Michael Mack Brings One-Man Play to the Bridge Theatre

On the eve of Pope Francis' historic visit to New York City, poet & playwright Michael Mack returns to NYC for a professional run of his "powerful" (Washington Post) and "profound" (Times Square Chronicles) one-man play Conversations with My Molester: A Journey of Faith. 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.

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.

Conversations with My Molester: A Journey of Faith chronicles the events that drove Mack away from the Church, but also how the Church teachings he cherished as a boy gave him the resilience to face his past. "The source of the problem was also the source of the solution," said Mack.

Directed by Daniel Gidron, Mack's lyric monologue premiered in Boston at the 10-year anniversary of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in Boston - the epicenter of the crisis. It subsequently toured the U.S. before enjoying an award-winning run (Best Script award, Best Solo Play nomination) at the 2014 Midtown International Theatre Festival.

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. Just as important as the show itself are the audience talkbacks with Mack and guest speakers after many performances.

Previews begin September 17, with opening night scheduled for Thursday, September 24 - the day Pope Francis arrives in NYC. The Bridge Theatre is located at 244 West 54th Street.

Poet, playwright, and performer Michael Mack graduated from the Writing Program at MIT. His poems and stories have aired on NPR and been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, America, the Beloit Poetry Journal, and Best Catholic Writing (both 2005 & 2007). Awards include First Prize in the Writers Circle National Poetry Competition, and Fellowships in Dramatic Writing from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (both 2005 & 2013) - the state's most prestigious and competitive individual arts grant.

Mack has performed at the US Library of Congress, Yale University, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, the Austin International Poetry Festival, the Times Square Arts Center, and at the FBI's 32nd Annual Hostage Negotiation Seminar. He has also performed at scores of venues for consumers and providers of mental health services, including McLean Psychiatric Hospital, the NAMI National Conference, and for faculty and students of the Harvard Medical School.