john patrick shanley | storefront church

Oh boy. Look what opens tonight in New York. Wonder how soon we can have it on our stage at Pacific Theatre? Maybe another Shanley double bill? I'm heading down to Lamb's Players in a few weeks for the opening of Scott Hafso's musical adaptation of Joe Versus The Volcano. Wouldn't that be fine?

STOREFRONT CHURCH
World Premiere
Written and Directed by John Patrick Shanley

May 16 - June 24
Atlantic Theatre Company at The Linda Gross Theater, NYC

Storefront Church is the final installment of the trilogy called Church And State, which began with Doubt.

The story concerns a Bronx Borough President who is forced, by the mortgage crisis, into a confrontation with a local minister. The question they confront is one that faces us all. What is the relationship between spiritual experience and social action?

There's a swell video over on my oblations blog.

Here's a note from Shanley's facebook page, just prior to opening: "I construct a play. The actors help me lift the pieces into place. Some don't fit perfectly. I trim and lengthen. Parts look good but don't support weight. They must go. We are building a house. On May 16th, we will open the doors and the house will fill with people. Everything we do, we do to prepare for this arrival. We must be ready. The audience is like a King."