There are odd couples. And then there’s the lapsed Catholic and the radical secular socialist Jew, working together on a play about two other unlikely couples.
Ami Dayan’s new play, “Conviction,” is based on the true story of a Spanish Catholic priest who marries a Jewish woman during the Inquisition. Five hundred years later in Franco’s 1960s Madrid, an Israeli professor is being interrogated by an inquisitor of his own after having stolen the confidential file detailing the outlawed medieval affair.
So why did the Israeli Dayan turn to the lapsed Catholic Jeremy Cole to direct his translation and adaptation of Oren Neeman’s award-winning Israeli play?
“Because I know more about Judaism than he does,” said Cole, drawing laughter and a high-five from his fast friend.
“It’s true,” said Dayan, who was born in Israel, a relative of the Israeli war hero Moshe Dayan. He served as a medic and as an Israeli Air Force rescue-team commander before taking up residence in Boulder.
Cole was a longtime fixture in the Colorado theater community, most recently having directed the award-winning “Metamorphoses” for The Avenue Theater in 2004 before moving to San Francisco.
“I insisted on having Jeremy co-direct, but I had no idea what a draw he is in Denver until now,” Dayan said. “This is the homecoming of a pillar in the theatrical community.”
“Conviction,” based on the novel “Confession,” by Yonatan Ben- Nachum, was first commissioned to be a one-man play by the Denver Center Theatre Company, which helped Dayan develop and workshop early versions of the script. Now a multicharacter play with four actors, “Conviction” will be presented today through July 12 at the Curious Theatre before an off-Broadway run next February at New York’s 59E59 Theatre.
By telling the specific story of both a historically and institutionally forbidden affair, “Conviction” speaks to a centuries-old cross-cultural continuum of governments and armies persecuting individuals for their behaviors or beliefs.
“It’s the issue of oppression,” said Dayan. “It happens to be a Jewish theme here, but any denial of basic human rights anytime, anyplace is unacceptable. But I think it’s a cycle. Your collective DNA has conjured up some experience, and it affects how you view the world. It takes a lot to break away from that. I think that’s very much the human condition.”
During the Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic Church burned as many as 15,000 “heretics” at the stake in the name of saving their souls. But “Conviction” could just as well be a commentary on the Holocaust, the troubles in Ireland or, Dayan said, the current chaos on the streets of Iran. History is littered with examples of what one “Conviction” reviewer described as “the inhuman misuse of religion as an instrument of death and destruction.”
Cole calls it the bully mentality. “There has always been, and always will be, someone who has to prey on someone weaker to make them look stronger,” he said. “And you see whole governments take on this mentality.”
But at the same time, Dayan said, “Conviction” is primarily a love story. “It’s about a love and a passion that is being shattered by the Inquisition,” he said. “So, for me, it is very much a Romeo and Juliet story.” For Cole, it’s about “finding your true self and being honest with that.”
Dayan has performed several one-man plays. He and Cole say “Conviction” is now a much better play with the addition of others actors to play the professor’s — and the priest’s — confessors.
“As a one-man play, the director is interrogating an invisible man, and if there’s no one there on the stage, there is no tension,” said Cole. “Now there’s always a possibility that at any moment, the professor could break, or scream. Now you get to see a relationship that develops and grows.
“Now there is the possibility for some connection or understanding.”
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Conviction”
Drama. Presented by Maya Productions at the Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St. Written by Oren Neeman; translated and adapted by Ami Dayan. Starring Dayan, Michael Shalhoub, Robert Mason Ham and Julie Rada. Through July 12. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $15-$20. 303-623-0524 or
This weekend’s best bets
“Bless Me, Ultima” Colorado’s only black (Shadow) and brown (Su Teatro) theater companies team up as Shadow hosts two performances of “Bless Me, Ultima,” Su Teatro’s stage adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s seminal 1972 novel. It tells the tale of a young boy, Antonio, growing up in 1940s New Mexico and his relationship with a folk healer named Ultima. It ranked No. 75 on the American Library Association’s list of most-banned books of the 1990s because some parents complained that it questions conservative values. 8:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $25. Shadow Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 303-296-0219 or
Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Awards The fourth annual celebration of the best in metro-area theater is moving on up to the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The public is encouraged to mix and mingle with the 111 nominees. Numbers from best-musical nominees will be performed: The Arvada Center’s “Les Miserables,” PHAMALy’s “Side Show,” Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s “The Producers” and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s “Woody Guthrie’s American Song.” Monday, June 29. 6 p.m. auction; 7 p.m. awards. Space Theatre, 14th and Curtis streets. $20-$25 (303-931-7241).
This weekend’s other theater openings
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” Theater in the park returns to Aspen with this Tony-winning musical comedy that follows six young misfits as they compete in a spelling bee. Through Aug. 20. Theatre Aspen, 400 Rio Grande Place, 970-925-9313 or
“The Fantasticks” Classic musical about two neighboring teens who hide their romance from their feuding fathers. Through Aug. 23. Backstage Theatre, 121 S. Ridge St., Breckenridge, 970-453-0199 or
“Hay Fever” Noel Coward’s dizzying English comedy shows politeness that turns to pandemonium when each member of the Bliss family invites a guest home for the weekend. Through July 25. University of Northern Colorado’s Norton Theatre, 10th Avenue and 18th Street, Greeley 970-351-2200 or
Modern Muse New Play Festival Tonight: Staged reading of “Up at the Lab,” by Gary Leon Hill. Saturday: “Dylan Went Electric,” by Josh Hartwell. Both 7 p.m. Panel discussion after tonight’s reading addresses whether theater is still important in the modern world. The Bindery Space, 770 22nd St., 303-780-7836 or modernmuse
“The Music Man” Throwback musical about a con man who comes to a small town intent on making his mark; instead, townspeople make theirs on him. Songs include “76 Trombones.” Through July 3. Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, 403 Second St., 970-349-0366 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines theater blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue. This week, the talk’s all about the resignation of Shadow Theatre founder Jeffrey Nickelson as artistic director.
