LAFPI

South Coast Repertory (Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Paula Tomei) announces the world premiere of Galilee, 34 by Eleanor Burgess. Directed by Davis McCallum, the story exploring the disciples in the aftermath of the Crucifixion, runs on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

Galilee, 34 takes a look at what happened to the disciples after the Crucifixion of Yeshua or Jesus. The healer from Nazareth is dead—and his followers are determined to keep sharing his message. The problem is the Roman Empire wants them out of the picture. And they don’t have a leader. And they can’t quite agree on exactly what that message is. With wit and intelligence, one of the country’s most exciting writers takes audiences back to the start of a world-changing movement for a deeply personal look at those who made it happen.

Known for her Emmy-nominated role in “Judging Amy,” “The Old Man,” and numerous film credits (Casper, Fear, Daylight, Heat, Friends and Neighbors, among others), Amy Brenneman makes her SCR debut as Miriam of Nazareth. She joins a stellar cast featuring Eric Berryman (Yacov of Nazareth), Christopher Cruz (Linus/Stranger), Teresa Avia Lim (Miri of Magdala), Sharon Omi (Elishiva), Benjamin Pelteson (Shimon of Bethsaida), Jeremy Rabb (Mattiyahu/Ezra) and Raviv Ullman (Saul of Tarsus).

“Eleanor Burgess’ Galilee, 34 asks evocative and smart questions about ‘what if?’ On a cover page of the script she writes, ‘None of this happened, but all of it is true.’ I love how this encapsulates Eleanor’s adventurous, intelligent, hilarious and human new play about the chronicling of biblical history,” Ivers said. “As she wrestles with the legacy of Yeshua in an ancient world, Galilee, 34 elevates voices left out, illuminates new context and builds the foundation for a dimensional and complicated narrative. Galilee, 34 is a thrilling addition to our PPF roster of world premiere productions.”

Galilee, 34 was a reading at the 2023 Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF), where it was well-received. It continues SCR’s commitment to producing and showcasing new works from talented playwrights. In 2024, it’s one of two anchoring productions of PPF.

Previews: Apr. 21-25, 2024
First Night: Apr. 26, 2024
Regular Performances: Apr. 27 – May 12, 2024
American Sign Language Performance: Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m.

A high-school history teacher before she became a writer, Burgess spent three years researching and writing Galilee, 34, diving into Jewish and Christian theology, the Roman Empire, the history of the Kingdom of Judea and the daily life of the people living there in the first century CE.

“There was a clear jumping-off point that led me to think about these people,” she said. “What if you’re a human being who has encountered the divine and who is now struggling to hold onto that feeling and to figure out what the divine looks like when applied to real, daily life? What if the way forward wasn’t all revealed to them, but instead they were normal human beings who had to figure out what to do—and they disagreed about it?

“I wanted to tell the most famous story on Earth as if the outcome weren’t a foregone conclusion. What if the figures we’ve turned into saints were capable of jealousy, uncertainty, grief, cruelty? Even failure? My goal with Galilee, 34 was to take things we’ve turned into hallowed traditions and put a human face on them.”

A versatile and prolific writer, Burgess’s work has been produced across the United States and internationally, at Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center, Geffen Playhouse, Huntington Theatre Company, the Alliance Theatre, Writers Theatre, Finborough Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Geva Theatre Center, InterAct Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Contemporary American Theatre, Festival, Portland Stage Company, and Centenary Stage. She has also developed work with the New Group, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Company, Lark Play Development Center, and The Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop. She has been a member of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages, Page 73’s writers’ group Interstate 73, The Civilians’ R&D Group, and New York Theatre Workshop’s 2050 Fellowship.

Her television credits include work on “Perry Mason” for HBO, “WeCrashed” for Apple TV and “Interview with the Vampire” for AMC. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, Burgess studied history at Yale College and Dramatic Writing at NYU/Tisch.