THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, by Kathy Randels (ArtSpot Productions, New Orleans)
Saturday, May 24 at 7 PM, Pay-What-You-Can ($20 Suggested)

The Road to Damascus (as told by Grandmother to Little Red) is written and performed by Kathy Randels and directed and co-created with Odile Del Giudice. The piece draws upon Randels’ upbringing by two generations of Southern Baptist preachers, and making theatre with incarcerated women at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women for 24 years.

The Road to Damascus began as a prayer for the release of Gloria “Mama Glo” Williams, a longtime member of the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women Drama Club whose 52 years behind bars was the longest sentence served at the prison.   From 2019-2022, a “Free Mama Glo” campaign was held with many organizations including ArtSpot Productions to encourage Louisiana’s Governor John Bel Edwards to grant her pardon, which he finally did on January 25, 2022.

The play: Grandmother is an incarcerated woman who tells the story of Saul/Paul’s conversion experience to her granddaughter during prison visits to illuminate the persecutorial nature of the system in which they live. They share stories of encounters with the Wolf and the Huntsman that leave questions as to which of these two figures is predator and which is savior. The play examines the perpetrator/victim/savior dynamic that is present in both stories, in ourselves, and in our national consciousness. 

The creative team includes Designers Diane Baas (lighting), Kevin Griffith (set), Steve Gilliland (sound and music) and Shawn Hall (costumes), along with stage manager Tricia Anderson.