‘Absolution’ Elmwood’s April Workshop
“Trauma is an experience, series of experiences, or impacts from personal and social conditions that break or betray our inherent need for safety, belonging, and dignity.”
The Politics of Trauma, Staci K. Haines
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and does not do it, it is sin for them.”
James 4:17
Religious/Spiritual trauma can have a devastating impact on one’s life as it can create a loss of faith, shatter belief structures that provide personal values, establish feelings of being abandoned or punished by God, and erode meaning and purpose for living. The April workshop at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, NY explores the impact of such trauma, along with the covert nature of entitlement, with the play Absolution, written by Elmwood member Michael Edan. The 45-minute play features Anne Connolly, Michael Edan and Kat Smith and is directed by Lisa Spielman. It will be presented after the Monday, April 3 monthly membership meeting.
Story: The unexpected visit of Anna to Monsignor Martin Spencer’s rectory office ignites a confrontation regarding their past with its unresolved pain, the dynamics of power, the revelation of a long-held secret, and a clash of perspectives that lays bare the battlefield of truth. Three years later another unexpected meeting acts as a catalyst revealing the reverberations from that previous encounter and with it, an opportunity for absolution.
The performance will not be streamed on Zoom. Individuals wanting to view the performance are invited to attend the membership meeting at 7:30 pm or arrive by the end of the meeting at approximately 8:45 pm. Elmwood Community Playhouse is located at 10 Park Street in Nyack, NY.
