Breaking Day

A lockdown Passion Play by Les Ellison

As day begins to break on Good Friday, the occupying Governor’s tenuous grip on authority is slipping. It’s festival time in Jerusalem but his wife is plagued with disturbing dreams. Amid the demands of the Sanhedrin and the murderous cries of the mob, the lines between personal and political in Pilate’s house start to blur.  The teacher at the centre of it all remains silent.

Confused by the hopes and fears of her people, a Jewish servant in the Praetorium clearly knows more than she should. Pilate wrestles with a quandary of his own devising, while outside momentum is gathering – the power of the Capitol in tension with the will of the people.

Created during the lockdowns of early 2021, Breaking Day is a virtual passion play filmed and edited remotely which speaks right to the heart of Easter in our modern world. With start intimacy, it casts a surprising light on the death of Jesus from inside the Governor’s household, immersing us in the decisions that led to crucifixion.

 

You can rent Breaking Day to watch at home for a limited time through Vimeo on Demand or buy a license from us to show to more viewers at church. Our digital programme is free to download below.

 

 

 

You can also watch our trailer below

 

 

Crosslight: Trailer

Next week our 2017 passion play, Crosslight, goes into rehearsal. We’re delighted to welcome Sarah Finch, John Holden-White and Matthew Rutherford back for a second tour.

We also have a brand new trailer using some of Tom Jackson’s stunning photos and Jonathan Bidgood’s excellent music from the show. Take a look…

You can find your closest performance of Crosslight at ridinglights.org/crosslight or give us a call 01904 613000.

Crosslight: Dress Rehearsal Photos

As Crosslight heads out on tour here are a few picks from the dress rehearsal photo shoot.

Many thanks to Tom Jackson who took these fantastic photos.

Crosslight is touring nationally from the 24th February  to the 26th March. You can find a full list of performances at ridinglights.org/crosslight. Or try the tour map to quickly locate a show near you.

Crosslight: Now booking for 2016

We are looking for venues for our 2016 passion play.

Crosslight-WEB-POSTERWritten by Paul Burbridge for 2016, Crosslight approaches the Easter story from the perspective of the disciple who got it badly wrong…

Caught in the crosslight of the flickering candles at the last supper, the torches of Gethsemane, the firelight in the courtyard, by the searching gaze of his Lord, Simon ‘the rock’ is shattered.

As he hangs from the cross, Jesus is surrounded by a jeering crowd, laughing at his claim to be the Son of God. A small group of family and friends stands by until the agony ends. But the great friend who, more than any other, has stood by Jesus throughout the story is conspicuous by his absence.

We will be touring the show from the 23rd February to 26th March 2016.
If you would like to book a performance for your community get in touch with Beth on 01904 655317 or email beth@rltc.org

You can find out more about the show at ridinglights.org/crosslight

Inheritance – 2015 production photos

Looking as good as ever, here’s a selection of photos taken by Andrew Dyer at the dress rehearsal of the 2015 production of Inheritance.

You can find the full list of Inheritance performances here.

Coming up in 2015…

Looking at the ‘what’s on’ page of this website, January might appear to be a quiet month for us, but that’s not the case. The office here at Friargate is a hive of planning, plotting, and preparation (and maybe a smidge of cleaning up after Christmas). In particular we’ll be welcoming our new Roughshod company into the building to start devising and rehearsing their 2015 show IrRESISTible.

Still January is also the perfect time to tell you all about the projects that we’ve got lined up for the next year, so…

Here’s what we’re got in store for 2015

 

Inheritance: 26 Feb – 4 AprilINHERITANCE

A second tour for Bridget Foreman’s acclaimed Passion Play which places the events of Holy Week into the community where Jesus lived and the traditions with which he wrestled. In the shadow of the cross, Inheritance casts light on some of the women Jesus stands alongside, sharing in their suffering. Combining theatre and worship, the Church Times praised the play as “the Passion story in close-up: intense, intimate …a piece of perfection.” 

[more info about Inheritance here]

 

Roughshod IrRESISTable: 7 March – 1 AugRoughshod_Van-and-Tag-WEB

Touring to churches, schools, prisons (and many more places who’ll invite us) in 2015 Roughshod will be telling stories of hopes and hazards, asking ‘what does it cost to make a difference’? This year Roughshod have partnered with Open Doors, a charity which serves persecuted Christians worldwide, to create work in celebration of their 60th anniversary.

[more info about Roughshod here]

 

Living Stones 2015: 23 May – 31 MayLiving-Stones-WS

Perhaps one of the most special and unusual ways to visit the Holy Land, Living Stones is a pilgrimage with a unique dramatic ingredient offered by Riding Lights’ involvement. Wherever possible, actors travelling with the tour will recreate stories associated with the places we are visiting as well as other moments of impromptu performance. Join us and Lightline Pilgrimages for this very unique holiday.

[more info about Living Stones here]

 

Summer Theatre School: 25 July – 1 AugGYATFace

Once again we’ll be retuning to Queen Margaret’s School near York for a wonderful week of creativity and performance. We’re running three new courses this year, with the return of a writers course (Inside Story), the chance to expand your vocal skills and devise a brand new live ‘radio’ play (Free Speech) and, in co-operation with Springs Dance Company, a movement and dance course (Giant Leaps).

[more info about Summer School here]

 

Into the autumn…

Plans are currently being made for a brand new National Tour looking at ecological issues in the autumn (more on this soon), and we will finish the year with our usual family Christmas Shows, including a national tour of A Christmas Cracker after it delighted audiences in Yorkshire in 2014.

At Friargate Theatre

Don’t forget, we’ve also got a packed programme at Friargate Theatre here in York. Of particular note for spring 2015 are the performances as part of the York Literature Festival and the York International Shakespeare Festival. If you’re in the area, don’t forget to check out what we’ve got going on on the Friargate page of this website.

Exciting stuff, we hope you’ll agree. If you’d like to keep updated about everything which Riding Lights get up to, why not sign up to the mailing list.

Inheritance: trailer

Just one week to go before our first performance of Inheritance at Halifax Minster on the 14th March.

Fancy a taste of the show? Here’s the trailer:

You can find our more, and see a full list of performances over on the Inheritance tour page.