Fish Tale Group Theatre Productions

Joseph, Father to the Stepson

Joseph appears in this production as an average man who is astounded that anyone would want to learn about him. "It's usually my wife who gets the press in this family," he says. He relates what it was like for Mary and him to receive the news that they were to be the parents of Emmanuel, the Son of the Most High. How do you raise a little boy who is unlike any other child who ever came into the world? And the obstacles don't end there. No one in the community understands who the father is. King Herod wants to kill the baby because of the prophecy that he will lose his throne to a newborn King of the Jews. "It was only through the will of God and a pesky angel that the baby survived at all," says Joseph.

The performance of Joseph, Father to the Stepson is meaningful year-round, but it especially resonates with audiences during Christmastime. "I think it's a really fascinating way to look at the Christmas story," says John Maxwell. "Drama does not let you keep stories of the Bible in a safe place in your closet; it forces you to think about them, to make decisions."