On Earth as it is in Hell at Whitefire Theatre

First, Andrew discovers his eight-year-old has a paralyzing fear of Hell. Then, he learns that fear was instilled in her by his own dad — a fire and brimstone preacher. This begins Andrew’s journey and the show that follows: One of self-reflection, reconciling faith, family, and how religion has impacted everyone for thousands of years – but with jokes.

In the process, Andrew realizes the importance of figuring out his own post-religious place in the world. He dives into ancient history to convince his daughter that everything will be okay and ends up learning just what the heck it is we believe anyway, and how we came to believe it.

His quest clarifies how humanity’s concepts of Hell have evolved over thousands of years — and makes him notice how our species has a funny little habit of using certain ideas to justify our worst impulses. In the end, On Earth as it is in Hell wonders: How can we each be an antidote to this whole messy thing? But again, like, in a (mostly) funny way.