How Do We Select the Plays We Produce at afO?

If you’ve followed our work for more than a couple of years, you’ve seen original scripts and literary adaptations, historic pieces and contemporary dramas, comedies and serious plays. A few have been overtly religious; most have not. Is there a litmus test for inclusion in our season? 

Well, yes. Kind of. In seeking scripts to produce on our main stage, we have several criteria in mind. First, we’re looking for a play whose worldview and message doesn’t contradict our Christian faith. So a play which promotes a materialistic philosophy, asserting that this world is all there is, and that everything that exists is here by chance…won’t be on our roster. 

However, the converse isn’t exactly true:  we are not necessarily seeking plays with a heavy Christian message. What we want is a compelling story, well-written, with a hopeful tone. Beyond that, there are a number of practical considerations:  a small cast and a relatively simple set (because we work in a small theater); a straight play rather than a musical (because of relative cost to produce); public domain or original work when we can (both for cost reasons, and because we have found it very satisfying to produce world premieres). 

Which brings me to our current production, The God Committee. We were initially drawn to it because the playwright, Mark St. Germain, wrote one of our all-time favorite scripts, Freud’s Last Session, which we produced in 2016. This play has virtually everything we typically look for:  small cast, unit set, straight play with a compelling storyline. Happily, all seven roles require strong actors and the cast is balanced between men and women. The simple set allowed us to try some new design and construction techniques. 

Beyond these essentials, the subject of the play (heart transplantation) was unfamiliar to us, and thus provided a great opportunity to educate ourselves–cast and production team–in order to make the best choices onstage. Since education is one of afO’s distinctives, we were also glad for the chance to write a bit about heart transplant in our dramaturgy. We always hope that our audience will leave one of our plays not only entertained but enlightened in some way and with new ideas to ponder. We believe that The God Committee will provide plenty of food for thought long after the lights come up.