Relaxed Performance – Sensory Guide
Tuesday 3rd December at 2pm
The Sainsbury Theatre, LAMDA
Running Time:
3 hours including a 15 minute interval Content warnings: Contains offensive language throughout. References to: child death, grief, parental death, misogyny, racism, hanging, child slavery, abortion, torture, prostitution and human trafficking, mental illness and suicide, murder, class A drugs, crucifixion, antisemitism, homophobia, eating disorder.
• You are welcome to leave and re-enter from the theatre as you need.
• There is a break-out room available called The Rittner Room.
• House lighting is on low throughout, never going to full black-out.
• Loud noises are reduced.
• No strobe lighting is used.
• You are welcome to react to the show however you want.
• At the end of this document is a show synopsis and sensory guide.
Here is a guide to sensory information symbols in this document:
Indicates potentially loud or sudden noises
Indicates bright or sudden lighting changes
Indicates a sad or potentially distressing scene
Indicates fighting, or use of guns/weapons
When you arrive at LAMDA, the box office is to your right. You should get your QR code ticket ready to be scanned by a LAMDA member of staff.
Toilets are located right next to box office.
LAMDA staff will be wearing LAMDA branded T-Shirts or lanyards.
If you need any assistance whilst in the building, please ask them.
This is the Theatre Foyer. You may be asked to wait here until the house is open.
You will be shown how to get to the Sainsbury Theatre by an usher.
This performance will take place in the Sainsbury Theatre.
This is the entrance.
When you enter, an Usher will take your ticket from you.
You can sit in any seat. The house lights will stay on low throughout the show.
There is a break-out space called ‘The Rittner Room’ which you are welcome to use at any point during your visit. It can be accessed via the stairs or lift in the main entrance foyer.
If you aren’t sure about any of this information during your visit please ask an usher or anybody wearing a lanyard.
Before the show begins, the actors will introduce themselves and the characters they are playing.
The lights in the theatre will dim and she show will start. You can leave and re-enter if you need to through the doors you came in through.
At the end of the show the actors will come on and bow. You are welcome to clap at this point if you would like.
SIGMUND
FREUD / SAINT
THOMAS
Darcy Bengt
GLORIA / MOTHER
THERESA
Gracel Delos Santos
BUTCH HONEYWELL / CAIAPHAS THE ELDER
Dylan Ennis
PETER
Below is a brief synopsis of the play to aid in contextualizing the following sensory guide.
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a funny and emotional play by Stephen Adly Guirgis. It questions what happened to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Judas is seen as responsible for Jesus' death, and afterward, he is said to have hung himself in regret, suffering in Hell ever since.
The play takes place in a courtroom in Purgatory, where Judas's actions are put on trial. It asks whether Judas was a villain, a pawn in a bigger plan, or just a man who made a mistake.
The play challenges ideas about forgiveness and judgment, making the audience rethink what they believe about mercy and punishment.
Throughout the play there is strong language, shouting, loud music and flashing lights. Each scene change has loud music and a lighting change, and the Judge bangs her gavel. Any fights that happen in the play have been choreographed with a professional fight director so that the actors don’t hurt themselves.
As you enter the theatre, there are actors on stage and sat in the audience. There is a memorial to Jesus in the middle of the stage with his picture and candles, referencing that he has died Loud music is playing from a portable speaker that has strong language in the songs. The characters on stage are interacting with each other and sometimes shouting at each other.
The actors sat in the audience shout at the actors on stage, and are booing at Judas as he comes in.
Judas is sad as he stands by Jesus’ memorial. Suddenly the lights go dark as police come in to the space and do a raid with torches.
Someone hits a police officer as they try to escape and there is a short fight sequence. The music is rumbling as Judas is left by himself on stage.
We see Judas get a belt and tie it around his arm. Judas heats up something in a spoon with a lighter, and then puts it into a syringe We watch Judas inject himself with the drug He gasps loudly, and there is a flash of light and loud music as we move into the next scene.
This is a sad scene as Henrietta Iscariot talks about burying her son, Judas.
There is the noise of a storm in this scene which gets louder at the end of Henrietta’s speech. There is a flash of blue light as the scene changes into the courtroom.
The Judge bangs her gavel which is a loud noise.
The actor playing Yusuf El-Fayoumy has been sat in the audience and shouts loudly as he runs onto the stage
The Judge shouts “Next Case!” multiple times and bangs her gavel, and the lights mostly go dark.
There is loud music as the Stage Manager walks across the stage introducing Saint Monica.
Saint Monica uses derogatory language to describe Judas as he wouldn’t talk to her or listen to her
The music in the background might make you feel sad as she describes Judas crying slowly.
Scene 4
No distressing action.
Scene 5
No distressing action
Scene 6
El-Fayoumy makes a mysogynistic comment about Henrietta Iscariot. She slaps him after this comment. Judas tells Matthias of Galilee that his father was killed by the Romans. Matthias of Galilee has a toy gun in his bag and waves it around.
Scene 7
No distressing action.
Scene 8
There is a sudden change of lights as Saint Matthew and Saint Peter dance together
Scene 9
There are orange flashing lights behind the back sheet that looks like fire.
During this scene the characters are talking about abortion, and that Mother Theresa has the view that abortion is sinful.
This is upsetting to the character of Fabiana Aziza Cunningham who says she has had two abortions.
Scene 10
There are slow red flashing lights as Simon the Zealot walks in.
El-Fayoumy graphically describes Jesus’ death.
The trap door opens and Satan appears walking out of Hell, with flashing lights and haze
As Satan describes his night out with Judas, the lights change to dark slow flashing club lights, with heavy bass music underneath.
Judas is very intoxicated.
Satan lights a cigarette which you might be able to smell - this is a herbal cigarette.
The trap door opens again with a lot of haze as the bartender gives them some drinks.
The music in the club gets very loud.
Satan offers Judas some drugs, which Judas takes and swallows.
As Judas asks Satan about what would happen to someone who betrayed the Messiah, the music changes which might make you feel tense.
There is a sudden light change back to the courtroom as El-Fayoumy shouts his line.
Satan leaves via the trapdoor, and there are loud noises that sound like monsters, rumbling and people screaming in Hell
The lights fade to nearly black, as Judas is left alone on stage.
Jesus walks in to touch Judas, and then there is a blackout.
There will now be a 15 minute interval.
There is loud cheering, whooping and music as Mary Magdalene appears.
There is cheering and banging on the stage as Mary Magdalene dances.
There is heavy bass music as Sigmund Freud enters.
There is a voiceover that has suicidal thoughts as El-Fayoumy opens Sigmund Freud’s books. During this scene there are multiple references to suicide.
The Judge shouts when she hears that Caiaphas the Elder is the next witness, and excuses herself.
There is loud music as Caiaphas enters the stage El-Fayoumy makes some misogynistic comments towards Cunningham
There is loud screaming and cheering, loud electric guitar music and orange flashing lights as Saint Thomas enters. Saint Peter has the toy gun and is waving it around.
Saint Thomas sings into a microphone and runs into the audience. There are loud guitar and drum music, and people are screaming like music fans.
There is a sudden lighting change.
The police come in and brutally beat up Judas. One of the police officers pull out a knife and goes to stab Judas, but pulls away before any harm is done.
Judas has blood all over his face after being beaten up.
At the end of the scene, El-Fayoumy raises his voice at Pilate.
There is screaming and haze as Satan reemerges out of the trapdoor.
Satan is angry and uses their powers to hold the Judge by her neck so that she can’t breathe. There is a slamming noise as this happens. Satan then also does this to El-Fayoumy and Butch Honeywell, who is sitting in the audience.
Satan says a speech to Fabiana Aziza Cunningham, in which they reference lots of triggering content including abortions, suicide, bipolar and bulimia
The Judge shouts “QUIET” very loudly. She shouts again later towards Cunningham. Cunningham is angry and takes her shoe off and throws it at Satan.
As Satan leaves there is again the screams and noises of Hell and flashing orange lights. The Bailiff is pulled into Hell with Satan as a sacrifice.
There is a near blackout in the transition into this scene.
Judas is upset with Jesus. He spits in his face. Judas pushes Jesus to the floor.
Judas can’t love Jesus, and so he injects the drugs again as he did at the start of the play. This might be uncomfortable to watch
No distressing action.
All of the characters come back on stage all talking to Judas Iscariot, which is very loud. Judas stamps his foot and all of the noise stops. All of the actors sing to Judas which is quite sad and emotional. They then all do a dance which is noisy on the platforms.
There is loud music with thunder and heavy rainfall sounds.
During the end people will clap and may stand up, cheer or shout to tell the actors they did a good job