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The Actor: A Play
"The Actor" is a new play by Daniel McInerny, based upon thrilling and little-known events in the life of Karol Wojtyła, the man who would become St. John Paul II.
Karol “Lolek” Wojtyła is a talented university student with an ardent desire to be an actor. But on the morning of September 1, 1939, just as he prepares to serve Mass at Kraków’s Wawel Cathedral, German aircraft approach the city signaling the beginning of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the end of Lolek’s life as he has known it.
Yet along with other thespian friends, Lolek refuses to give up on his dream. In secret they pursue their dramatic activities underground, eventually forming the much-heralded Rhapsodic Theater as a form of cultural resistance against the German occupation.
But even as Lolek becomes more deeply immersed in underground theater, the more he begins to hear a call to a very different life. The suffering of his people, combined with the friendship of a mystic-tailor named Jan Tyranowski, challenge him to think more deeply about what his country needs most from him. In the crucible of war, Lolek finds himself an actor in a most unexpected drama.
Depicting exciting historical events, and brimming with the indefatigable idealism of youth, "The Actor" provides an inspiring and captivating portrait of the saint as a young artist.
Karol “Lolek” Wojtyła is a talented university student with an ardent desire to be an actor. But on the morning of September 1, 1939, just as he prepares to serve Mass at Kraków’s Wawel Cathedral, German aircraft approach the city signaling the beginning of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the end of Lolek’s life as he has known it.
Yet along with other thespian friends, Lolek refuses to give up on his dream. In secret they pursue their dramatic activities underground, eventually forming the much-heralded Rhapsodic Theater as a form of cultural resistance against the German occupation.
But even as Lolek becomes more deeply immersed in underground theater, the more he begins to hear a call to a very different life. The suffering of his people, combined with the friendship of a mystic-tailor named Jan Tyranowski, challenge him to think more deeply about what his country needs most from him. In the crucible of war, Lolek finds himself an actor in a most unexpected drama.
Depicting exciting historical events, and brimming with the indefatigable idealism of youth, "The Actor" provides an inspiring and captivating portrait of the saint as a young artist.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2014
3 people want to read
About the author
Daniel McInerny
17 books21 followersDaniel McInerny is the author of Christ-haunted, darkly comic fiction. His novel, THE GOOD DEATH OF KATE MONTCLAIR, will appear from Chrism Press in March 2023.
He is also the author of the comic thriller, HIGH CONCEPTS: A HOLLYWOOD NIGHTMARE, as well as the humorous Kingdom of Patria series for middle grade readers.
Subscribe to Daniel's Substack, "Daniel McInerny's Studio Stories," at danielmcinerny.substack.com.
And find out more about Daniel's work at danielmcinerny.studio.
He is also the author of the comic thriller, HIGH CONCEPTS: A HOLLYWOOD NIGHTMARE, as well as the humorous Kingdom of Patria series for middle grade readers.
Subscribe to Daniel's Substack, "Daniel McInerny's Studio Stories," at danielmcinerny.substack.com.
And find out more about Daniel's work at danielmcinerny.studio.
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