So many people have asked how and why I decided to do a play about Dorothy Day, co-founder with Peter Maurin of The Catholic Worker Newspaper and the Catholic Worker Movement.
A bigger than life-size statue of Dorothy Day, a parting gift from our previous pastor, Father William Bausch, sits in front of my church, Saint Mary’s Colts Neck, NJ.
One day in 1997 I found myself standing and looking at the statue... and something clicked. I started reading about Day...biographies and autobiographies and I came to love her. I realized Day’s story had great potential for theatre, that this was a woman I could and should do, whose story should be shared.
Research included going to Maryhouse and Saint Joseph House, hospitality houses in New York City where I got some first hand information about Day and saw the aims of the Catholic Worker Movement in action, a movement that serves the poor, shelters the homeless and works for peace and justice for all in the tradition of Dorothy Day. I interviewed several people who knew her including Sister Peter Claver, who gave the first dollar to the Catholic Worker Newspaper, Nina Polcyn Moore, Frank Donovan, Jane Sammon and the list goes on……And thank God there is much written by and about Dorothy Day.
I collaborated with playwright, Donald Yonker and the result is the one-woman play, Fool for Christ, the Story of Dorothy Day and recently, the DVD of the live performance.
In a relatively small span of theatre time, (about one hour), I move between Dorothy Day at various ages and others who came into her story, giving balanced attention to Day’s loves, spirituality and politics. There are at least a dozen characters. The staging and set are simple and suggestive of many different places.
The premier performance of Fool for Christ was January 16, 1998 at Maryhouse, one of the hospitality houses where Day lived, worked and where she died. It received tremendous response. Since then, I have performed Fool for Christ in makeshift theatres in churches, retreat centers, conferences and conventions. I have brought Fool for Christ to colleges and universities across the country and some in Canada. Last count was 33 states.
I try to visit the nearest Catholic Worker House. There are over 180 Catholic Worker Houses around the world. Comments and stories from the audience during a Q and A after the performance feed me and the audience. I am still learning as I travel with the play.
Day’s character is complex. A number of its facets are strongly identified in the play such as her compassion, pacifism, loving criticism and her sense of love in action.
Fool for Christ is not just for Catholics. Dorothy was a friend and helper to people of all faiths or no faith. |
