STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS – A student’s theater assignment at Tarleton State University, which was supposed to be just for classmates, has gained a far wider audience.
For an advanced directing class, John Jordan Otte, 26, chose to present Corpus Christi, a 1998 play that depicts a gay Christ-like character in modern-day Texas. The Christ figure performs a marriage ceremony for two of his disciples, who are also gay.
The play has stirred controversy on the campus of the Stephenville, Texas, university, and beyond. Some who identify themselves as conservative Christians said they were particularly incensed that the play would be performed this Saturday — the day before Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most solemn and sacred of Christian celebrations.
“It’s just sticking a thumb in the eye of the standards of this community,” Carroll Cawyer of Stephenville told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That’s what a lot of people are upset about.”
Otte, who told the Star-Telegram that he is openly gay, said the play is intended to convey a message of tolerance and love.
“We all share this world,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “We’re no different. Everything Christ has said applies to us as well.”
Tarleton’s president, F. Dominic Dottavio, said in a March 11 letter to the university that he allowed the play to be presented on campus because Tarleton “is committed to protecting and preserving the freedoms of thought, speech and expression.”
Mark Holtorf, an associate professor of theater at Tarleton State, also defended the presentation of the one-act play, which was written by Terrence McNally and which debuted in New York City.
“Having lived in Stephenville for more than 20 years, I am very committed to this community and I take care when selecting productions,” he said in a news release.
Corpus Christi is one of four student-directed plays to be presented Saturday. Seating is very limited, university officials said, and the performances are for students only — not the general public.
The university police department, assisted by other officers, will provide security during the presentaion, said Justin Williams, the campus police chief.
Liza Benedict, a Tarleton State spokesperson, defended the right of Otte to choose the play, and the right of others to object.
“If someone wants to protest, that is part of their First Amendment rights,” she said, “just as it is the student’s First Amendment right to put on the play.
Stephenville is in Erath County, about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth
from The Dallas Morning News