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| The St. Thomas Players debuted in 1996 with the staging of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit. Since then, the Players, although nominally an amateur troupe, have gained a reputation for professional-quality productions. Many of the actors/actresses who have donated their time and talents to the St. Thomas Players are in fact formally trained veterans of the professional stage. Artistic Director of the St. Thomas Players is Dr. Kurt Corriher - actor, playwright, and novelist. The Associate Artistic Director is Claudia Galup. A cadre of more than fifty people serve the theatre in various capacities. |
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The St. Thomas Players, an arts theatre, is dedicated solely to dramatic works with significant literary content. After each performance, an associate of Center for Faith & the Arts leads a discussion of the play for interested audience members. These lively discussions focus on universal questions of human existence and on insights into faith questions that can be gleaned from the production. The work of the Players is directed by a Steering Committee which includes the two artistic directors, the executive director of Center for Faith & the Arts, and five active and experienced participants in the world of drama.
Since the initial production of No Exit, by Jean-Paul Sartre, the St. Thomas Players have also presented The Interview (world premiere) by Kurt Corriher, All My Sons by Arthur Miller, A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee, Agnes of God by John Pielmeier, Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose, Marvin’s Room by Scott McPherson, The Trial of God by Elie Wiesel, Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, and Copenhaagen by Michael Frayn (see Center Programs and Events).
Our Name
The St. Thomas Players were named for an ancient Thomas and a contemporary one. The ancient Thomas was the doubter, the disciple of Christ. The contemporary one was Father Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk. Though the ancient Thomas was called the doubter, tradition claims that he went to India, built a church with his own hands, and was martyred by King Midsai in retaliation for converting the king's wife to Christianity. And though the contemporary Thomas took a vow of silence, many have been blessed and inspired by his writings.
Doubt and silence are both characteristic of the century just past. Rational doubt, the view that what cannot be proven must be disbelieved, has eroded faith. Silence came to the fore in the twentieth century notion, often expressed in that century's art, that human beings have nothing to say. In fact, it has been remarked that in the twentieth century the theatre became a cathedral where we play out the drama of our emptiness.
But just as the doubt of the ancient Thomas was the doubt that completes faith, so the silence of Father Merton inspired eloquent expression in his writings. It is in recognition of these two men named Thomas, one of whom embodied the doubt that is the nether side of faith, and the other who exposed the futility of continuing to express our inability to express, that we chose to call our troupe The St. Thomas Players.
For more information, or if you are interested in contributing time, talent, or financial support to the St. Thomas Players, visit the Contact Us page or correspond with us through one of the methods below:
Dr. Kurt Corriher, Artistic Director
or
Ms. Claudia Galup, Associate Artistic Director
at
Center
for Faith & the Arts
PO Box 4098
Salisbury, NC 28145-4098
Telephone: (704) 647-0999.
E-mail:
faithart@bellsouth.net
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