Human is a theatrepiece originally written over 18 months between 1998 and 1999 for the GROK theatre company. It was performed at the Black Stump festival in 1999 and was received with exceptional enthusiasm.

Alas, it was not long after Black Stump that GROK decided to call it a day, and so the play has sat for six months before it was recast with the talented Brad Emery in the supporting role vacated by GROK's James Scott.

Theme

Human explores the humanity of Christ – in no way ignoring his divinity but trying into get some of the deeper issues that we often brush over. Inspired by works such as Yancey's The Jesus I Never Knew, the play digs deeper than the surface we only barely scratch in our popular culture views of Christ.

A pivotal scene in the play is Jesus' temptation in the desert - being covered by only a few lines scripturally, it is often treated as a foregone conclusion: of course Jesus would overcome the Devil! But somehow this 'easy' victory leaves us with a picture of Jesus who is incomplete – a saviour who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses.

The play explores these issues, along with themes such as the portrayal of Christ in popular culture. Ruth Richie of the Sydney Morning Herald coined the expression "Jesus Acting" – that glazed-eyed, dreamlike state that people go into when they portray Jesus (or anyone associated with him). The play has a satirical look at this, drawing it into the real theme: what was it like when the world saw the Man Who Was God?

Style

The style of Human is its true strength. Not just a play but a multimedia performance, Human uses music, video and some impressive computer-generated animation sequences to explore, provoke and entertain. These sequences, particularly the now-famous MessiahWorld sequence, have received much attention and feedback since the play's inception.

At the heart of the play, however, is one character: Jesus. Human offers a portrayal of Jesus – acknowledging as it does that it is an impossible role to get right, but also pointing out that so many people get it so wrong so often. In some ways, Human can be offensive without seeking to be, simply by having a portrayal of Christ that is more complex than the "Jesus Acting" method so often employed.

Thumbtacks

Human lasts approximately one hour, depending on many factors including audience response (it is a reasonably witty play, and some audiences can be rowdier than others).

The issues in the play are fairly complex, working on many levels. For this reason, it is not recommend it as a 'family' show – it really will lose the kids. The recommended audience is 17+. Younger teenagers will cope with it, but it needs to be performed in front of a predominantly older audience.

For more information, or to explore the possibilities of booking Human for your group, E-Mail fraser@fallingrocks.com.au or phone 02 9869 1083.

Feedback

"I saw the play Human at Blackstump. It is quite safe to say that I was quite profoundly blown away."

"So many times in the last week people have said things that brings back memories of that play… it did allow me to change my perspective on the way I see Jesus."

"The excellent computer generated graphics in Human that featured at Black Stump this year - did you guys make that? How? It was pretty impressive. Is there a copy that I can look at on the web?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for yours and James' work, and that your new play Human really hit a chord with me."

"I expect Human is getting rave reviews - I had a few people rave to me about it."

"Can I say again that I thought that Human was excellent… [my father] thought it was great!! He especially liked the Rugby line and the John Lennon line. More to the point he loved the whole depiction of Jesus as MAN."

"I thought Human was really good… I was wondering how you did Messiah World? Is it an mpg and can it be made into a screen saver??????"

"I sat quite stunned at the brilliant work and the ingenious nature of the theme park, and for the first time, found that there was something useful that could be done with Spice Girls music! … 'Human' was brilliant from beginning to end and I wouldn't have changed a thing.”

"It was a very wierd feeling to see a section of "Human" again [at GROK's final show]… the whole memory of seeing it at Blackstump came back and sent shivers down my spine. If and when you recast could you please tell me when it will be performed."