'Little Mary' at the Sanford Meisner Theatre

Will Knot Di Productions and W.Z.L. Arts presents Little Mary, by William Leavengood, at the Sanford Meisner Theatre from the 2 - 26 Jun 2005.

Synopsis: The outspoken and progressive Bishop Peter Tivoli has turned his Catholic mission outside Los Angeles into a self-sustaining farming collective. He openly encourages conservation, women as priests and contraception while denouncing overconsumption and overpopulation. The Vatican seeks to silence the Bishop and sends Cardinal-Dean Victorio Gian to California.

Upon his arrival at the Mission in the Desert, the Cardinal is introduced to Christina, a brilliant and beautiful fifteen-year-old Mexican-American. She is pregnant with seven fetuses, but medically still a virgin. God, she claims, has spoken to her. The children are His.

When the media learns of the story, the news explodes around the globe. The two men struggle with the nature of their faith, their worldly ambitions, and each other as they take sides over the �miracle� of a pregnant virgin whom the media crowns, Little Mary

�These are scary times we live in,� says playwright William Leavengood. �Little Mary provokes thought about man�s search for meaning and the struggles of organized religion in an increasingly complex world. While the issues raised by Little Mary are controversial � they are straight from the headlines and present an eerie reflection of the world in which we live.�

The cast, directed by Jessica Kubzansky, features Ron Orbach (Bishop Peter Tivoli), Jeremy Lawrence (Cardinal-Dean Victorio Gian ), Nelson Avidon, Robyn Hatcher, Kaipo Schwab and Monica Raymund (Christina).

Little Mary has set design by Steve Mitchell, costumes by Carla Bellisio, lighting by Brian J. Lilienthal and sound by Leon Rothernberg.