30 Mar 2025 Conway church members recreate The Last Supper

By Tammy Keith

Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting “The Last Supper” has been lauded, copied and loved for centuries, but one Conway church will bring the artwork to life.

Members of First Presbyterian Church, 2400 Prince St., will perform “A Living Picture of The Last Supper” at 7:30 p.m. April 17 and no ticket or reservation is required. Actors will recreate the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples before his crucifixion. The Rev. Mike Ulasewich, pastor of the church, said the living Last Supper “is a perfect opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for the joy of Easter and the meaning of that Holy Week.”

The opening scene is just after Jesus, portrayed by Johnathan Jones, has announced that one of his disciples will betray him. Gene Ryken, a longtime member of the church and repeat performer, described the production as “special and moving.” He will perform the role of James the Lesser. “Each one of us gets up and does a little bio of where we came from and where we met Jesus. That’s what makes it kind of cool,” he said. “All the lights are down, and they put a spotlight on that one character.”

Ryken recalled that the performances began in about 1995 when the church was in downtown Conway. The performances are held every other year.

Donn Vangsnes, who is directing the play again this year, said church members combine their talents to bring the event together. Caryn Jeffery volunteered her sewing skills to create the costumes. Jeffery, who has a master’s degree in costume technology, said with a laugh that the cast was originally dressed in a “hodgepodge” of Santa beards, choir robes and synthetic fabrics. She studied da Vinci’s painting to sew replicas of the clothes the disciples wore. However, she was surprised to find they were not representative of Jesus’ time.

“I thought, ‘I’ll be making great Hebrew costumes from the first century.’ They are not historically accurate. They’re Renaissance. They look like people Leonardo da Vinci knew,” she said. Jeffery sourced quality fabrics, made the costumes to fit different sizes of performers and ordered theater-grade mustaches and beards. “It was a labor of love,” she said.

The church’s musical director, Kayla White, previously performed as John the Beloved. She praised Vangsnes’ attention to detail. “He will spend time making sure our poses are as accurate to the painting as possible,” she said. “We freeze after each speech. He’ll say, ‘Lean a little farther; put your left hand on the table, not your right hand.’”

White said she enjoys the performance because it gives a “freshness and level of interest” to the Bible story. “I love how it humanizes it and gives us a really great snapshot into that life and that time period. It makes it that much more real to me,” she said. 

“The author who wrote this play did a great job of giving a unique voice to each of these disciples. They become real, and it’s easier to see them as regular people who experienced this amazing person in real time.”

“A Living Picture of the Last Supper” was written in 1954 by Earnest K. Emurian. Ulasewich said the performance is powerful. “We hear the sadness of each disciple and witness the inner conflict each has regarding their own part in [Jesus’] betrayal and death,” he said.

Other cast members and their roles are: Art Gillaspy as Nathaniel/Bartholomew; Matthew Martens as Matthew (The Publican); Lindsay Seme as James (Brother of John); Cole Vangsnes as Andrew (The Bringer); Robert Norvell as Judas Iscariot; Scott Smithson as Phillip; Wyatt Held as Thaddeus; Lars Seme as Thomas (The Twin); Dan Turner as Simon the zealot; and Chris Stiegler as Peter. Lena Marie Bethel will serve as narrator, and Pat Qualls will play musical interludes on her harp. The role of Philip was not filled at press time. Matt Jeffery helped build the large backdrop, which was painted by the Rev. Michael Vinson.

“Two years ago was the first time we brought Pat in to play her harp, and I’ll tell you what, we continue to improve this production,” Vangsnes said.

Ulasewich said the performance includes communion, which will be served by the disciples. “It is a wonderful opportunity for people to consider what Jesus has done for us and at what cost,” he said.