Deity Of The Day - Origins Of A Play

I recently staged my semi-play, Deity of The Day in which a TV presenter, Jack Luckhold, doesn't interview A List celebrities, but actual gods from World mythology. As it is a spoken word piece, or series of pieces, with each interview staged as a separate episode of the show, the cast have their scripts with them to read from and refer to, rather than memorizing the text.

Me as Jack and Farah Mendelsohn as Isis (Photo curtesy of Farah)

I have now performed Deity Of The Day twice, the later performance (4th April 2026 in Birmingham) being an expanded version of the initial staging in Summer 2025 at The Ferret pub in Preston. The Preston Arts Festival performance was one of three pieces played that night, so we had just twenty minutes of stage time, so I could only present two of the six chapters penned up to that point. The Birmingham staging allowed me to present the first four episodes in sequence. In both, I was supported bayy a great cast, Soe of who stepped in late when others had to drop ou

The earliest version of the play was actually written in 2015. I had just successfully staged a previous play, Wendigo Water, https://www.mixcloud.com/arthurchappell/wendigo-water-a-horror-play-by-arthur-chappell/ which was a horror play written as a podcast to be performed and recorded live at Manchester's Three Minute Theatre, with a cast of eight, including myself.

Me with some of the 2015 Wendigo Water cast at 3MT, Manchester - Photo taken by my Mum.

The recording was well received and I wrote several more pieces for possible future such stagings. Deity Of The Day was one of them, but sadly Three Minute Theatre (3MT), one of my favourite venues for my own performances and just to be in the audience for others, closed down before they could use Deity or other stuff. It was when the chance to stage part of the work in Preston arose a decade on, that Deity came to life once more.

I put out a call for cast on Facebook, and Sean Keefe, who runs the pub Vinyl Tap, where I often perform my poetry, and also the venue at which I launched my second pub signs book, 'Pub Signs' (Amberly Press 2024) signed up quickly. He would play God A, a South American god of Death. A lady from Blackpool initially registered with me to play Aphrodite but dropped out just days before we were due to perform. Millie Angel, a barmaid and musician who works at Vinyl Tap, stepped in to work with myself and Sean and the show went ahead as part of a terrific triple bill, promoted by Preston art promoter Garry Cook.

Sean Keefe, Millie Angel and myself in the Preston PhFerret staging of Deity Of The Day in 2025. Photo by Garry Cook.

The 2025 Ferret Cast - Jack Luckhold. Sean Keefe - God A. Millie Angel - Aphrodite.

With the Eastercon looming in 2026, I requested cast members among attendees. The response was great, and we even secured author, Geoff Ryman to do the episode introductory narrations (Sean & Millie had doubled up by introducing each other's characters). Geoff had to pull out of the convention late on, but attendee and fellow author, Allen Stroud was able to step in to fulfil the narration role.

Two weeks before the convention, I took ill when my permanent stoma (a legacy of my bowel cancer run in from 2020) was strangulated by my hernia, and it looked as if I might need surgery which would have meant cancelling my convention attendance, let alone the play, which I knew everyone had worked hard for already. Fortunately, heavy massage by a doctor (though acting without my consent or pre-discussion with me), appeared to separate the hernia and stoma and I was released from hospital early enough to keep my convention trip and the play back on track. As the treatment had left my stomach unsettled, I feared a relapse might yet jeopardize everything, but I would get through OK.

Smiley Stoma bag

With cast and brief tech rehearsals before going on, it was soon showtime, and we did really well, drawing quite a strong audience given that we were pitched alongside other popular programme items, a disco, a film screening and a panel discussing cats.

The Cast of the 2026 Birmingham Iridescence staging (in order of appearance). Allen Stroud (Narrator). Arthur Chappell (Jack Luckhold), Smuzz (God A), White Clanger (Baal), Eira Short (Aphrodire), Farah Mendelsohn (Isis).

Me with Eira in Deity Of The Day - Birmingham 2026 (Photo curtesy of Farah)

As in Preston, my show was on billing with more drama, namely a Doctor Who - Waiting For Godot crossover play written by Smuzz, in which Smuzz & Eira were both heavily involved just fifteen minutes after we wrapped up Deity, and they were great in both shows. Their own play added David Wake, Mark Slater, Cuill and Cal to the casting.

Deity was well received again, and my huge thanks to the casts of both versions, I hope to stage further episodes soon, possibly at forthcoming Eastercons.

I have been performing poetry since about 1986, Stories by me first got into print about the same time. My first performed drama was 1996's 'Drinks After The Meeting', a dialogue between secular humanists written for a Humanism event (I was then secretary and newsletter editor for a regional branch of the society). One of my co-performers staged the short play again at a later date with my permission.

Me as Hearnoevil (on the left with other cast members) in 2011 - A David Wake play. Photo from the audience.

My only other dramatic work has been with modest roles in some David Wake productions for the Eastercons over the years. I certainly wish to do much more. If there are gods from World mythology you would like to see poor Jack try to interview, do let me know. I am avoiding deities linked to living religions such as Hinduism and the Monotheistic faiths still active today.

Arthur Chappell