Shame on you, we’re in church! is not a random social admonition but the title of the play performed recently on the Anba Rweiss stage at St Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya, Cairo. The play was a courageous attempt to tackle various problems in Egyptian society—and within the church as a part of that community. Among the many problems the play examined were urfi (unofficial) marriage, youth ambitions, fast-track wealth, and escaping from the pain of unrequited love either by voluntary isolation or entering a monastery or convent.
The play is adapted from a number of short stories by Robeir al-Faris and was performed by the Anba Rweiss repertory group. It begins with the ordination of a young priest, Father Boulos, who goes off to a monastery to spend the customary first 40 days following his ordination in spiritual solitude, prayer, and training for his new calling. Fr Boulos naturally worries about his upcoming service and his future congregation.
Life under orders
As his service begins, he is faced with the problem of his cousin, Martha, who entered a convent to take orders but had to leave when the Mother Superior discovered that she had decided to become a nun following a painful emotional crisis. The young man Martha had been in love with since childhood and who had become an active and prominent member of the church community had married another—a beautiful young woman named Maria; Martha herself was no beauty. The Mother superior, however, told her the convent was not an escape, and that she had better go home and come back only when she was certain she wished to spend her life as a nun. The door of the convent closes in her face, and Martha is now bent on revenge.
Joe Selim, the church treasurer, is a bully, but he pampers his only son, Adam, who in turn grows up to be an irresponsible man. When Adam begins his professional career he commits a fiscal crime and gets away with it. He returns to his father, leaving proof of guilt levelled at a friend of his. Since he is used to committing mistakes and letting others pay the cost, he obeys his father and does not confess that it was he who committed the crime and lets his innocent friend take the blame.
Blackmail
Spedikon, the son of the baker who prepares the host bread in church, poses another serious problem. He is bitter about his poverty, which prevents his marrying the girl he loves. He manages to drag the girl into an urfi marriage, which results in a social scandal for her and her family. At the same time he resorts to blackmailing Joe Selim when he inadvertently uncovers the secret of the crime committed by his son. Spedikon makes a tidy fortune, which he uses to buy the land upon which the church is built and which has been mortgaged by Selim in an effort to save his son.
The three lines of drama converge into tragedy. Fr Boulos finds himself in the cross fire of a horrendous situation. Maria has been assaulted in her home and has been taken to hospital in a critical condition. Selim commits suicide by hanging himself, while Spedikon raises his hands in triumph and cries out that, as the new owner of the land, he will pull down the church and build a huge casino: “Casino The Truimphant…previously the Archangel Michael’s Church!” he cries.
Only dreaming
Just as the atmosphere becomes almost unbearably tense, the audience is allowed to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the play ends with Fr Boulos waking up from a bad dream. He then prepares to go to his church to begin his real service.
The play was seamlessly adapted from the original short stories and directed by Mina Athanasius. The acting was superb, a pleasant surprise since all the members of the cast were amateurs. Maged Safwat as Spedikon and Marianna Louis as Martha warrant special mention. The scenery was intentionally minimal, and the music was used to reflect the various situations. But most importantly the play did not fall into the trap of preaching, which is normally so common in church theatre. By all standards, it was a splendid work.