters. It is hearing human (and other animal) sounds emanating from a tent, or church, or street and dipping in with no expectations.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2022, I have learned that a homemade scone is better than one you can purchase because you end up with dough under your fingernails. I learned that if you ask a coffee shop/bookstore to host your fundraiser and they have never hosted an event like yours, you take the lead and give them the space to say no if necessary. I’ve learned that I like kombucha, which is embarrassing and feels like one step away from starting my own detritus-fueled tofu farm in California. I have absorbed none of these lessons because I prefer to relearn until the pain of the same mistakes finally etches knowledge on my skin.

Tell us about your show.

To paraphrase Joan Osborne, what if Jesus was one of us and what if that Jesus was a pansexual, cheating, jealous manipulative partner? This show is a way to reckon with my history of being an evangelical Christian, so wrapped up in Jesus that I “spoke in tongues, but forgot my own name.” And what better way to deal with the toxic effects of a judgy Jesus than through a classic break-up story that moves through the three major ways Jesus betrayed me. I wrote the show as part of a performance class during my doctoral program (still ongoing). The premise of the show originally started on a stand-up stage with a naughty and not-so-great punchline. Fortunately, the course instructor, Joseph Megel, saw potential and agreed to direct the show. I debuted it over four performances in North Carolina December 2021. I’m taking it wherever people will have me after Edinburgh. My biggest goal is to get this show into a church one day.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

People have to see Untrue Diana by Linus Karp. It looks to encapsulate exactly what the Fringe is about. People also need to see Breaking Open, the debut show from my friend Oskar Saville, former lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs. I’ve heard her talking about the origins of the show and the story and I have a feeling that everyone who sees her perform will walk away moved. People should see Isabel Klein’s Showstopper. She’s hilarious on Instagram and the show will be a blast! Nicole Nadler’s Why Am I Like This? is a beautiful, funny and painful story of ADHD. YUCK Circus looks like it is going to be phenomenal! And I’ll end by suggesting Vanessa Larry Mitchell’s Teardrops on my Dildo. I mean, how can you miss that one?

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