A Small Matter of Life and Death…

Set in Spring 1968, near Thomas Merton’s hermitage at Gethsemani Abbey, the play imagines an unexpected encounter between Merton and the Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet. It was first performed at the second Conference of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain & Ireland held at Oakham School in March 1998, with Michael Woodward joining the author on stage, fortified by the loan of Basil Pennington’s habit. Twenty-three years later, different circumstances have made it possible to present the play to a new audience over Zoom, with Katie Georgiou taking the role of Anne Bradstreet.

The play runs for just under 40 minutes. Following the play there will be an brief online discussion, with a recorded contribution from Fernando Beltran Llavador, and time for Q&A.