The Rapture. The Apocalypse. The end of the world. And the New Jerusalem is in…Arkansas?

Hopefully, someone packed their Rapture kit. Oh…throw in an atheist and things just got real.

Revelation, adapted from a book (yes, that book), is a dark comedy written by Samuel Brett Williams.

“It’s fun as hell can be on Earth,” Williams says.

Williams, like his character Brandon in Revelation, moved from Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to New York City. His scripts are typically set in his own Bible Belt backyard.

Williams says the “strange stuff” about his former state is true, while the “normal stuff” is made up. He attempts to be conscientious, though, “not to leave Arkansas and piss on it.” He will be the first to point out the flaws, but will also be the first to defend his hometown.

Growing up there, he admits feeling smothered and suffocated by the hellfire-and-brimstone culture.

“At 10 years old, burning in hell is the most terrifying thing that can happen,” Williams recalls.

Once he left his cocoon, Williams thought of religion as, well…absurd. His intent is never to make fun of it, but explore it. Kick it. Push it.

Many of Williams’ plays dare the audience to laugh at the morbid while bringing light and understanding.

“It’s like Hannibal Lecter gives them a good meal before he kills them,” Williams explains.

Williams’ idea first emerged when reflecting on a high school class he took on the Book of Revelation.

He releases a booming laugh, looking a bit like a dark-haired Seth Rogan.

“Wouldn’t it be the funniest thing in the world if we all died and went to an alien planet? Tom Cruise would jump out and yell, ‘Damn it, I told you,’” he says.

He pitched his idea at the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference (before the onslaught of all the end-of-the-world movies, he is quick to point out). The National New Play Network commissioned him to write it in 2013.

His comedies deal with darker issues, but Williams wants his audience to “laugh and gasp” at the same time. His first full-length play, Woodpecker, focused on torture in Guantanamo Bay. Another, Derby Day, was more personal and characterized his brother and uncles betting on a horse that dies.   

In his spare time, Williams has directed and been a screenwriter for television. His play Revival will soon be a movie.

“It is Little Miss Sunshine meets The Wrestler,” Williams says.

Although he enjoys script writing, he says nothing is better than just seeing a chair on stage. There is nowhere to hide, and the audience has to rely on good storytelling. Williams’ plays have been seen in New York, Los Angeles, and as far away as Scotland.

Revelation will hit the stage at Shelterbelt Theater this fall as part of their By Local/Buy Local season.

Williams loved the intimate setting of the black box space at Shelterbelt and was excited to do something in the Omaha area.

Shelterbelt Executive Director Roxanne Wach mentions she could not be more thrilled to have a local season.

Is Wach worried Revelation may be too controversial for a conservative Nebraska city?

“Bring it. It’s good to make people think,” Wach says.

Williams says the Shelterbelt family has been “fearless” and he isn’t worried about offending anyone. Well…except his mother.

Despite all his successes, Williams’ greatest achievement is teaching his screen writing program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Oh, and having the strength to divorce his wife. His next play, Our House, is about the end of his marriage.

Williams tackles the topic with his sardonic humor and a written dedication to his ex: “For Claudia, go to hell.”

Visit shelterbelt.org for more information. Encounter