COMES TO ABILENE FOR 1 PERFORMANCE ONLY SEPT. 30!
“One Hell of a Good Show” “A Profound Experience”
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL CHRISTIANITY TODAY
“Pure Genius” “Clever and Satirical”
NATIONAL REVIEW THE NEW YORK TIMES
ABILENE – The international hit THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, a provocative, wickedly funny and theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view, comes to Abilene for the first time for one performance only on Sept. 30 at the Abilene Convention Center Auditorium.
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS has played to capacity audiences in major cities across the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Seattle and Dallas and in London. Over 500,000 people have seen the production, which continues to attract a national following.
The Associated Press called The Screwtape Letters “Devilishly funny!” Newsweek ranked it among the best productions of the year in New York City, and The Chicago Tribune called The Screwtape Letters “Very smart...richly rewarding...exuberant theatricality!”
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS creates a topsy-turvy, morally inverted universe, set in an eerily stylish office in hell, where God is called the “Enemy,” and the devil is referred to as “Our Father Below.” The play follows His Abysmal Sublimity, Screwtape, and his slavish creature-demon, Toadpipe, as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on how to ruin the life and damn the soul of an unsuspecting human on earth.
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS stars Brent Harris as Screwtape (Scar in The Lion King national tour).
Along with The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters remains one of Lewis’ most popular and influential works. The book's piercing insight into human nature and the lucid and humorous way Lewis makes his readers squirm in self-recognition made it an immediate success. When first published in 1942, it brought worldwide fame to this little-known Oxford don, including the cover of Time Magazine.
The idea for Screwtape came to Lewis after listening to Hitler’s Reichstag speech on July 19, 1940, while it was simultaneously translated on BBC Radio. Lewis wrote, “I don’t know if I’m weaker than other people, but it is a positive revelation to me how, while the speech lasts, it is impossible not to waver just a little. Statements which I know to be untrue all but convince me, if only the man says them unflinchingly.”
Lewis dedicated the book to his close friend J.R.R. Tolkien, who had expressed to Lewis that delving too deeply into the craft of evil would have consequences. Lewis admitted as much when he wrote, “Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment . . . though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The work into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness and geniality had to be excluded.”
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is produced Fellowship for Performing Arts. Founded by Artistic Director Max McLean, Fellowship for Performing Arts is a New York City-based production company whose mission is to create theatre and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. In addition to annual seasons at Theatre Row in New York City, it produces coast-to-coast tours in both major performing arts venues and university theatres. McLean is the 2022 recipient of the C.S. Lewis Foundation Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions in Faith and Dramatic Arts.
FPA also produced the hit film The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis, which is available to stream now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, PureFlix and YouTube, as well as to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray.
For more information, ScrewtapeOnStage.com
Show: The Screwtape Letters Dates: Saturday, Sept. 30, 4 p.m. Ticket Prices: $59, $69, $99
Venue: Abilene Convention Center Auditorium
Address: 1100 N. 6th St, Abilene, TX 79601
Ways to Purchase:
Online: Abilene Convention Center
Phone: (325) 676-6211
Box Office: 1100 N. 6th St, Abilene, TX 79601
Box Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Ways to Save:
$30 under 30 – Purchase at Box Office. Under 30 years old. ID required. Limited supply. Act Fast!
SAVE MORE! For groups of 10 or more. Email groups@fpatheatre.com
