PROVO — The New Play Project, in conjunction with Provo Theater
Company, is performing the world premiere of national award-winning
playwright Mahonri Stewart's "Swallow the Sun," a new play based on the
early life of C.S. Lewis, author of "The Chronicles of Narnia," "The
Screwtape Letters," "Mere Mere Christianity" and "Till We Have Faces."
Although Stewart said that this play holds special significance for him
personally, "The work of C.S. Lewis has had a meaningful influence upon
me since I was young. It is due to him that my work is as religious as
it is. To borrow Lewis' own words, he 'baptized my imagination.'"
The play centers around Lewis' conversion to Christianity. "People are
surprised when I tell them that C.S. Lewis was once an entrenched
atheist," said Stewart, "He became such a powerful advocate for
Christianity that people have a hard time seeing him as anything but.
But the reason he was such a powerful voice was because he had been on
the other side. He knew their arguments, he felt the weight of their
reasons."
Although the play has strong religious content, Stewart assures that
the play is neither saccharine, nor didactic. "It is a conversion
story, no doubt about it, but the men that effected Lewis' conversion
were no intellectual lightweights. People like Hugo Dyson, Owen
Barfield and the famed J.R.R. Tolkien were powerful, extremely
intelligent individuals. They had tremendous impact on the change that
happened in Lewis. I have strived to write this play with that in mind
— to make it visceral, emotional, intellectual, lyrical, real."
If you go ...
What: Swallow the Sun
Where: Provo Theatre Company, 105 E. 100 North, Provo
When: 7:30 p.m. May 16, 17, 19, 23, 24; 2:30 p.m. May 17, 24
Cost: $10/$8 students, seniors
Phone: (801) 830-4553