Celebrating a religious revolution!
HISTORY is littered with people whose actions and ideas have changed the world. These people have shaped society as we know it and their legacies often last hundreds of years. Martin Luther was such a man, writes Catherine Gilmartin of Ballina Arts Centre.
Born in 1483, Luther was a German monk, priest and university professor who defied the Catholic Church, escaped execution and struck a blow at Christendom from which it never recovered. His founding of Protestantism changed the course of Western European religion forever.
Five-hundred years later his legacy remains intact. This year marks the quincentenary of the Luther’s religious Reformation. Amongst the many commemorative events celebrating the fact will be The First Protestant, a new play written by Sligo man Gerry Farrell and produced by Splódar Theatre Company.
The First Protestant takes an interesting slant on the life of Luther, examining his life from a psychoanalytical perspective and posing the question: was he truly devout and divinely inspired, or did he really have deep and complex psychological issues?
The play will be staged in Ballina Arts Centre this evening (Thursday, October 26). Authored by psychotherapist and actor Gerry Farrell, the play is a psychological dual between the pious Luther – suffering from acute anxiety and pathological guilt about his sexual feelings when ‘the devil tempts him at night’ – and the atheistic Analyst, loosely based on Sigmund Freud.
The cynical and scientific Analyst speculates as to whether Luther’s defiance of the Pope was really a projection of his deep resentment towards his father, at whose hands he had suffered what we would call today physical and emotional abuse. But the play is laced with the history of the time - the printing press, which was the internet of its day, a banking collapse, austerity for peasants and a Europe in fear of radical Islam. Sound familiar?
Anyone with an interest in psychology will find much to interest them in this play. Indeed, not just Martin Luther but the counselling process as practised today comes under the microscope. The labelling of Martin Luther by the Analyst with the term ‘Father Complex’ and subsequently with a ‘Martyr Complex’ is a swipe at the practice by mental health professionals to label. While the Analyst analyses Luther, the audience might find itself analysing the Analyst and wondering does he not have his own psychological issues.
“This play brings together three great loves in my long career: theatre, psychology and history,” says Gerry Farrell. “Here we have a historical figure living in a historical time so similar to our own, who we can now scrutinize with all the psychological techniques developed over the past two centuries. And we are doing this in a theatre, using dramatic techniques.
“Writing the play was hard work but I have loved it, and I believe all good art needs a lot of hard work and a lot of love. That, I hope, will be its appeal. Whether audiences agree or disagree with the play's themes, I feel certain they will appreciate its depth and authenticity.”
Fascinating
One of the most fascinating aspects of the play is the historical backdrop. The similarities between 16th century Europe and the 21st century version are striking. Back then, they had the recently-invented printing press which revolutionised the speed of communication and the culture of pamphlets where literally anyone could publish an opinion. Nowadays we have the internet and social media.
Gerry takes up the theme: “Yes. They had a banking collapse, we had a banking collapse. The German banks insisted on getting their money back, which caused brutal austerity for peasants and they ended up having a peasants’ war. We have had austerity because of the insistence of German banks getting their money back and there have been sporadic rebellions and protests across Europe.
“They had the Holy Roman Empire. We have the EU, which is based on the Treaty of Rome. There was a fear of the Holy Roman Empire breaking up because of German princes wanting to go it alone. We have Brexit!”
As Luther verbally spars with the Analyst, the audience learns about his thinking and reasoning as a theologian.
If one has ever wondered about the difference between Protestantism and Catholicism, then this play could be the vehicle to laying out the answers. Although respectful of theological perspectives, audiences are likely to find some of the beliefs of 16th century theologians more than just amusing.
The role Luther is played by well-known Sligo actor Michael Roper. He says: “What I love about this play and particularly playing the part of Luther is that when I am at my most serious and sincere as the character, the audiences are likely to be falling around laughing.
“The comedy in the play emerges in the contrast between the devout and serious Luther and the cynical and unbelieving Analyst. It’s the best kind of comedy, where the fun emerges rather than being contrived. I remember when I read the play first I thought to myself, ‘How can one person know so much and then be able to condense it so well and then round this off by making it all so intelligible and entertaining?’ It is, I think, a work of genius!”
Don’t miss the chance to see The First Protestant for one night only at Ballina Arts Centre this evening, starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at €15/€12. To book, telephone (096) 73593 or log on to www.ballinaartscentre.com.