Staging the Mystery

by Kent Annan

Drama has long been part of the PTS curriculum; this year’s production of Job: A Mystery Play was a reaffirmation of why. For two nights the Book of Job, one of Scripture’s most dramatic stories, came to life on the Mackay Auditorium stage—to the benefit of the PTS community and people from the Princeton area.

In the many hours preparing to stage the play, students collaborated, wrestled with theological questions, supported each other, and learned more about the way Scripture, theology, and art can work together—all of which they will take with them when they move from study in seminary to ministry in the church.

Here are the stories of three main participants in Job: Cress Darwin (actor who played Job, M.Div. student, former professional actor and television producer), Sandra Costen Kunz (author of the script, Ph.D. candidate, writer, and educator), and J.B. Redding (actor who played the Accuser, M.Div. student, founder and CEO of a business that cares for severely disabled people). They brought unique perspectives to their respective roles; their stories are testimony to the rich student life on Princeton’s campus.

An Unpredictable Plot: From Broadway to Princeton Seminary “Princeton is the next step in obedience for me,” says Cress Darwin, M.Div. middler. He had successful careers as a professional actor in New York City and then as cofounder of a production company that made eighteen biographies (including of Tony Bennett, Charles Schultz, and Jimmy Stewart) for the cable channel A&E.  more

Caring for the Severely Disabled J.B. Redding brought a profound and unique perspective of suffering to her first year as an M.Div. student and to her role as the Accuser in the Seminary’s presentation of Job: A Mystery Play. more Making Scripture into Drama Sandra Costen Kunz began outlining  Job: A Mystery Play in 1992. It made it to Princeton Seminary’s auditorium stage in spring 2001. Robert Lancaster, a visiting lecturer in speech at PTS who worked for twenty-five years as a professional actor and director, helped Kunz with the script and directed the play. PTS students brought it to life as actors, musicians, and production staff. more

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