Review Fix Exclusive: Michael Mack Talks ‘Conversations With My Molester’

Review Fix chats with playwright Michael Mack, who discusses his one-man show, “Conversations With My Molester.” Giving us the inspiration for the production, as well as his hopes for it, Mack shares his story and how he’d like it to affect its audience.

Synopsis:

Mack, like many Catholic boys in the 60s, wanted to be a priest. That dream ended at age 11 when his pastor invited him to the rectory to help make “a costume.” In the decades that followed, Mack wrestled with haunting questions about sexuality and spirituality, imagining one day meeting his abuser for a conversation. That day came 40 years later when he landed on his former pastor’s doorstep. In this true story, Mack recounts how a childhood experience launched a 40-year search for healing – at first away from, and then back to, the Roman Catholic Church. Like Pope Francis in his historic visit, Michael Mack too comes to New York on a mission of faith, but Mack’s pulpit is the stage. His message is the reality of healing and renewal, as the play explores the cost of forgiveness and the nature of reconciliation.

Previews begin September 17, and opening night is scheduled for Thursday, September 24 – the day Pope Francis arrives in NYC. The Bridge Theatre, part of the Shelter Studios & Theatres arts complex, is located at 244 West 54th Street.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this production?

Michael Mack: ”Conversations with My Molester: A Journey of Faith” began with the startling discovery that the priest who took advantage of me when I was a boy — living in North Carolina — was now living a few miles away from me in Massachusetts.
But I didn’t really have a story until a series of remarkable truth-is-stranger-than-fiction twists and turns brought me back to the Catholic Church.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Mack: It’s about being “called” to a particular idea — to a subject with “heart.” Beyond that, it’s about practice, practice, practice. I’m a tireless reviser.

Review Fix: What makes you different from other playwrights?

Mack: I was a poet long before I switched to writing plays. While a student at MIT, I had the great fortune to study with poets Seamus Heaney (Nobel Prize for Literature), Maxine Kumin (Pulitzer Prize in Poetry), and Frank Bidart (National Book award). I’m indebted to these and other teachers for giving me a sense of the the music of language, especially the “visual music” of metaphor.


Review Fix: What makes this production special?

Mack: An essential part of the production is the talkbacks that follow many performances. The people who come to this show have a stake in the topic — often because of their own experiences of sexual trauma — and the community conversation that the show opens up can be quite striking. Almost everyone stays for the talkbacks.

Review Fix: How did it feel to be a part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival last year?


Mack: Being a part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2014 was lots of work and great fun. Receiving the Best Script award and a Best Solo Play nomination inspired me to think about mounting the production in New York, and when I learned that Pope Francis would be visiting NYC in September, that clinched it — I was committed.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the production?


Mack: To provide an avenue for healing around sexual trauma. For some of those who come, it is one of their first intentional encounters with a secret part of their past.

Otherwise, my goal is to complete what I started, follow through with the people I’ve committed to, and nurture healthy relationships along the way.

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?

Mack: Rather than “enjoy,” let me suggest who might benefit from it most. The play is about healing from trauma — especially sexual trauma — so it will appeal to those who are on their own healing journey.

In addition, many Catholics — both clergy and lay people — have struggled mightily with this issue, whether or not they are survivors themselves. I think the show’s candor and sensitivity to the complexity of the issue can open doors to real communication about it.

Review Fix: What’s next?


Mack: The next breath. Beyond that, I haven’t ruled out becoming a priest.