| A Search for Buried Treasure - Preliminaries A play about Edith Stein in one act by Paul Bower Ed. "A Search for Buried Treasure" was the winning entry in a student playwriting competition sponsored by the Association of Hebrew Catholics and Ave Maria College, Ypsilanti, Michigan. The student playwright, Paul Bower, was presented with an AHC award on April 9, just prior to the opening performance of Arthur Giron's play, Edith Stein, at Ave Maria College. Paul's play was publicly read at the Ave Maria auditorium on April 13. Copyright (2003) is held by Paul Bower and all rights are reserved. CHARACTERS - EDITH STEIN: A young philosophy student and fallen away Jew. Outwardly dynamic, but secretly suffering from despair—she does not see a meaning to life. Agnostic with deistic tendencies. Brilliant. Somewhat attractive. 26.
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- ANNA REINACH: Widow of Adolf Reinach (a philosophy Professor who has been recently killed at Flanders). A very recent convert to Lutheranism. Finds a sense of peace in her husband’s death through her faith. Early 30s.
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- VIKTOR BRUN: A philosophy student who works with EDITH in Freiburg-im-Breisgau assisting Edmund Husserl. A comedic, apathetic fellow. Atheist. Reasonably well kempt for a Philosopher. 27.
SETTING - Southwestern Germany. ANNA REINACH’S living room. A small table is situated next to a comfortable stuffed chair, which is accompanied by a divan and an ottoman. Bookshelves are butted up against the back wall and filled with old leather bound books. Portraits of relatives as well as landscape paintings sparsely fill the room.
TIME - Evening. Winter, 1917.
- "This was my first meeting with the Cross, with the divine strength it brings to those who bear it. I saw for the first time within my reach the Church, born of the Redeemer's sufferings in his victory over the sting of death. It was at that moment that my incredulity was shattered and the light of Christ shone forth, Christ in the mystery of the Cross."
Edith Stein, on her visit with Anna Reinach. NOTE: - Anna Reinach’s influence over Edith’s conversion owed more to example than argument. Subsequently, writing a scene where Anna convinces Edith to convert through speech would not be true to life. As such, I’ve decided not to write one into the play.
Act One Top |
