The Jeweler's Shop - Act Three - part 3 of 3

The St. Genesius Company (Amateur Drama Group) presents The Jeweler's Shop (A dramatic reading)
by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II).

The dramatic reading of the Jeweler's Shop began when a group of young people read the play one sunny May afternoon and were inspired to perform it. This gave rise to a new amateur acting group, namely the St. Genesius Company, and they gave their first performance in July 2008. The first performance received an overwhelming positive response and inspired some members of the audience to join the company. With these new cast members, they gave this second performance on Friday 7th November 2008 in Dublin, Ireland.

The play was written in the 1960's in Poland and is in 3 Acts. The play reflects Karol Wojtyla's insight into such fundamental concerns as: What does it mean to fall in love? How do we know if love is real - and can it last? If it dies, how can we go on living - and loving again? The play explores these questions through the eyes of three couples, each of whom encounters the mysterious Jeweler who understands a great deal about the nature of love.

The play is written in the style of Rhapsodic Theater, which emphasizes the spoken word rather than the characters or the set. This style of Theater was used as a means of preserving Polish culture during a period of history when external powers where intent upon crushing it. Plays written in this style were performed in secret, often in homes with minimal staging and lighting in order that the performers could quickly disguise their activity in the event that they were interrupted by the authorities. Our dramatic reading is performed with minimal set.

The Jeweler's Shop is 'a meditation that lapses occasionally into drama' to quote the author. The characters speak their thoughts and reflections as a stream of consciousness to the audience in monologues that are cleverly linked and profound in their content.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Jeweler's Shop
• Jewelers Shop
• play
• drama
• act three
• act 3
• dramatic reading
• Karol Wojtyla
• Pope John Paul II
• love
• marriage
• meditation