For Liana Del Mastro, the prospect of bringing the greatest story ever told to life on stage is a process that requires thoughtfulness, creativity and most of all, faith. 

“I often meditate on it and find myself looking at Gospel readings where I allow certain things to jump out at me.  I really feel that I was being led by God as to what needed to be said for this year’s production,” said the director and scriptwriter for This Is Jesus, St. Padre Pio Parish's third annual production of the Passion Play. 

With a degree in drama and as the lay pastoral associate at the Vaughan, Ont., parish, Del Mastro’s vision for this year’s play focuses heavily on the four canonical Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and how their accounts of the Passion are woven together. At the forefront is Jesus’ message of love through stories of His healings, testimonies from Scripture, His eventual Passion and death on the Cross and everything in between.

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While Gospel reading excerpts are maintained throughout the play, creative strategies in storytelling promise to deliver the historic play known by many Christians in a way they haven’t experienced before. 

“In this play, time is almost like a construct and so we’re able to go back and forth a little bit. Think about having Jesus, both young and old, on the stage at the same time, almost like a flashback memory for the audience,” she teased. 

“I strongly focused on building relationships on stage and that allows the core messages and themes of what Jesus was trying to do in certain parables and stories to come alive between the actors.” 

Del Mastro was able to share the one scene that stood out to her as having the most emotional impact — the Pietà, where Jesus is taken down from the Cross and laid in Mary’s lap. 

“ It is quite powerful and I have decided at that moment to show a lapse in time where we go back and see young Mary holding her baby. The monologues that those two versions have with each other in talking about holding their son, there was not a dry eye in our cast,” she said. 

For Stephen Monti, a parishioner who will portray Jesus Christ, the hardest element of stepping into such a role is accurately showcasing the balance of humanity and divinity. 

“In the story of His Passion, Christ is shown to be mortal during that time. I have had to find this softness and gentleness that comes with that while still maintaining that divine power that is present within Him,” he said. 

Monti, who portrayed Judas Iscariot in last year’s production, also spoke to his challenges in tapping into a role that holds extreme goodness, rather than the typecast "villain" roles he played in the past. 

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He notes the play’s Last Supper scene as particularly powerful during rehearsal, with the sequence's weight and importance not lost on the cast. 

“Our Mass is so heavily based on that moment and so there has to be that perfect balance of showing that humanness and vulnerability, but at the same time, making sure that you show how beautifully powerful Jesus was,” he said. 

“It’s about how do I nail Jesus’ calmness? Being gentle but powerful at the same time and not misconstruing power with force necessarily. The Last Supper is not the time for that.” 

This is Jesus features over 100 cast and crew who have been working tirelessly to maintain a high-quality production. This includes the music team, consisting of parishioners, St. Padre Pio choir members and other musicians tasked with  adding to the emotional weight of the story without overshadowing the actors on stage. 

Del Mastro notes the play is not a musical per se, but rather a "musically enhanced" production with certain moments being  highlighted and emphasized. 

After hosting nearly 1,300 audience members and raising over $70,000 for the parish during last year’s shows, the director expects similar numbers on April 11 and 13. 

“The feedback after three years has been incredible and to me. The biggest thing is seeing everyone walk away  feeling so engaged and excited to participate in Holy Week Masses because they feel like they have been there already,” Del Mastro said. 

Monti offered a heartfelt glimpse into the role’s profound impact, even before the curtain opens. 

“This play has changed me spiritually in a very positive way and has taken me to a new level of spirituality in my life. It's a blessing to be able to play this character because now I get to bring those teachings, that person of Christ, into my own life,” he said. 

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“Every human interaction that I have, I try to take that little bit of Jesus with me."

Tickets are available online.