The Diary of Perpetua is a 90-minute musical adapted directly from the real prison diary of Vibia Perpetua, a young mother arrested in 3rd century North Africa for illegally practicing Christianity. At over 1,800 years old, her words represent one of the oldest known documents from a woman's hand, and yet are startlingly relevant to today. In this modern-dress production, 6 actors take on over 15 characters in a breathtaking journey through the struggles and triumphs of a small group of ordinary Christians who faced the impossible and found Jesus to be more than enough – and more than worth it.
Sure to inspire, challenge, and encourage your church, Perpetua's multicultural setting and relevance to both world history and women's studies make it a uniquely-placed opportunity to reach out to a broad variety of groups in your surrounding community as well. These factors also make it a useful tool for college ministries to spark spiritual conversations on campus. Also an engaging way for youth groups and high-school classes to learn about modern persecution, church history, and the adventure of faith.
All performances are followed by a talkback in which audience members are invited to stay and discuss the show with the cast. Information from The Voice of the Martyrs on modern-day persecution will also be available. * Performance includes some stage violence and intense scenes; may not be ideal for young children.
Hosting a Performance: Still Small Theatre will bring actors, props, costumes, and all equipment, and will provide digital copies of promotional materials (flyers, informational blurbs, etc.). To host a performance, you only need to:
Be willing to continue the conversation with those who come.
Technical Needs: This show can be performed just about anywhere! We need:
a room large enough to set up chairs in a circle (inside the circle should be about 14-20 feet across; this show is performed in the round)
chairs or other seating
2 available wall outlets
a table on which to set up information
That's it!
Cost: There are two options for funding your performance:
$250 fee + donations accepted at the door (offering to be split 50/50 between Still Small Theatre and The Voice of The Martyrs)
OR
$400 flat rate, no audience donation In cases where audience members cannot be expected to contribute anything for admission (e.g. for classrooms), or if you particularly want to offer the performance as a free gift to your community, a $400 flat rate will cover Still Small's expenses and a $50 contribution to The Voice of The Martyrs.
** for venues farther than 100 miles from Beverly MA, travel expenses will be added to these figures