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‘The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’ – a performance by Jo Clifford
February 9 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Join us after our Midsumma service for a special performance of ‘The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’ by Jo Clifford, hosted by St Michael’s.
Join Queen Jesus for a revolutionary queer ritual in which bread is shared, wine is drunk and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus.
This unique and award-winning show combines theatre with storytelling and ritual in a way that, according to one audience member, “leaves everyone feeling blessed”.
‘The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’ is one of the first plays in the UK to be written by, and star, a trans actor.
The play focuses on the beauty of the gospels, imagining Jesus coming back to earth in the present day in the shape of a trans woman and asks, “what is Jesus’ message? What would they say?”
This performance is open to everyone at no cost, but if you are able, we will be collecting donations to cover Jo’s travel costs.
Bookings are not required.
Find our ‘Midsumma at St Michael’s’ program here
An interview with Jo Clifford
About Jo Clifford
Jo Clifford is a playwright, a performer and the author of over a hundred plays.
Her work has been translated in many languages and performed worldwide.
Currently living in Edinburgh, Jo describes herself as a very proud dad of two daughters and grandmother of two grandchildren. She is a church elder and a “saint”! She has been named a Saint Jo, Scribe of our Souls by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for her work done for the LGBTIQA+ community, particularly with her play, ‘The Gospel according to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’.
About ‘The Gospel according to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’.
At boarding school, Jo had a supposedly Christian upbringing and was very familiar with the King James Bible, the cadences and language of which has been highly influential in her writing.
After becoming an atheist and turning away from religion, Jo returned to the Gospels in 2006 and was amazed at the beauty of the words and the figure of Jesus. Jesus, who always shows compassion for people suffering prejudice. The Gospel stories moved Jo, who was experiencing prejudice, isolation and marginalisation as a trans woman in Scotland in the early 2000s. She wanted to retell those stories she could relate to through her perspective. So, she created a story about love, of Jesus, coming to earth as a trans woman, in present day. ‘The Gospel according to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’ invites the audience to imagine this and wonder, what would Jesus’ message be?
‘The Gospel according to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’ hasn’t always been performed in church spaces but for Jo playing in a church feels very important. Jo says, allowing queer people to have a presence in church feels very important, a way in which the church can make amends. Jo has always believed there is a spiritual dimension to our lives, says it is important that we respect and address people’s spiritual needs in life.
The Gospels are a story of love and equality, because, as Jo aptly puts it, “in the end we are all equal in the face of death, we really all should love each other, because what else can we do?”
