Powerful Acts - Playwright adds new perspective to Passion
By Chris Donahue
Staff Writer
A love of the profound messages and lessons of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection inspired Thomas Dooley to new personal dramatic heights.
Dooley, a New York-based actor who grew up in the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Bernardsville, wrote and is directing the new play Witness: A Story of the Passion, which will be presented at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Good Friday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The play features a series of poetic monologues by the characters in the Gospel of John. The cast is comprised of members of the parish’s youth group.
Dooley, 26, who was an altar server and member of the choir at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, has been returning each Lent for several years to direct a production of the Passion Play using scripts provided by various youth programs. This year, he wrote Witness because the Passion is “one of the most compelling stories that one can ever dramatize.”
“It is a deeply human story,” he continued. “All of these characters witnessed this great unveiling of truth and sacrifice. I wanted the kids to be able to really delve into their different parts and feel like they could express a lot of different emotions. Not only are there great theatrical moments, but deep emotional points, especially between Jesus and his mother, his disciples and Judas.”
Human drama
Dooley said he had to put himself in the shoes of the characters in writing the play because the interior motives of many of the characters are not disclosed in Scripture.
“That is where I came up with a scene like the closing with Mary, his mother, after Jesus is crucified. She delivers a heartbreaking monologue to the audience,” he said.
In addition to the messages of sacrifice and redemption, Dooley said he wanted to stress that “as Catholics and as human beings, we need to constantly remember our spiritual legacy, where we came from and where we are going.”
“A lot of time we think of the Passion as something detached, something placed in rituals and recitation, but the most powerful thing is this story,” he continued. “Essentially this story is an unbelievably human story and there is so much we can glean, especially of forgiveness and sacrifice.”
Although he was very familiar with the Passion, Dooley said writing the play had a spiritual impact on him.
“I felt like in some way I took ownership of my religion and my spirituality,” he said. “That I could take all of the text and things I learned growing up and put them all together. That was the greatest thing for me.
“Also, I uncovered things that I never really thought about, like the different relationships that existed in this story, especially between Jesus and his mother. We don’t hear a lot about Mary in the Passion story.
“I decided to put her in the story a little more and use her as kind of flashback, where she remembered some of the moments in motherhood. I also stressed how Jesus had a human mother and everything about that is so accessible to everyone.”
In both writing and directing the play, Dooley said it was not a conscious effort to evangelize or put his faith into action.
“The whole purpose of performing a piece of dramatic work is to entertain and to educate. That is my hope. That in some way what I put forth can enlighten and inspire,” Dooley said.
Supporting cast
Evan Dewey, who portrays Jesus in the play, said the role is enjoyable and although it is “a huge responsibility” it is not a burden.
“It kind of affects what you do [in real life] in subtle ways,” added Dewey, 18, a senior at Oratory Prep, Summit. “It is something else to help get you in the Lenten mood and to think differently.
“Just doing the play in general gives you a better understanding of all the characters. Last year I played Judas and I got his perspective and this year Jesus’. It really humanizes what happened.”
Singer/songwriter Maura Glynn-Congdon of Budd Lake, a former member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, leads an instrumental ensemble in providing original songs and instrumentations, Dooley said.
Admission is free. To reserve a seat, e-mail olphyouthministry@yahoo.com.
Donations benefiting the youth ministry will be welcomed at the door.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law