‘Church & State’: Despite COVID, the Show Goes On

Talking Horse Productions presents powerful, timely play

The first weekend of Talking Horse Production’s eagerly anticipated CHURCH & STATE was postponed due to COVID within the cast, but the timely play by Jason Odwell Williams will now be performed August 15-18 and August 21-25.

“As much as we are disappointed having to postpone, the health and safety of our cast, production team, and attendees must always come first,” said Ed Hanson, Talking Horse’s board chair. He said the production house was disappointed at postponing, but added that “the health and safety of our cast, production team, and attendees must always come first.”

Tickets may be purchased at www.TalkingHorseProductions.org. For those who purchased a ticket for the scrubbed first weekend, Talking Horse will honor that purchase during the revised schedule. To exchange existing tickets for another date — or to obtain a refund — contact Talking Horse at [email protected].

Chris Campbell as Sen. Charles Whitmore in CHURCH & STATE at Talking Horse Productions. *Photo courtesy of Talking Horse Productions*

The previously scheduled talkback with playwright Jason Odell Williams will now occur after the matinee performance on Sunday, August 18, 2024. Talking Horse Productions is located at 210 St. James Street in downtown Columbia’s growing Northeast Arts District. The production features Chris Campbell, Nora Dietzel, Colin Gardner, and Daneille Simpson.

Williams has taken a personal interest in this production.

“While most writers hope that their work will live forever, my dream for this play is that it will become obsolete,” he said. “And many years from now, people will read CHURCH & STATE and think, ‘How quaint! Americans used to argue about gun control.’ Until then, I am grateful for Talking Horse Productions’ willingness to tell this important story and director Mary Paulsell’s passionate belief in this play and its mission.”

The production is sponsored by Missouri Arts Council, City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs, KBIA, Cumulus, Shelter Insurance, Columbia College, Les Bourgeois, Barbara Fairman, Barbara Favazza, Joanne Fulton, Nikki and Aaron Krawitz, Ann and David Mehr, Joan and Stephen Mudrick, Margie Sable, Bonnie Trickey, Julie Youmans and Fred Young, Vicky Riback Wilson.

The play’s synopsis is uncannily similar to present-day reality. Three days before his bid for reelection, and in the wake of a school shooting in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, a Republican U.S. senator makes an off-the-cuff comment to a blogger that gets leaked, calling into question the senator’s stance on guns and God. As his devoutly Christian wife and liberal Jewish campaign manager try to contain the damage, this look at how religion influences politics and how politics has become a religion is simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting.

“One need only turn on the news to understand the burning relevance of this play, which asks all of us to consider our feelings about the role of government, gun control, and the politicization of religion,” said Mary Paulsell, the play’s director. “Are the lines beginning to blur? When did we begin equating God with guns? Are thoughts and prayers for the victims enough, or do we owe our nation more? This sadly relevant work from Jason Odell Williams calls all of these questions — and more.”

Williams, a New York-based playwright, has taken a personal interest in this production.

“While most writers hope that their work will live forever, my dream for this play is that it will become obsolete,” he said in a news release. “And many years from now, people will read CHURCH & STATE and think, ‘How quaint. Americans used to argue about gun control.’ Until then, I am grateful for Talking Horse Productions’ willingness to tell this important story and director Mary Paulsell’s passionate belief in this play and its mission.”

Incoming artistic director Randall Kenneth Jones added: “We are so grateful for the time and attention Jason Odell Williams has personally given this production. His advice and support mean everything to a theatre like ours: the little Talking Horse that could.”

The production is sponsored by Missouri Arts Council, city of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs, KBIA, Cumulus, Shelter Insurance, Columbia College, Les Bourgeois, Barbara Fairman, Barbara Favazza, Joanne Fulton, Nikki and Aaron Krawitz, Ann and David Mehr, Joan and Stephen Mudrick, Margie Sable, Bonnie Trickey, Julie Youmans and Fred Young, Vicky Riback Wilson.