JUDAS EXCLUSIVE

by Will McDowell

A liar. A traitor. A thief. Tonight, Judas Iscariot tells his side of the story.

Mere days after the death of Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot makes his first public appearance on Simona Tonight, an ailing late-night talk show desperate for one last ratings miracle.

But 33AD Judea is a volatile place. As Judas attempts to clear his name, the cameras keep rolling, the audience keeps judging, and Simona fights to keep control of a broadcast that may be collapsing in real time. What begins as an exclusive interview spirals into a psychedelic, channel-changing odyssey through fame, betrayal, public shame and the dying days of broadcast television.

Wickedly funny, surreal and sharply satirical, Judas Exclusive reimagines the world’s most infamous betrayal through the lens of celebrity culture, media spectacle and the public’s endless appetite for scandal.

Written by Will McDowell, Judas Exclusive is a bold new comedy about reputation, redemption, legacy — and what happens when everyone wants the truth, but only while it’s entertaining.

Available to pre-order now.

There will be an Edinburgh Fringe preview of Judas Exclusive at King’s Head Theatre, London on 1st July. Tickets available here.

Judas Exclusive will be playing at Studio at ZOO Southside as part of Edinburgh Fringe from 7th to 30th August. Tickets available here.

About the play

Set on a late-night talk show in 33AD Judea — but somehow also in the exhausted glow of contemporary television — Judas Exclusive fuses biblical myth, pop culture and media satire into a fast, theatrical and unpredictable new work.

Across interviews, news bulletins, game-show segments and surreal channel-hopping interruptions, the play asks who gets to control the story, who profits from disgrace, and whether betrayal is ever really the end of the broadcast.

Perfect for readers and theatre-makers interested in:

• Contemporary comedy drama
• Satirical plays
• Biblical reimaginings
• Plays about celebrity and media culture
• Surreal and experimental theatre
• Small cast contemporary plays
• New writing for performance

CAST: 3 actors
DURATION: 60 minutes