Paulus

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Saint Paul

As if holding a candle up to an ancient canvas, playwright Frank Spezzano shines a light on a relatively obscure event in early Christian history, illuminating the story of the runaway slave Onesimus and his encounter with Paul the Apostle in a Roman prison. With a panoply of characters, as real and as flawed as you could ever hope to meet, this lively dramatization has a message of compassion at its core. St. Paul’s letter to his friend, Philemon, the runaway’s master, is a tender and personal expression of the saint’s famous doctrine on forgiveness. Here, we see Paul not as distant or lofty figure but as a gracious, humble man who acted on his beliefs, while Onesimus, a young man yearning for a better life, finds the greatest freedom of all in faith. This is a story of kindness and mercy, a tale for our turbulent times.