Albany actor offers one-man show of Christ's life

"Stuck" on the corner of Delaware and Holland in Albany, "waiting for a city bus in the middle of winter," a young Michael McNamara never envisioned returning to the Capital District as the Second Coming.

The former Albany resident, now an actor with Saint Luke Productions in Oregon, is currently touring the country in a one-man show, "The Passion According to Luke."

In the hour-long drama, Mr. McNamara portrays Jesus on the eve of His death and resurrection, as well as Pontius Pilate, Peter, Luke and a host of others who make an appearance towards the end of the Gospel.

Being Christ

Mr. McNamara, who attended Christian Brothers Academy, discovered Saint Luke Productions while working as a rehabilitation therapist at Albany's Center for the Disabled. Impressed by the company's production of the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Mr. McNamara "felt drawn to the ministry" and auditioned.

Each night, he told The Evangelist, his toughest onstage challenge is "to be honest about my portrayal" and give the audience a performance "from the heart."

The audience "can see if you're just being phony, or you're talking about something you don't believe yourself," he explained. "I depend a lot on God's grace and the gifts He's given me to get through a performance. Portraying Jesus is very humbling. It's a constant reminder of how much work I need to do in my own life."

Mr. McNamara is especially challenged when he switches roles and takes on Pilate's thoughts and actions.

"He's caught in the middle," the actor said. "A part of him wants to say, 'No, I'm not going to do it,' but he gives into the pressure of the world. He thinks people are going to respect him if he makes the decision [to crucify Jesus]. And that's very true for all of us."

Sacred drama

Mr. McNamara describes the show as a form of evangelization, based in the ancient concept of sacred drama, which uses dance, movement, acting and music to communicate religious concepts to an audience.

"It's an old practice that's dwindled away," he said, noting that sacred drama was popular when a majority of the population was illiterate and could not read Scripture for themselves.

He called the art form "a powerful kind of communication" for modern audiences. Seeing the Gospel enacted, he said, can help audiences understand and process what they've already read and heard, making the "experience of hearing the Word more powerful."

Saints alive

Sacred drama can also tell the stories of saints' lives, a subject with which Mr. McNamara has always been fascinated.

"The saints are real," he said. "The saints are our hope. Everybody can relate to a saint. There are saints who have every vice, every weakness, every vexation and type of life you can imagine. Their stories are extraordinary."

In particular, Mr. McNamara has always been enthralled with one of the Albany Diocese's own saints, Isaac Jogues.

"I like him very much, because of his zeal," the actor said. "He never gave up. A lot of the saints that inspire me went into uncharted territory and overcame incredible odds."

("The Passion According to Luke" will be presented at St. Clement's Church in Saratoga Springs on March 15, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door. Call 584-6122 for information on advance sales.)

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