Letter from the Editor

If you’re familiar with the narrative arc used by many who write from evangelical Christian spaces, then you know that they often begin with a moment of conversion or renewal. As a scholar, I suppose I’ve had two. The first was in graduate school when I realized that some years before (and not to my knowledge) I’d been in a performance that had, as part of its aims, the “winning” of souls. The second (perhaps my “born again” moment) occurred when I felt compelled, after seeing the film The Trump Prophecy, to write about the 45th and 47th President of the United States. Both of these moments led to the occasion for which I’m writing to you now, as editor of this special issue on Religion and the Right, and coming in as editor of this journal, which I respect so much.A few words, then, about where I see myself and the journal at this moment and then a few words about the issue itself.I’m extraordinarily grateful to Ecumenica’s Editorial Board and David Mason for their support and shepherding me through this first issue. I hope to continue the outstanding work that David has done during his time at Ecumenica. As a former contributor, I am in awe of his editorial prowess and incredible attentiveness to texts and their authors. I know that I have much to learn from him. As much as theater and performance studies has been my homebase, I’ve also been nurtured by academics in other disciplines, and I hope to continue the tradition of this journal as one that operates across disciplines and in multiple registers.My hope is that this issue sets this tone.Rebecca Jackson’s (Regis University) essay, “White Power Brokers,” which explores the role of White women and the enduring legacy of Confederate performance and Confederate religiosity, reminds us of how the past continues to rhyme and reoccur. Not only does Jackson bring an astute critical perspective to her subjects, including Tradwives and Laura Loomer, she also writes from a space of discernment, reading empathetically into her subjects while remaining skeptical of their political projects, investigating how their performances rewrite centuries old, White supremacist tropes.The three additional contributions included continue to explore the issue’s theme in several different modes and registers.The first, an interview with Damon Berry, a Religious Studies scholar at St. Lawrence University, is an engagement that I’ve wanted to have for a long time. Berry is one of a growing group of scholars who is looking at the rise of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a “movement” that came into the news after the attacks in Minnesota in June, including the killing of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman. The NAR worldview can be found in many of the performances of the right, including The Trump Prophecy. Berry’s work is key to understanding NAR and the performance forms that it is inspiring. Including his voice in this journal speaks to the need for deeper conversations across disciplines to better understand our contemporary moment. I’d also like to thank Faith Montagnino who helped with the transcription of this conversation.In the second contribution, I invited three performance scholars, Christopher Grobe (Johns Hopkins), Joy Palacios (University of Calgary), and Shannon Steen (University of California, Berkeley), to discuss the state of the field of performance and theatre studies when it comes to politics with a focus on the politics and performance of the right. This conversation can help us get an understanding not only for where things are but also where we are going, offering some differing viewpoints and strategies for our fields in the face of existential threats from governments and changing trends in higher ed. Grobe, Palacios, and Steen do more than just offer an overview. They delve into ways that the right (re)uses performance scripts from the “hero moment” of the 1960s and how the movement of ritual from sacred spaces to popular culture is (re)building institutions.The third contribution, by Ahmad Greene-Hayes (Harvard University) and Ambre Dromgoole (Cornell University) focuses on the recent blockbuster film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler. Greene-Hayes and Dromgoole’s conversation is enlightening for how deeply it examines the elements of the film like Black spirituality, the Blues, White violence, and the rewriting of the horror genre. Bringing a deeply insightful lens to the film, as they state in their abstract, Greene-Hayes and Dromgoole unpack the multiple levels and registers that Sinners operates in, showing how the film highlights the “synergy within Black politics, Black religion, Africana diasporic spiritualities, music, and expressive cultures.” It’s a conversation that will make you want to make sure that you rewatch Sinners on IMAX so as to not miss any of the richness that Greene-Hayes and Dromgoole find in this stunning film.I’m grateful to all those who gave of their time to share their research, experience, and insights to bring this issue together.It would be too dramatic (even for a performance-aligned journal!) to call editing Ecumenica another conversion moment for me. Instead, I’ll end by saying that in being granted this opportunity, it’s my hope to promote a space of support, platforming, and cultivation of scholars and scholarship in our fields for years to come.

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