The Gospel of TimThere are safer plays to direct than The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.
There are cleaner ones.
Kinder ones.
Plays where the answers are already laminated and hanging in the lobby next to the sponsor board.
This ain’t that.
The first time I read this script, it felt like somebody had kicked open a church door and dragged in a folding chair from a courtroom. Saints with tempers. Lawyers arguing theology like it’s a bar fight. And somewhere in the middle of all of it—mercy. Or the possibility of it.
And I couldn’t let it go.
I read it over a decade ago. And for more than ten years, I carried it around like a splinter. I pitched it. I argued for it. I annoyed artistic directors with it. I brought it up in meetings that had nothing to do with it. I was told it was too controversial. Too theological. Too strange. Too risky.
I did not care.
Eventually, Kottrgrimm Theatrical Storytellers relented to my sustained campaign of theatrical assault. And here we are.
I don’t make theatre because it’s polite. I make theatre because it asks questions we’re not supposed to ask out loud. I was raised Methodist, which means I learned about grace early. I’m also one quarter Jewish, which means I’m genetically predisposed to argue about it. This play lets me do both.
What if Judas isn’t a cartoon villain?
What if he’s broken?
What if he’s human?
What if the worst thing you’ve ever done isn’t the last word about you?
That’s dangerous territory. That’s also honest territory.
This cast walked straight into the fire with me. They didn’t play saints as stained glass. They didn’t play sinners as punchlines. They found the ache in it. The humor. The rage. The exhaustion. The stubborn, ridiculous hope that maybe—just maybe—grace doesn’t run out.
You’ll hear language tonight that might make you flinch. You may feel uncomfortable.
Good.
Theatre should unsettle you a little. Faith should too.
Whether you come in believing Judas is damned forever or believing mercy wins in the end, I hope you leave wrestling with it. I hope you leave arguing. I hope you leave thinking about the people we’ve decided are beyond saving—and whether we’re wrong.
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for being brave enough to sit in the questions.
Now let’s put mercy on trial.
— Tim Kirby

Drew Mertens
(Judas Iscariot)Drew Mertens recently lost a bet and was forced to change his name and move to a new city and start over again completely brand new. So far it’s going pretty well. He misses his wife and children tho😔. He would like to dedicate this performance to the memory of Matt Moody, who managed the East Village theater in Davenport, Iowa and to the loyal band of Unpaid Volunteers™️he left behind.

Vee Smith
(Fabiana Aziza Cunningham)Still waiting to do my closing argument...
No, but seriously, thank you to everyone involved with this production. I'm not new to KottrGrimm, however this is by far my favorite show we've done here. The talent in this cast and direction from our director and the rest of the production team is incredible. Thank you to everyone who has supported this show!

Peyt York
(Yusef El-Fayoumy)Peyt York is a library manager and Katy award-winning actor who joined this show three weeks ago. Peyt has been doing community theater for about three years and is thankful it has let him live a life of emceeing air guitar competitions, battling possessed hand puppets, reciting Shakespeare, having an awakening at a book club, eloping with his cousin, discovering his aunts’ murderous machinations, and more.

Paul Strain
(Judge Frank Littlefield)Paul has been active in the performing arts for over 40 years in just about every capacity. He is thrilled to be taking the stage for KTS in a show as challenging as this. Challenging to the performers, and the audience. Being New Testament Agnostic himself, the religious aspects of this take second place to well-drawn characters put into extraordinary situations. He dedicates this performance run to Grant Morenz, a great friend to many and an amazing performer, gone way too soon. He would strive to be as good as Grant was on stage, but there was only one, and Paul will continue to pale in comparison.
Thanks as always to his amazing and lovely wife Lisa for all the things, to Tim for calling and the KTS Board for continuing to be...unpredictable. NEXT CASE!

Damien Clippinger
(Bailiff)Damien is a 2000 year old vampire (we think), who’s making his KottrGrimm stage debut in "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot". As his first on stage acting role in 4 years, he was a part of feargrounds beforehand and is ready to get back on the stage. Thank you to his parents and friends who helped put himself out there.

Christina Snyder
(Henrietta Iscariot)Christina makes her theatrical debut in this production and is thrilled to join the cast. Outside the theater, she is a dedicated CVS Store Manager and a PhD candidate in Business, focusing on transformational leadership. Her professional world revolves around mentoring teams, building strong communities, and leading large‑scale training initiatives—but she has always loved storytelling and new creative challenges. Christina is grateful for the opportunity to step onstage for the first time and thanks her family, friends, and colleagues for their constant encouragement.

Teri Sturdyvin
(St. Monica)Hey y'all, my name is Teri. I originally was just helping with auditions, then I found myself becoming the stage manager, and now I find myself getting promoted (or demoted) to being a Saint. I'm excited to work on my Bronx accent, and if it's bad please don't tell me haha.

Lee Bridgman
(Satan)

Lisa Strain
(Gloria)Lisa is a familiar face in the Danville theater community, having worked with DLO, Red Mask, and the Jaguar Players. This will be her third time performing on the KTS stage, following her roles as a voice actor in "The Shadow" and as Marge in "Hand to God"—one of her favorite roles to date. Lisa is excited to be reunited with old friends and to make new ones during this production, but she especially has a huge crush on the actor playing the Judge.

Justin Smith
(Pontius Pilate/Uncle Pino)Justin Smith has been active in Danville's theater community since 2021. He's played the Creature in "Playing with Fire: After Frankenstein" (a monster), the Stranger in "War of the Worlds" (a psychopath), and Orcus in "She Kills Monsters" (a demon overlord of the underworld). His acting journey feels complete playing Pontius Pilate (the man responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus). He looks forward playing Adolf Hitler, Regina George, and Jeffrey Epstein in the coming years. VERITAS!

Mike Young
(Butch Honeywell)This is Young's third production with KottrGrimm Theatrical Storytellers. He has been acting in community theater since 2005.
While his character, Butch, misses his wife, Young misses his son. Dearly.
Young thanks you for supporting KottrGrimm Theatrical Storytellers.

Mark Learnard
(Caiaphas the Elder)This is Mark's first appearance on the KottrGrimm stage. Over the years, Mark has appeared as a hero or a villain in local theater productions.

Debbie Prentice
(Sister Glenna)
Debbie is not new to the theatre stage (having been involved with Red Mask for many years), however she is new to the KottrGrimm stage. She would like to thank her husband, Rick for his support. And a big thank you to Tim for letting her be a part of this great show!

Jaren West
(St. Thomas)Jaren has been making a fool of himself in public for 28 years, and doing it on a stage for the last 15 years. His hobbies include listening to angry music, pondering the meaning of life, and curating tiktoks for his friends. He would also like to extend tremendous gratitude for coming to the show today, and hopes you'll keep an eye out for future KTS productions and events in the future.

Jeff Romig
(Sigmund Freud)Jeff is honored to be part of the Judas cast. Jeff is a Veteran of the previous KottrGrimm production, Patterns and has participated in numerous productions with Red Mask, DLO and Lincoln Park Theater. He is thrilled to be working with Tim and this wonderful cast. A special thanks to my wife for her never ending support. Thank you to the KottrGrimm Production crew for making all of this happen.

Robin Romack
(Mother Teresa)Some roles you remember for their ability to let you live lives other than your own: think Mrs. Mullins in Carousel, Mazeppa in "Gypsy", flipping from secretary to Zoltar in "Big", and tossing 7 character bits—from mariachi singer to UPS delivery, even a priest in How to Succeed—a hooker, an announcer, a count, a dancer... so much fun from theater to movie sets. Yet, Mother Teresa in this show has done something quite different. These characters have caused me to pause and reflect, to research some of the myriad of real characters present in Christian religion. The excellent portrayals in this cast may sometimes be a bit, 'rough around the edges,' but doing so might reset, research and even review the events and their ramifications. I'd love to have had some discussion with students in classes or clubs. Anything that encourages deeper reflection on our beliefs is refreshing in these times. I took this role seriously having had friends and family speak of time spent with her, so I put portrayal with respect and accuracy at the top of my list. I spent time with the Sisters learning not only to accurately wrap my saree but also to be patient and truthful. I think it's given me pause. In the broader world I work on many things: climbing elevators, loading trains, attempting mechanical repairs, designing landscapes, managing events, roofing, riding, boating and ballroom dancing. I also extol the virtues of Honda Elements and Insight and the importance of preserving fireflies in nature. As my much more mature and endlessly delightful daughters say while raising me, I can be interested in a rock. And certainly, clouds make for too many long explorations on a shoestring budget, leading to amazing encounters with unexpected greatness from the lower 48 to people with incredible stories.
In my first real production with the interesting, and talented KottrGrimm Theatrical Storytellers ( my first role was cancelled in the Covid plague,} I can say I took this one home with me and it was a gift. Thank you for my first bio in 25 years!

Myth Torbet
(Matthias of Galilee/St. Peter)Myth is excited to be a part of his third show with KottrGrimm! He would like to thank his wife, family, and friends for supporting him through the show. A special thanks to his son for being the best little spinning top during practices. He would also like to extend his thanks to you for coming to support the show, and he hopes that you enjoy it.

Naida Schmidt-Hudson (Loretta)
Naida's patron Saint is Francis, and accordingly she loves animals, especially humans. She's caretaker to 6 dogs, roommate to 6 cats, and mother to the 5 most perfect humans on earth. She loves cracking jokes, and is highly susceptible to awe. Mostly she's just happy to be here.

Bear Kagels
(Simon the Zealot)Bear “Kyl” Kagels is excited to return to Kottrgrimm as Simon the Zealot(unfortunately no stripping this time). Did you know that Simon the Zealot was executed by being cut in half? And I don’t mean horizontally. Many depictions show him hung by his feet and sawed from groin to head. That’s pretty gnarly right? No worries. No groin sawing in this show.

Robert Hudson
(St. Matthew)This is Robert's first scripted performance with KottrGrimm, having previously participated in an improv night and the Feargrounds haunted house. They enjoy spending most of their time at home painting models, drawing, and staring into the distance until they realize they don't have their glasses on.

Katie Smith
(Mary Magdalene)It's been a long journey but after selling my soul for a couch (everyone was doing it and the one I got has a pull-out bed) I figured I had to do something with my time. After an amazing experience performing in "Patterns" I decided to try again. Look at that! Back for round 2 with KottrGrimm.I want to thank everyone in this show for being amazing and working hard and Kudos to Vee for encouraging me to try out again!

Ross Wilson
(Jesus)Ross is excited for another chance for to be on stage and collaborate with the incredible people at KottrGrimm. Past performances include "Patterns", "I Never Saw Another Butterfly", and "School of Rock". He is thankful every day for his wife Grace and his kids Lucie and Eli who make everything possible.

Roman Soldiers#1: Suzzen Rose
Curt: Ashley Pascual
#3: Teri Sturdyvin

Tim Kirby
(Director)Tim Kirby is an actor, director, musician, writer, and professional disturber of comfortable ideas. A longtime Midwest storyteller, he’s spent decades chasing honest moments—on stages, in dive bars, in rehearsal halls, and anywhere people are brave enough to admit they’re a mess. He has a deep affection for broken characters, loud guitars, dangerous questions, and the kind of grace that doesn’t come cheap.
His vision for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot leans hard into the courtroom spectacle, junkie poetry, and the uncomfortable possibility that mercy might be bigger than we think. Equal parts tent revival and back-alley confession, this production asks whether redemption is reserved for the saints… or if it dares to reach the worst of us.
Tim thanks his fearless cast and crew for going to the edge with him, and his granddaughters—Lee, Elsie, and Trinity—for constantly reminding him why stories about mercy matter in the first place.

Production CrewDirector: Tim KirbyStage Manager:
Teri SturdyvinSet Design and Construction: Lee BridgmanCreative Team:
Ashley Pascual, Teri Sturdyvin
Lee Bridgman,
Vee Smith, Suzzen RosePhotography: Ashley Pascual

Special ThanksThe cast and crew would like to thank the following individuals/organizations for their contributions to this production:DLO Musical Theatre
Designs by Hunter/
Hunter Lankster
Christina Snyder
Brian Lutz
Adam Sporluck

Upcoming EventsRed Mask Players
Radium Girls
March 13-15, March 20-22
Kathryn Randolph TheatreJaguar Players
March 27-29
Nothin' Like A Dame: A Celebration of Women in Broadway
Bremer Conference Center, DACCDLO Musical Theatre
April 10-12
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Dick Van Dyke Auditorium, Danville High School