The Secret Rapture

About

Under the spare and precise direction of David Emmes, South Coast Repertory’s 1990 staging of The Secret Rapture became a focal point of Orange County’s Festival of Britain. The production brought together British actors Caroline Goodall and Simon Templeman with American colleagues, emphasizing the play’s moral and political tensions. Set designer Robert Jones created fluid, meticulously detailed environments that enabled swift shifts in place and tone. The staging foregrounded David Hare’s critique of Thatcher-era values, treating the play as a contemporary morality tale. Emotionally, it explored the clash between private idealism and public righteousness, tracking the ripple effects of a family death across business, faith, and politics. The result was an austere, incisive production that highlighted the malice of weakness and the powerlessness of strength.