The Saint Plays (PAJ Books)

About this book

This collection of fifteen plays by Erik Ehn is part of an ongoing cycle of plays loosely based on the lives of saints and biblical characters ranging from John the Baptist to Joan of Arc. Placing the protagonists and their suffering in a modern context Ehn produces what he calls "contemporary fairy tales for the stage." The subject matter he explains in the Preface is "exploded biography " or "the means by which the self is overmastered by acts of the imagination by acts of faith." An important contribution to current explorations of the poetic and spiritual in the theater these surprising dramas create their own language interrogating the limits of empathy and faith. "The plays grow out of Ehns deep Catholic faith which reveals a specifically Franciscan spiritual energy in its community-based ethos and hallowed desire to infuse contemporary life with a feeling for the divine... Ehns saint plays partake of the century-long Judeo-Christian tradition of modern writers dramatizing the great themes of faith evil spiritual longing and soul states in plays that include saints angels or biblical characters... His joyful drama sings the praises of the poetic voice and image in portraits of people crafted like beautiful holy cards."--Bonnie Marranca Plays for the End of the Century