ANTHONY E. GALLO
202 522 6973 agallo268@verizon.net
Dear Anthony,
I saw "TERESA" announced in the Dramatists Diary of the Guild's
magazine.
I have gotten a lot of mileage out of the scenes we read at the
Cosmos Writers' Group luncheon.
First I refreshed my memory via Google on St. Teresa's bio.
Since we both share a Jewish connection she interests me
greatly. Then I researched Doctors of the Church because
I needed to know more about them besides a few names and
odds and ends. Specifically,I wanted to know the qualifications
for that title and why she fulfilled them.
I was intrigued by the Song of Solomon allusion in your play, -
especially the idea of Jesus quoting those lines. It certainly
gives one another view of Jesus' personality. The reality of his
having done so remains controversial I think, but the possibility
is enormously earth-shaking theologically and historically speaking.
Congratulations for conceiving this provocative work. I hope I can
get to D.C. when you present it. If not, I hope you will consider allow-
ing me to present it at one of the Cosmos Club luncheons we hold
monthly in Sarasota, Fl. and/or at ASPEC, the Academy of Senior Professionals
at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg where I direct Readers' Theatre.
Perhaps we'll both be at Howard's September session.
Looking forward to the possibility,
Joan (Dunn Williams)
Tony,
I was so delighted to attend the reading of "Paul". All the previous
readings that I have attended have had scriptural antecedents in the
Judeo-Christian tradition. And you seem facinted by the scriptures, and
you certainly know then well!
"Paul" was well atttended, I thought, by knowledgeable people. Your
company was well rehearsed and able to project the importance of the man
and the delicacy of his relationships. Bravo! Sei veramente un scrittore
meravigliosa!
You say your next play will concern Teresa of Avila. How does she relate
to the biblical characters that you have already drawn? The only thing I
can think of to link her to the other spiritual characters is that her
grandfather was a Jew? Is this the link? When will it be presented?
Dear Anthony,
I saw "TERESA" announced in the Dramatists Diary of the Guild's
magazine.
I have gotten a lot of mileage out of the scenes we read at the
Cosmos Writers' Group luncheon.
First I refreshed my memory via Google on St. Teresa's bio.
Since we both share a Jewish connection she interests me
greatly. Then I researched Doctors of the Church because
I needed to know more about them besides a few names and
odds and ends. Specifically,I wanted to know the qualifications
for that title and why she fulfilled them.
I was intrigued by the Song of Solomon allusion in your play, -
especially the idea of Jesus quoting those lines. It certainly
gives one another view of Jesus' personality. The reality of his
having done so remains controversial I think, but the possibility
is enormously earth-shaking theologically and historically speaking.
Congratulations for conceiving this provocative work. I hope I can
get to D.C. when you present it. If not, I hope you will consider allow-
ing me to present it at one of the Cosmos Club luncheons we hold
monthly in Sarasota, Fl. and/or at ASPEC, the Academy of Senior Professionals
at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg where I direct Readers' Theatre.
Perhaps we'll both be at Howard's September session.
Looking forward to the possibility,
Joan (Dunn Williams)
Tony,
I was so delighted to attend the reading of "Paul". All the previous
readings that I have attended have had scriptural antecedents in the
Judeo-Christian tradition. And you seem facinted by the scriptures, and
you certainly know then well!
"Paul" was well atttended, I thought, by knowledgeable people. Your
company was well rehearsed and able to project the importance of the man
and the delicacy of his relationships. Bravo! Sei veramente un scrittore
meravigliosa!
You say your next play will concern Teresa of Avila. How does she relate
to the biblical characters that you have already drawn? The only thing I
can think of to link her to the other spiritual characters is that her
grandfather was a Jew? Is this the link? When will it be presented?
With warmest wishes for you coming works. Mary Carter
Dear Anthony,
I saw "TERESA" announced in the Dramatists Diary of the Guild's
magazine.
I have gotten a lot of mileage out of the scenes we read at the
Cosmos Writers' Group luncheon.
First I refreshed my memory via Google on St. Teresa's bio.
Since we both share a Jewish connection she interests me
greatly. Then I researched Doctors of the Church because
I needed to know more about them besides a few names and
odds and ends. Specifically,I wanted to know the qualifications
for that title and why she fulfilled them.
I was intrigued by the Song of Solomon allusion in your play, -
especially the idea of Jesus quoting those lines. It certainly
gives one another view of Jesus' personality. The reality of his
having done so remains controversial I think, but the possibility
is enormously earth-shaking theologically and historically speaking.
Congratulations for conceiving this provocative work. I hope I can
get to D.C. when you present it. If not, I hope you will consider allow-
ing me to present it at one of the Cosmos Club luncheons we hold
monthly in Sarasota, Fl. and/or at ASPEC, the Academy of Senior Professionals
at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg where I direct Readers' Theatre.
Perhaps we'll both be at Howard's September session.
Looking forward to the possibility,
Joan (Dunn Williams)
Tony,
I was so delighted to attend the reading of "Paul". All the previous
readings that I have attended have had scriptural antecedents in the
Judeo-Christian tradition. And you seem facinted by the scriptures, and
you certainly know then well!
"Paul" was well atttended, I thought, by knowledgeable people. Your
company was well rehearsed and able to project the importance of the man
and the delicacy of his relationships. Bravo! Sei veramente un scrittore
meravigliosa!
You say your next play will concern Teresa of Avila. How does she relate
to the biblical characters that you have already drawn? The only thing I
can think of to link her to the other spiritual characters is that her
grandfather was a Jew? Is this the link? When will it be presented?
With warmest wishes for you coming works. Mary Carter
With warmest wishes for you coming works. Mary Carter
pe your paragraph here.
pAUL
a TWO-acT pLAY BY aNTHONY e. gALLO
Performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Page to Stage Fesival
at 1 PM on September 5. See Program
This two-drama examines the complex life of Christianity’ssecond leading theological
architect, superseded e only byJesus of Nazareth. The play traces Paul’s
condemnations ofthe new Jewish Cult to his role as chief apostle and deathfor
the the new cult he has joined. (View excerpts of performance at Ingleside Stage)
Saul of Tarsus is Jerusalem’s most prosperous tentmaker. He is a loved and
cherished citizen of Israel and Rome, aPharisee, a righteous man, a great athlete
runner a lover ofthe law, and an eligible bachelor. He obeys the law.
He isan outstanding citizen. He is charitable. He is patriotic. And he is zealous
in all of these pursuits.
Israel is a trouble country under Roman domination. But Paulis respected wherever he goes. He will fight unto death thehonor of his Roman Citizenship and Jewish Heritage. He isgenerous to a fault. He is handsome, rugged.
.
Lately his public service is totally dedicated to stamping out a dangerous element in Jewish society, a cult of Judaismfounded by a formerly troubled youth named Jesus ofNazareth. These lunatics are followers of a fraudulentmegalomaniac who claimed he was God and executed fortreason.
And what does Saul proceed to do?
CHARACTERS
- Paul
- Peter
- Barnabus
- Johnmark
- Rachel
- Miriam
- James
- Thomas
- Mark
- Roman Lawyer
- High Priest
- Ananias
- First Man
- First Woman STAGED READING OF PAUL AT LINCOLNIA CENTER STAGE ON
- Second Man FEBRUARY 9, 2015. ENJOYED BY CAST, CREW AND ACTORS.
- Second Woman
- Voice
- Narrators
- Demonstrators-Ensemble (The Greek Chorus-All Actors.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
- 2011 October Cosmos Theatre
- 2012 January Greenbelt arts Center
- 2015 February Lincolnia Center Stage
- 2015 March Arlington Mill stage Monday
- 2015 April Villa Rosa stage Monday
- 2015 April Ingleside at Rock Creek Park Stage
- 2015 April Cosmowriters Workshop
- 2015 May 3 Collington Stage
- 2015 September Kennedy Center
- 2016 January Dramatists Guild of America, Baltimore
______________________________________________________________________________-
COMMENTARY
From: Jennifer Weber <Jweber@arlingtonva.us>
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 1:57 PM
Subject: Play on Wednesday
Hi Tony,
I just want to thank you again for bringing the players out on Wednesday. We had a great crowd and everyone loved the program. I also thought the discussion after was very interesting and enlightening. I spoke to several people who were very impressed with the actors and asked when the next performance will be. I am planning my July/August calendar, so let me know when you all can come back to Arlington Mill.
February 11, 2015
Good morning, Tony,
I wanted to thank you and the performers for a wonderful presentation last Monday night. We have received numerous comments regarding how well the play was presented. Many have stated that they have been inspired to read more about Paul. Most folks stop by the office and say, “Monday night was a great evening.” I stated at the intro that we are very fortunate to have you come with such quality programs and I sincerely mean that. It is always a pleasure working with you.
Kind regards,
Liz White Assistant Director
Lincolnia Senior Center
February 12, 2015
Tony,
Sorry I couldn't get back to you after the play was over. I felt so miserable the whole night through with my stomach all knotted up, that I ran to the bathroom as soon as we were dismissed.
I did enjoy it and appreciate the fact you addressed how difficult it is to understand Paul. I have always been well educated, and have had extreme difficulty understanding him. You brought out a few things as examples.
I also appreciate your bring out the controversy between faith and good works, which has divided Protestants and Catholics for the last 500 years, especially the born again types. They claim on a stack of Bibles that they will enter the pearly gates no matter how they relapse.
Also, the Jewish - Gentile question too. As you know the Romans respected the Jews through out the Empire (except for the Zealots who upset the socioeconomic order) and for the first 30 years or so mistook the first Christians for Jews, which gave the new Church some breathing room.
I purchased a CD from The Great Courses Foundation in Chantilly that features a Dr. Kenneth Harl from Tulane University, which was excellent. His specialty is Byzantine history and he goes digging for coins, which help explain the fortunes of the Roman government. It's entitled "Decline of the Pagan World and the Rise of Medieval Christianity in 36 lectures. Very good. The Church owes much to Constantine and the success he had in battle at the Milvian Bridge. I've also read Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire three times, which uses numerous secular sources to get a handle on the nature of early Christianity.
My question though is that I always thought that because Paul was a Roman citizen, he could not be crucified, that he therefore was beheaded.
You did a marvelous job at pointing out how his great zeal in spreading the faith led him to become borderline spiritually proud, which is the opposite of what we are supposed to me. Since I was educated in humility, he would have turned me off had I lived 2,000 years ago.
John
_____________________________________
November 2011
TARPLEY LONG (’97)
Chair, Cosmos Theatre
Comentary
Dear Tony,
I greatly enjoyed the reading of "Paul"--and thought the comments/questions that followed were much more substantivethan the norm. Clearly you have a following at that Club--and you deserve one.
As the daughter of a Catholic mother and Lutheran father (who knew the Bible--and insisted we read it too), I notedthat you quote the King James version of Paul's letter to
the Corinthians--the passage used in every marriage ceremony
on the face of the earth. But as you and I know, the brides
and grooms do not use James in this one instance, because
James stresses "charity" while other versions stress
"love"--which is more fitting for a marriage ceremony. Lots
of folks do not know the King James version, though, so I
feared it might confuse an audience member or two. Also,
toward the play's end, when you quote Paul's letter to
Timothy, I think your version deviates a bit from the King
James ("I have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith.") which I love. These
words are never as spare and powerful in other versions, in
my humble opinion, but I wonder if others would note the
discrepancies in the versions. Just a thought.
I look forward to seeing you in the Gold Room--to discuss
the dreadful "Freedom." Best, Catherine
Tony, thanks for any invitations to your plays. I
especially hope you'll keep using the Cosmos Club as a
sounding board.
I had another thought after I sent my last message--it's a
further tweak of my own tweak!
Best,
Tom
____
PAUL
. . . He sees our hearts.
SECOND WOMAN
Well, everyone else sees Jews and Greeks and slaves and all
the rest. Do you think anyone will listen to such thoughts?
PAUL
"Such thoughts," as you put them, have to start somewhere.
As Jesus said, the tiniest mustard seed can grow into a very
large plant. It may not happen overnight, but the seed is
now planted and it can never be uprooted.
SECOND WOMAN
But my roots are in Roman society.
From: thomas mann <twelvetrees22@hotmail.com>
To: agallo2368@verizon.net
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 3:46 PM
Subject: Your play last night
Mr. Gallo,
I met you last night at the Cosmos Club; I’m the guy from
the Library of Congress who was sitting just in front of
you. I very much enjoyed your play. It’s remarkable to see
any contemporary piece that takes Christianity seriously—or
even considers it at all. When the rest of the dramatic
world is either nihilistic, cynical, or self-absorbed in
navel-gazing exercises celebrating everyone doing his/her
own thing, your play was a breath of fresh air.
What follows are more comments or suggestions--not
criticisms! I think maybe a couple passages could be
tweaked. (I’m using the page numbers on the copy that was
available last night, which I realize is not identical to
what I heard from the stage.)
You bring up, twice (pp. 39 and 52), the contrast between
the new morality of love vs. the ‘old covenant’ of “an eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” I think you’d have a
stronger point if you expanded this a bit, to contrast
Christianity not only with that morality but with another
one equally prevalent in the ancient world (and today):
“Help your friends and harm your enemies.” This is the
morality of much of the ancient Mediterranean world—it
underlies The Iliad and Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis, for
example. And yet it is explicitly rejected by Christ (Matt.
5: 43-44; Luke 6: 27ff. also has a long passage on loving
one’s enemies [No, I didn’t know any of this from memory—I
had to look these up!]).
Specifically, at page 16, where the Voice is in dialogue
with Saul, maybe this is tweak-able along the line of
Re: Outstanding Performance and thanks to the Bagleys!
People
grant bagley
May 4, 2015 at 9:03 PM
To
Anthony Gallo
CC
Bunty ketcham
Beatrix trix Whitehall
Tim Wolf
James McDaniel
Ben Robles
and 7 more...All,
Margaret and I have had non stop comments all day long Evertything positive and many of the folks say things that range to the superlative. The only slightly negative was one woman who was not sure “it was much of a play” which was counterbalanced by another woman who begged for a script. She said “we need to read it some more, can you believe it has been a whole day and we are still talking about it”. It was a very engaged crowd and many wanted to talk to me about how we portrayed the characters. In short, Margaret and I are both basking in your glory—we were privileged to be on the stage with such a talented cast.
A few of my observations: This stage and auditorium presented a challenge It is very hard to get good voice projection without electronics. It was for that reason that I chose to use the microphones in the way we did. I definitely know my audience, I know my stage, and I know my auditorium. The set up I used would have worked better but I have not found a way to be on and off stage at the same time. The mics were set to allow several people to use them. There was no one to actively manage the sound mixer board. I also recorded the show and it has a right and left stereo sound. One channel of sound is a feed from the microphones so it has no reverb or backgroundnoise. It is very subject to positioning. The other channel is what the audience heard (a mic at the camera). I have to say that we all get mixed grades for microphone use. To understand what was needed, watch Tim, he was perfect, but even there, I had to let the camera automatically set the sound so when there was more noise it cut him back. Having said all that I was reluctant to put up the video. Tony convinced me that I should. It is completely unprocessed so the sound has all the limitations I mentioned. Tony got a few interesting comments from someone who had trouble hearing the two women. Two? Trix was wearing her mic and people did not really notice but both Margaret and Bunty have some dialogue that gets lost. I had trouble also since three of us were using the same microphone. I have had numerous comments today that the microphones worked better than they had ever experienced at Collington.
One more mea culpa: I did not edit or process this video at all. Just cut a bit. I just did not have the time to put cast credits up and for some reason when I typed a title at the beginning I said it was a one act play? I don’t know where that came from. Tony forgive the mistake, I could change it (and I will) but it will take a couple of hours. I thought it was better to get it out to you. I can be downloaded if you wish.
Again Thanks to all for a memorable evening.
https://vimeo.com/126861314
Grant
aO