About the Play:

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven is a full-length drama by Jo Clifford. What if Jesus returned to Earth as a transwoman? Would people listen to her? That's the premise of The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven which reimagines the return of Jesus to earth as a trans woman, presenting her sayings, miracles, and testimony from a fresh perspective. This unique book brings together the script of the play with the story of its remarkable impact, resilience and enduring relevance as told by the family of artists and activists who made it happen.

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven is a one woman play which reimagines the parables of the New Testament as told by a modern day Jesus returning to Earth as a trans woman and she has a lot to say. Stories to tell. Bread and wine to share. Blessings to give…. Written and performed by legendary trans artist Jo Clifford, this unique and extraordinary solos-play has had an incredible journey over the last decade, from being the subject of hate, abuse and mass protest as it premiered, to hundreds of sold out performances around the world, and the creation of a celebrated and controversial Brazilian production currently at the epicentre of the county's struggles against bigotry. This unique collection, brought together as part of the play's tenth anniversary celebrations, reflects on the play's incredible journey with contributions from Queen Jesus Productions company members and the family of artists and activists that have come together over the last decade in support of the play. As well as perspectives from those affected by original production in 2009, the artists at the forefront of the campaign for trans rights in Brazil, a selection of academic, queer and spiritual perspectives and a foreword from Jo Clifford herself.

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven premiered in 2009 at The Tron in Glasgow as part of GlasGay!, and attracted both full houses and hundreds of protestors outside the building. Since then the work has been performed in part or whole in churches, pubs, theatres and festivals all over the UK, including a successful Creative Scotland-supported special Christmas run in 2018 at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, and returned to The Tron in 2019 exactly ten years after the explosive premiere there.

Cast: 1 woman

What people say:

"As trans women we are connected to each other ... our stories converge whilst at the same time our lives may wildly vary. That Queen Jesus can ring true in such different environments is testament to the universality of this work and I hope many more of my trans sisters get to share bread with her in years to come." — Emma Frankland

"One of the most remarkable journeys in recent theatre history." — The Scotsman

"A humane, mischievous and loving solo show." — The Guardian (UK)

"Devotional compassion drives this imaginatively staged and often challenging reflection on inclusion, persecution and identification." — The Herald (Glasgow)

About the Playwright:

Jo Clifford (formerly known as John Clifford) is one of Scotland's most renowned playwrights, a Stonewall role model, a Saltire Society Outstanding Woman, and a proud father and grandmother living in Edinburgh. She was instrumental in establishing the reputation of the Traverse Theatre Company in the 1980s. She is internationally known as a performer and acclaimed author of about eighty plays, many of which have been performed all over the world. Her adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations makes her the first openly transgendered woman playwright to have had a play on in London's West End.