Episode 14: Priest & Actor—George Drance, S.J.
By Thomas V. Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Aug 21, 2018 | In The Catholic Culture Podcast
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What’s it like to be both a priest and a professional actor? George Drance, SJ is the artist in residence at Fordham University, where he teaches acting, a resident artist in La Mama’s Great Jones Repertory Company, and the artistic director of Magis Theatre Company. We discuss his religious and artistic vocation, how people in the theater world feel about working with a priest, how to take custody of your career and choose your roles with integrity, Catholic vs. worldly ideas of success, and more.
Links
George Drance, S.J. Fordham faculty page https://www.fordham.edu/info/25064/theatre_full-time_faculty/10013/george_drance_sj/1
Magis Theatre Company http://www.magistheatre.org
Timestamps
George Drance, S.J.
1:52 Being both a Jesuit priest and a working actor
6:50 How Fr. George seeks God in his work
8:11 Working in experimental theater with Great Jones Repertory and La MaMa; the legacy of Ellen Stewart
14:25 Navigating the theater world socially as a priest; how theater people respond to Fr. George’s priesthood
18:59 Dealing with the pressure to take compromising roles; taking custody of your career as a young actor
29:44 The advantage of having a personal practice as an actor
33:34 There’s no shame in having a day job; rejecting worldly conceptions of success
35:51 The fascinating career of dramatist-priest Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681); his Life Is a Dream
42:27 Magis Theatre Company: actor training and reviving forgotten classics
48:02 Adaptation of The Odyssey for high school students
50:15 Magis’s upcoming show, Miracle in Rwanda, based on Left to Tell by Imaculée Ilibagiza
53:50 This week’s reading: Bl. John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University
Theme music: “Franciscan Eyes”, written and performed by Thomas Mirus. Download the Catholic Culture Podcast soundtrack.
Thomas V. Mirus is President of Trinity Communications and Director of Podcasts for CatholicCulture.org, hosts The Catholic Culture Podcast, and co-hosts Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. See full bio.
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