Theater
The Glory of the World
BAM and Knight Blanc present
The Glory of the World
By Charles Mee
Directed by Les Waters
Actors Theatre of Louisville
The Solo cups are overflowing at the centennial birthday festivities of renowned mystic and Catholic monk Thomas Merton, author of The Seven Storey Mountain. In this explosive celebration from legendary writer-director duo Charles Mee (Big Love) and Les Waters (Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice), 17 men in party hats assemble somewhere between Trappist monastery and plywood warehouse to toast Merton’s many faces, asking: What makes a man? What makes a saint? What if nothing is sacred—and everything is?
As the night devolves, each facet of Merton’s contested image—silent monk, poet, spiritual anarchist, Buddhist thinker—inspires more speeches, slow dances, makeouts, fist fights, and silent reflections, amassing a layered portrait of what it is to be a human being, full of contradictions and brimming with life.
Fight director Ryan Bourque
Movement director Barney O’Hanlon
Scenic design by Dane Laffrey
Costume design by Connie Furr Soloman
Lighting design by Mark Barton
Sound design by Christian Frederickson
Media design by Philip Allgeier
Dramaturg Amy Wegener
Executive Consultant Jessica R. Jenen
Playwright Charles Mee and director Les Waters join Bryan Doerries for an expansive audience discussion around this season’s celebration of Thomas Merton in The Glory of the World.
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