For Immediate Release: February 6, 2007

Contacts:
Melanie McDonald/ Amanda Goetz
Director of Media Relations
574-284-4579 or mmcdonal@saintmarys.edu

“The Hermit in New York” Tells Story of Thomas Merton

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — In the mid-1960’s, world-famous Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton was allowed by his abbot to leave the monastery for a weekend in order to have tea with Zen scholar D. T. Suzuki in New York
City. Here begins “The Hermit in New York,” a play woven of language and ideas from Merton’s lifelong writings, exploring the daily life of a modern Christian radical, performed by two actors in a minimalist setting. The performance is Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre, Moreau Center for the Arts.

In his early days at Gethsemani Monastery, Merton struggled with loneliness and the rigors of monastic life. At the urging of his superiors, he began writing about his spiritual experiences. Soon he
found his own unique rhythm of writing in solitude; then entering the public realm for interviews, discussions, classes and the like; then again retreating into solitude to write. He found great literary success
in 1948 with the publication of his autobiography, “The Seven Storey Mountain.” A warm, hearty, earthy man, Merton was a testament to the notion that prayer and meditation are not lofty, esoteric ambitions
meant for only a few, but that the nature of deep contemplation is an integral part of earthly life.

In this play by Chicago-based Still Point Theatre Collective, Merton struggles with abbot James Fox for creative control of his art and spiritual practice, talks politics with poor white Kentuckian Andy Boone, romances a beautiful nurse named Melanie, and spends a summer afternoon in the woods with Mrs. Hanayama, a survivor of the atomic bomb. “The Hermit in New York” opens a humorous and challenging window on the world of Thomas Merton - a solitary, a celebrity, and an ordinary man.

Admission is $11 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $9 for SMC/ND staff, and $8 for students. Tickets are available through the Saint Mary’s College Box Office by visiting Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or by calling 574-284-4626.

The Moreau Center for the Arts celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2006-2007 season. Named in honor of the Very Reverend Basil Anthony Moreau, C.S.C., the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the facility consists of O’Laughlin Auditorium, Little Theatre, Moreau Art Galleries, studios, workshops and classrooms. For more information about any event at the Moreau Center for the Arts, please call 574-284-4626 or visit MoreauCenter.com.

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