Tetelestai 1981 Season
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The Tennessean - March 22, 1981
Passion Play Set to Music Scheduled
A contemporary musical passion play, Tetelestai, depicting the events in the last week in the life of Jesus, will be presented in Nashville with four performances.
Originating at the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio, with a cast of 60 young people, it will be performed Tuesday and Wednesday at
Bellevue High School, and Thursday and Friday at the First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. and admission is free.
IN PORTRAYING that final week it includes the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the trial, Crucifixion and Resurrection. Scriptures provide the basis for
the dialogue and the original lyrics, written by two brothers as part of an outreach ministry for teenage youths of the Upper Arlington church.
The title of the play is the Greek word for "It is finished," the sixth word of Jesus on the cross.
Written by Joel Nagy, a drama graduate of Dartmouth College, with music composed by his brother Russ, graduate of the University of Cincinnati College
Conservatory of Music, the play has two acts, each some 50 minutes in length, and over 30 original vocal and instrumental numbers.
THE ROLE of Christ is played by Dave Fullen, who has appeared in it in all seven previous companies of the production. He's a graduate of Ohio State University in
classics and has done post graduate work in music, majoring in classical guitar.
Although the music is contemporary, ranging from blues to folk and rock, the costumes are traditional and the show is played in open stage style on a
multilevel set with a minimum of props and scenery.