NEW YORK – Accolade Award winning actor Shevrado Oliver, Actor Boy Award nominee Jerry Benzwick, Audelco Award nominee Dianne Dixon and veteran Jamaican born actress Fleurette Harris are the latest performers to join the Gala Easter Sunday production of Easton Lee’s religious epic The Rope and The Cross. The show arrives at The Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC) in Jamaica Queens for one night only on Sunday April 5. It starts at 7pm.
A complimentary Caribbean Cuisine Easter Reception courtesy of The Door Restaurant will precede the performance. The reception begins at 5:30pm.
The quartet of Jamaican actors joins the previously announced duo of Actor Boy Award winner Oliver Samuels and CBS TV host Zay Harding for the Staged Reading Concert event, which is produced and directed by Broadway World Award winner David Heron.
The Rope and The Cross is set in rural Jamaica and ancient Jerusalem. The late playwright Easton Lee shows the events of Christ’s passion through a Caribbean lens. He portrays Jesus and Judas as modern Jamaican men. They are young, brave, and set on changing the status quo. They want a fairer society. However, their efforts are blocked, and their lives are at risk. This happens when local authorities unite in harsh opposition. They use violence to crush any hope of social reform.
The Rope and The Cross Cast
Shevrado Oliver as Jesus
Shevrado Oliver, who intriguingly was born on Christmas Day, will play the pivotal role of Jesus. Best known for his work in the TV production *From Yard*, now streaming on TUBI, he won a 2024 Accolade Award. It was for Best Actor in his leading role in the suspense thriller “Behind Closed Doors”. He has also appeared in the popular Jamaican TV series *Thicker Than Water*.
He made his New York stage acting debut in the 2025 Silver Anniversary production of Heron’s acclaimed green card comedy, Love and Marriage and New York City. Additionally, his Jamaican theatre credits include Just Like Girls and Marriage Bizniz.
Jerry Benzwick as Judas
Jerry will portray Judas Iscariot, arguably the most infamous character in biblical history. His own life and version of events comes very much to the fore in Lee’s story. Benzwick was last seen on the New York stage in Heron’s production of Dominican playwright Alwin Bully’s McBee, a Caribbean retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Under Bully’s direction, Benzwick earned a Jamaican Actor Boy Award nomination as Best Actor for Thomas Southerne’s epic drama Oroonoko, while still a student at the Jamaica School Of Drama. He has since been seen on stages in Jamaica and the USA in productions such as God’s Way and Single Entry.
Jerry has also been featured in the films Nothing But Ghosts and The Last Britons. Additionally, he is co founder of the casting agency Kriswick Talent Scouting and Promotion, and is a former national rugby player for team Jamaica.
Dianne Dixon – Mother of Judas
Two time Audelco Award nominee Dianne Dixon is cast as the Mother of Judas, a fictional character created for The Rope and The Cross by playwright Lee. Dixon earned Audelco nominations for Excellence in Black Theatre Off Broadway as Best Supporting Actress for the musical Jamaica. She was also nominated for the drama Dinner at The Manse.
Her recent stage credits include Mama Decemba for Banana Boat Productions, McBee and, most recently, the Brazilian drama Goodbye Doctor Off Broadway at ART /New York. On screen, she has been seen in the Emmy Award winning television series We Are New York as well as in the films RURI and Victims.
Fleurette Harris – Mother of Jesus
Veteran Jamaican actress Fleurette Harris plays the role of Mary, Mother Of Jesus. Harris returns to the stage following a hiatus of several years.
Before moving to the USA, Harris appeared in several of Jamaica’s most popular national pantomimes. She also appeared in many theater productions across different genres. These include A Raisin in The Sun, The Tempest , Antigone, The Crucible and For Colored Girls. She has also had roles in such feature films as Club Paradise and Klash.
Heron has worked with all four actors before. He directed both Dixon and Harris in his Fortieth Anniversary production of The Rope and The Cross back in 2019.
“There is always a real feeling of comfort and family when you rehire exceptional actors time and again, and so I’m very happy to have Shevrado, Jerry, Dianne and Fleurette in the company of The Rope and The Cross, 2026 edition,” he says.
“Shevrado of course, plays my son in From Yard on TUBI and was part of Love and Marriage and New York City last year, while Jerry was a true scene stealer in McBee at JPAC two years ago. Dianne and Fleurette were nothing short of exceptional in playing the mothers of Judas and Jesus back in 2019, so the presence of these four will undoubtedly make this production an incredibly powerful Easter event.”
Final casting for The Rope and The Cross will be announced shortly.
The Rope and the Cross is presented in association with The Jamaica Tourist Board, Mesidor PLLC, Results Promo and Marketing, The Door Restaurant and IMC Media.
Tickets are now available online at theropeandthecross.eventbrite, with Early Easter Special discount tickets on sale until Tuesday February 24.
