Corpus Christi

Boston University School of Theatre presents Corpus Christi written by Terrence McNally and directed by Gregg Wiggans (CFA'25). This student thesis production continues a year-long exploration of McNally’s work, controversies, significance, and legacy. Written 27 years ago by three-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient Terrence McNally (1938-2020), Corpus Christi begins, ‘We are going to tell you an old and familiar story.’ However, the ‘familiar’ is quickly upended by McNally’s Jesus Christ-like figure, a man named Joshua. Born and raised in Corpus Christi in the early 1950s, Joshua grows up in isolation and torment– an object of scorn due to his sexuality. When he flees Corpus Christi in search of a more accepting environment, he gathers a group of like-minded followers who are bound to him by his message of love and tolerance. But Joshua’s teachings of radical acceptance will not deliver him from his fate. His plea-- that we look upon all souls as equal in the sight of God—goes unanswered.