TJ Colligan

This is the first reply I've gotten back (a mere 6 hours or so, not bad) it's from TJ, who as he says played both the Pope and Scarron. He offers his ideas for character studies for this year's go-around.

As far as Red Noses, I'm glad to hear it's being done again. It was one of my favorites. Don't know what help I can offer. I was doing both Scarron and the Pope, so my greatest concern was not to be recognized as the same person. I don't know if these parts were double-cast this year. I would say that the new pope is definately a better character study for the role than the last one. Not a gentle pontiff, he is the face of a vengeful and cold god, rock solid in the belief that he is god's voice. Scarron is an animal, reduced to survival instincts. Scarron, actually, is the embodiment of the plague, itself. Being in such close proximity to death and disease has made him immune to it. And since he follows the disease, and feeds off its wake, he is essentially becoming one with the Black Death. The Flagellents (do I remember that name correctly?) are easy to understand in light of recent global events. Everyone you hear in the media preaching about God destroying NewOrleans and Indonesia because of the sins of the world is a Flagellent. As I remember, Jason Sands understood that Father Flote must always be bursting with overwhelming joy and sadness for the world. It is much more than he can contain. But his attempts to share this joy are futile to so many of the characters because they cannot understand it. It is not a language they speak. Flote might as well be constantly trying to explain higher mathematics to four year olds, for as much as the others understand his joy.