The Fellowship for the Performing Arts announces that their critically acclaimed production The Screwtape Letters, starring Max McLean, will embark on a national tour this fall. The Screwtape Letters will appear at The Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA, on October 2nd and 3rd; The Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix, AZ on October 30th and November 1st; Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY on Friday, November 6th; Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs, FL on November 14th and 15th; Tivoli Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN on November 21st and 22nd; and Lansburgh Theatre, 610 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. on December 16th through January 3rd. The riveting play has previously enjoyed sold-out runs and rave reviews in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
The Screwtape Letters is a funny, provocative and wickedly witty theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ brilliant novel that explores the theme of spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view.
Adapted for the stage by Jeffrey Fiske and Max McLean, The Screwtape Letters, which runs 90 minutes without intermission, is set in an office in hell. The engaging play follows a senior devil, Screwtape, played by Max McLean, and his secretary, Toadpipe, played by Karen Eleanor Wight,as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on how to “undermine faith and prevent the formation of virtues” in a young man who has just converted to Christianity. As Screwtape ridicules Wormwood and devilishly dictates his letters to Toadpipe, the fantastical creature transforms into laughingly recognizable figures with whimsical movement and wordless wit.
When first published in 1942. The Screwtape Letters brought immediate fame to C.S. Lewis, a little known Oxford don whose field of study was Medieval English and literature. Over the past sixty-five years its wit and wisdom have made it one of his most widely read and influential works. One of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day, C.S. Lewis was a Fellow and Tutor of English literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.
His major contributions in literary criticism, children’s literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract millions of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include: The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, and Mere Christianity.
The initial production of The Screwtape Letters opened at Theatre 315 in New York City in January 2006 for a limited three-week run. Due to popular demand it ran for ten sold-out weeks. After building on its success it reopened in the fall of 2007 at the larger Theatre at St. Clement’s for another twelve sold-out weeks to rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. In April 2008 it transferred to The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C. for a five week run. Again it played for sold out and standing room-only audiences. In October 2008, it transferred again to the Mercury Theater in Chicago for a scheduled six week run that grew to six months. The Chicago Tribune called it “the most successful show in the history of the Mercury Theater.”
The Screwtape Letters is directed by Jeffrey Fiske and stars Max McLean as Screwtape and Karen Eleanor Wight as Toadpipe. Scenic design is by Cameron Anderson, costumes are by Michael Bevins, lighting by Jesse Klug, and sound is by Bart Fasbender. For tickets or more information visit www.ScrewtapeOnStage.com.
