From The Page To The Stage

The storm started with the wind. It picked up slowly at first, a gentle pitter-patter of rain. After that came a loud crash: thunder. 

Then, a voice pierced through the deafening noise: “Quiet!” 

Silence returned. 

Hands that had been pounding on tables froze in mid-air, and trash cans that had been banged against the ground were carefully lowered. 

This representation of Jesus calming the storm was a scene in The Mark Drama, a 90-minute reenactment of the Gospel of Mark performed by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Trinity University on February 1 and 2 in the Fiesta Room. 

InterVarsity’s campus staff minister, Hunter Buikema, had presented the idea to perform this play to the student leadership team in October 2025. He had previously seen a performance of The Mark Drama and felt that Trinity’s liberal arts focus would help the club succeed in developing a creative project beyond their comfort zone. 

Despite most of the club’s lack of acting experience, they agreed to the idea. 

The Mark Drama premiered in England and is now performed internationally. There are directors who work specifically with the program, traveling to different universities within a country. 

For Trinity’s performance, director John Florey flew from South Dakota. He usually directs the play there and in other states in the Lakes and Plains region. Trinity’s performance marked the drama’s first showing in Texas. 

Months before Florey began rehearsals with the full cast, the club needed to figure out who would play the role of Jesus. After throwing around a few names, the leaders eventually landed on their friend Cristian Martinez ’26. 

Though not part of InterVarsity’s leadership, Martinez had attended the club’s events, and the club members felt he would be a great fit.  

“That was very powerful because it's such a significant role,” Martinez says. “It was a real honor to realize that the club leadership and my friends wanted me to play this role.”  

To memorize his lines, Martinez made flashcards, practically transcribing his entire script. He also had to practice channeling emotion. For the scene when Jesus goes to the garden of Gethsemane to pray in agony before his crucifixion, Martinez drew upon his own experiences of grief to evoke sorrow and fear. 

Martinez worked hard to prepare for his role, starting six weeks before the performance. The rest of the cast began rehearsal on January 29.

They immediately encountered frustrations: members of the cast dropped out at the last minute, the doors to the practice room were locked, and people showed up late. 

However, as rehearsals continued, things began to improve. The cast grew more comfortable with performing, feeding off of each other’s energy and support.

“I was able to follow the lead of everyone else, because I think I was probably one of the more timid ones,” club leader Danny Jiang ’26 says. “Seeing people jump into their character was super encouraging for me.” 

After dedicating so much time and effort, the actors were eager to see how the performance would go. They ended up being pleased with their own deliverance as well as how the audience interacted with them. Because the show is performed in a theatre-in-the-round, the audience was frequently involved in the scenes. 

During the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples approached them, asking for bread or fish. When the Pharisees tell a story about a wife who has seven husbands who all die, the actors “die” at the feet of the people in the front row.

These scenes made the audience feel like part of the action and drew them into the Gospel in a more engaging, emotional way. 

“A lot of people have read the Bible. They kind of know who Jesus is, but they don't really get to feel it and experience it,” club president Samantha Leung ’27 says.

The Mark Drama’s interactivity speaks to how the performance gave Trinity students, regardless of their religious affiliation, a unique opportunity to engage with and learn about the Christian faith. 

The drama also strengthened the bond between InterVarsity members. 

Buikema appreciated the closeness and camaraderie he witnessed during the process. He feels that after being challenged by this experience, the club can become more confident in engaging with the campus community. 

“I hope that it will help them be willing to try new things, to push themselves, and to share the good news with other people,” Buikema says. “To be excited, to realize that it’s not that hard to talk about our faith with others.”