April 23, 2014 Leave a Comment

Talking John Paul II on “A Closer Look”

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Here’s the link to my interview yesterday with Sheila Liaugminas on “A Closer Look.” It was a meaty hour. We talked about:

  • Pope John Paul II’s subversive theater activities during World War II, the subject of my new play, The Actor
  • the crucial importance of the imagination in moral, intellectual and spiritual formation
  • the arts, and especially theater, in their role as a service to contemplation
  • how Catholics can–must–evangelize culture through the arts

Sheila is a gifted interviewer and I really enjoyed our conversation–and I hope you do, too!

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April 22, 2014 Leave a Comment

Media Appearances Supporting “The Actor”

Had a great time this morning talking to Matt Swaim on “The Son Rise Morning Show” about The Actor. I understand that the show will probably be re-broadcast tomorrow nationally–hopefully on your local Catholic radio station.

And later today I’ll be talking about The Actor with Sheila Liaugminas on her radio show, “A Closer Look.” The conversation kicks off at 6:00pm Eastern, 5:00pm Central.

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April 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

Announcing the Release of My New Play About Pope John Paul II

I’m very pleased to announce today the release of my new play, The Actor, based upon little-known events in the life of Karol Wojtyla, the man who became Pope John Paul. Here’s the official blurb…

Just in time for the celebration of his canonization on April 27, 2014–a new play depicting little-known events in the life of the young Karol Wojtyła, the man who would become Pope John Paul II.

Karol “Lolek” Wojtyła is a talented university student with an ardent desire to be an actor. But on the morning of September 1, 1939, just as he prepares to serve Mass at Kraków’s Wawel Cathedral, German aircraft approach the city signaling the beginning of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the end of Lolek’s life as he has known it.

Yet along with other thespian friends, Lolek refuses to give up on his dream. In secret they pursue their dramatic activities underground, eventually forming the much-heralded Rhapsodic Theater as a form of cultural resistance against the Nazi occupation.

But even as Lolek becomes more deeply immersed in underground theater, the more he begins to hear a call to a very different life. The suffering of his people, combined with the friendship of a mystic-tailor named Jan Tyranowski, challenge him to think more deeply about what his country needs most from him. In the crucible of war, Lolek finds himself an actor in a most unexpected drama.

Based on exciting historical events, and brimming with the indefatigable idealism of youth, The Actor provides an inspiring and captivating portrait of the saint as a young artist.

Find the play here on Amazon. Very soon to be released on iTunes, barnesandnoble.com, and Kobo. Enjoy!

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