Theater
of the Word Incorporated
Incarnational Drama
P.O. Box 29345
St. Louis, MO 63126
314-353-7599
www.thewordinc.org
CHRISTIAN DRAMA SERIES
PREMIERES IN ST. LOUIS
Click here for a poster of the upcoming season – www.thewordinc.org/season.htm
St. Louis, MO, 8/10/2007—
WHO:
Theater of the Word, Incorporated
WHAT: A Season of Shows at the John Paul II
Theater –
The Surprise, The Apostle of
Common Sense, A Morning Star Christmas, The Smallest of All, The Journey of St.
Paul
WHEN:
THE SURPRISE will be performed at 8 pm
Friday & Saturday, September 21 & 22 and at 7 pm on Sunday, September
23.
THE APOSTLE
OF COMMON SENSE will be performed at 8 pm Friday & Saturday, September 28 & 29
and at 2 pm on Sunday, September 30.
A MORNING
STAR CHRISTMAS will be performed at 8 pm Friday & Saturday, December 21 & 22.
THE SMALLEST
OF ALL will
be performed at 8 pm Friday & Saturday, February 15 & 16 and at 2 pm on
Sunday, Feb. 17 / and also at 8 pm Friday & Saturday, February 22 & 23
and at 2 pm on Sunday, Feb. 24
THE JOURNEY
OF ST. PAUL
will be performed at 8 pm Friday & Saturday, April 25 & 26, and at 2 pm
on Sunday, April 27.
WHERE: The John Paul
II Theater at the Cardinal Rigali Center, 30 Archbishop May Dr. in Shrewsbury,
Missouri
TICKETS: $15 for all performances. Call 314-840-WORD
/ Tickets also available at all Metrotix
locations, at www.metrotix.com or charge by phone at 314-534-1111.
DESCRIPTION:
The Theater of the Word Incorporated hopes to
“incorporate” or “flesh out” the Word of God by bringing to life words on
stage. Such is the plan of Kevin
O’Brien, founder of the Theater of the Word and convert to the faith.
“We plan to produce not merely shows that are
overtly Christian,” notes O’Brien, “but well written plays that see the world
from a Christian perspective. There is
a vast intellectual and artistic tradition in the Church which is either
unknown or denigrated today, and we hope to be active in its revival.”
O’Brien has been spending his dramatic career in a
number of ways, from performing stand-up comedy, magic, and one-man shows, to
writing and producing comedy murder mysteries nationwide through his company
Upstage Productions, which is also headquartered in St. Louis. Does he think it odd that he’s going from
ribald dinner theater to religious drama?
“Not at all,” O’Brien answers. “Drama and comedy have the power to move
hearts and minds, and everything I’ve ever done on stage has been a means of
bringing joy and enlightenment to people.”
In fact, the plays the Theater of the Word will be presenting this season
cover the gamut from comedy, satire, fantasy, and profound – and profoundly
intelligent – drama.
The season opens with The Surprise, the
masterpiece of G. K. Chesterton, a prolific British author who is enjoying a
renaissance of interest these days. “The
Surprise is an amazing play, a kind of Romantic Fairy Tale combined with Six
Characters in Search of an Author – a story which answers the question can
fantasy and reality meet – and what happens when they do?”
The Surprise was recently filmed by
EWTN to be aired worldwide, and several members of the cast of the TV movie
version will be appearing in St. Louis in this production. And another EWTN connection, Dale Ahlquist,
who hosts the EWTN series The Apostle of Common Sense, will be appearing
at the John Paul II Theater the weekend after The Surprise in a
presentation featuring actors portraying Chesterton and other authors from
Chesterton’s era, such as Hilaire Belloc and C. S. Lewis.
Other presentations that will round out The Theater
of the Word’s first season include A Morning Star Christmas, The Smallest of
All, and The Journey of St. Paul.
“We are particularly excited to be producing The Smallest of All,”
observes O’Brien, “by St. Louis playwright Mother Mary Francis. It’s a beautiful story of the impact of
holiness on the lives of regular people, and how a simple love for God can
redeem even the hardest of hearts.”
Indeed, Archibshop Raymond Burke has been
encouraging a local production of some of Mother Mary Francis’ works for quite
some time, and has offered the Theater of the Word his generous support. Other supporters include Ignatius Press, the
St. Louis Chesterton Society, and EWTN, which will be airing an anthology show
on Christian drama, hosted by Kevin O’Brien, beginning in 2008 or 2009.
The Theater of the Word will also be producing
touring shows for teens on pro-life issues, chastity education, and the lives
of the saints. They will also be
offering classes in acting for children, teens, and adults. More information on all of these things can
be found at www.thewordinc.org .
“This is an ambitious undertaking”, admits O’Brien,
“but we feel there’s a need for it, and we hope and pray that we will bring a
message of substance and hope in an entertaining and exciting manner to all who
will come and see.”