Apocalypse - The Reveleation of John

Apocalypse - The Revelation of John

Welcome to a mind-blowing experience at Columcille! Get ready to dive into the mysteries of the Book of Revelation on January 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM (Europe/London Time). Brace yourself for a journey through prophecies, symbols, and the ultimate battle between good and evil. Don't miss out on this epic event that will leave you pondering the end of times. See you there!

A NEW PRODUCTION OF THE APOCALYPSE

Review by Christopher Cooper

The awestruck silence which lasted for several minutes at the end of the performance of The Apocalypse in South Devon showed how much the members of the full audience had been uplifted. For some ninety minutes they had been immersed in a vibrant world of cosmic pictures from the book of the Revelation of St. John. Applause seemed too trivial a thing after such an unforgettable experience.

Three of the performers are among the leading speech artists in Britain: Sarah Kane, Dan Skinner and Duncan Mackintosh. The fourth, the versatile sound artist Andrew Thompson, played a wide array of tuned percussion instruments as well as chanting or singing certain passages. Centre stage was an enormous gong, which conjured up earthquakes as well as other earth-shaking events. (Almost all of the percussion instruments had been made by the gifted anthroposophical blacksmith Manfred Bleffert.) The whole performance had been skilfully directed by Christopher Marcus.

It was a joy to hear speech of such high quality, where the words sailed forth on the breath like golden boats and resonated so harmoniously in our souls. Movement and gesture were kept to a minimum and enhanced the feeling of a slow majestic ritual, where the vivid images of John of Patmos came fully to life. Any feelings of the weirdness or even remoteness of these dramatic pictures dissolved quickly, as I felt as an audience member part of the unfolding of cosmic history, present and future.

Many of those present felt it had been a real privilege to have taken part in such an event. I can heartily recommend this performance to future audiences.

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet...."(King James Version).

THE APOCALYPSE PERFORMANCE PROJECT

At the time of the 40th anniversary of the Speech School, based at Peredur Centre for the Arts in East Grinstead, Sussex, a group of speech artists trained in Rudolf Steiner’s Art of Speech decided to create a performance as an ensemble that would promote this disappearing art and extend its life. Their choice fell on The Book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament, whose relevance has been growing over the last twenty years or more, however difficult to understand the content may be.

Because of the challenges the material has presented, the work to develop this text into a performance has been ongoing intermittently for some years and has now ultimately led to a performance that can stand in the world at large, so much so that we are currently investigating creating a recording of the performance. Those creating the live performance are Dan Skinner, Duncan Mackintosh and Sarah Kane, all experienced performers and established speech artists. Christopher Marcus, an equally experienced director of mystery dramas, has directed the performance and recently Andrew Thompson has joined the ensemble as singer and musician.

The Speech Ensemble has now embarked on a small tour that started in Buckfastleigh, Devon, this month, then goes on to Edinburgh in January, followed by performances and workshops in Stourbridge and Stroud in 2026. While we may still perform in London at the Hammersmith Christian Community later in the year we are now planning to perform in other churches all over the country in 2026 and beyond.

Sarah Kane

November 2025