I had my directorial debut this year as a drama teacher. The play we chose to do was Aurand Harris' adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Magician's Nephew." It was well received by the school community. While pictures are pending, here is the director's note that I whipped together (last minute) for the program. (nota bene: I am heavily indebted to Dr. John Mark Reynold's lecture on the Magician's Nephew for the Torrey Honors institute for pointing out that "The Magician's Nephew" revolves around our response to pain.)
Welcome to our 2010/2011 Drama performance of C.S. Lewis' "The
Magician's Nephew." "The Magician's Nephew" was originally meant to
be the second installment in The Chronicles of Narnia. During
composition, however, Lewis found himself increasingly unable to
continue and thus shelved the manuscript for a number of years. The
reason for this may be that the story was becoming too personal. Like
the book's main character, Digory Kirk, Lewis also went through the
experience of having a mother struggle with cancer. Unlike Digory's
mother, however, Lewis' mother died, plunging a bereft Lewis into
years of atheism. Though Lewis, through the ministry of men like
J.R.R. Tolkien, eventually returned to the Christian faith, the death
of his mother had a lasting impact on his life and would return to
haunt him when his wife, Joy, was struck down by cancer after only a
few years of marriage. This extremely personal struggle gives "The
Magician's Nephew" a distinct flavor from the rest of the Narnia
books. Aslan is at his most god-like in the work, but it also
includes darker elements: a dying mother, a genocidal tyrant, and
Uncle Andrew's dabbling in the occult. Throughout "The Magician's
Nephew," characters are forced to choose how they will respond to a
fallen world; a world in which mothers can die. Uncle Andrew and
Queen Jadis choose to cut themselves off from others and pursue
power, thus attempting to make themselves impervious to pain. Polly
holds on to a child-like faith in right and wrong, but this comes
easier for her as her mother isn't dying. Digory, as the focal
character, occupies an interesting space between the other characters.
The imminent death of his mother makes the problem of pain real to
him, but he also retains his belief in doing what's right. This
belief is tested time and again throughout the story. Whether it's
ringing the bell or taking the apple, Digory must choose either to
hold on to his knowledge of right and wrong or else pursue the selfish
use of power. His crucial moment of choice comes when he must take
the apple of life that could heal his mother and surrender it to Aslan
in order to thwart Jadis' evil machinations. In essence, Digory is
asked to trust in the goodness of a God that would let his mother die.
Lewis provides an answer to this conundrum rooted in hard won
experience. It is our job as an audience to determine what that
answer is and then assess its relevance for our own lives in a fallen
world.
Welcome to our 2010/2011 Drama performance of C.S. Lewis' "The
Magician's Nephew." "The Magician's Nephew" was originally meant to
be the second installment in The Chronicles of Narnia. During
composition, however, Lewis found himself increasingly unable to
continue and thus shelved the manuscript for a number of years. The
reason for this may be that the story was becoming too personal. Like
the book's main character, Digory Kirk, Lewis also went through the
experience of having a mother struggle with cancer. Unlike Digory's
mother, however, Lewis' mother died, plunging a bereft Lewis into
years of atheism. Though Lewis, through the ministry of men like
J.R.R. Tolkien, eventually returned to the Christian faith, the death
of his mother had a lasting impact on his life and would return to
haunt him when his wife, Joy, was struck down by cancer after only a
few years of marriage. This extremely personal struggle gives "The
Magician's Nephew" a distinct flavor from the rest of the Narnia
books. Aslan is at his most god-like in the work, but it also
includes darker elements: a dying mother, a genocidal tyrant, and
Uncle Andrew's dabbling in the occult. Throughout "The Magician's
Nephew," characters are forced to choose how they will respond to a
fallen world; a world in which mothers can die. Uncle Andrew and
Queen Jadis choose to cut themselves off from others and pursue
power, thus attempting to make themselves impervious to pain. Polly
holds on to a child-like faith in right and wrong, but this comes
easier for her as her mother isn't dying. Digory, as the focal
character, occupies an interesting space between the other characters.
The imminent death of his mother makes the problem of pain real to
him, but he also retains his belief in doing what's right. This
belief is tested time and again throughout the story. Whether it's
ringing the bell or taking the apple, Digory must choose either to
hold on to his knowledge of right and wrong or else pursue the selfish
use of power. His crucial moment of choice comes when he must take
the apple of life that could heal his mother and surrender it to Aslan
in order to thwart Jadis' evil machinations. In essence, Digory is
asked to trust in the goodness of a God that would let his mother die.
Lewis provides an answer to this conundrum rooted in hard won
experience. It is our job as an audience to determine what that
answer is and then assess its relevance for our own lives in a fallen
world.
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