When one hears the name C.S. Lewis, the first thing that usually comes to mind is "The Chronicles of Narnia." Although Lewis was the creator of many works of literature, this live production goes beyond the pages and into Lewis' personal story.
The stage play "C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert" focuses on the life story of Lewis as it was written in his autobiography. The production mainly explores his personal struggles with the Christian religion.
Max McLean is the writer, co-director and only actor in this stage adaptation of Lewis' life.
"The story, it takes on the persona of Lewis telling his own story, and it comes from his autobiography and his collected letters," McLean said. "So all the language is his."
This is not McLean's first time creating a play about Lewis, and he has gained a lot of knowledge about Lewis over the years. McLean first created a production of Lewis' novel "The Screwtape Letters" about 15 years ago and later produced a stage play for another of Lewis' novels titled "The Great Divorce." Both of these novels tell the story of Lewis' conversion to Christianity, which is why McLean chose to produce "C.S. Lewis Onstage" to discuss Lewis' personal religious journey.
McLean said he feels a connection to Lewis since he has devoted an abundance of time researching and writing about him.
"He’s become my spiritual guide over the years," McLean said. "You know when you adapt any kind of literature from a page to stage, you really have to get underneath it, get inside it.”
Paul Cozby is the communications director for the Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA), the company producing "C.S. Lewis Onstage." Cozby said although a lot of the productions of FPA are religious-based, the productions are intended for a diverse audience.
"We really enjoy an audience that's diverse and that may have a different faith perspective or no faith perspective," Cozby said.
McLean and Cozby both enjoyed reading Lewis in their early life. Cozby said McLean has become very knowledgable about Lewis because he has created multiple productions about him.
"I would have to say, Max really is an expert on Lewis now. I'm standing in his shadow," Cozby said. "Over the course of adapting these works, he's become deeply familiar with Lewis' thought and his articulate explaining."
Lewis was a skeptic of religion, which was a test toward his Christian faith. He rejected the Christian religion at age 14 because of many events that happened during his lifetime.
"A lot of things contributed to his rejection of God – the death of his mother to cancer, he had a very strained relationship with his father and his atheism was further solidified by the horrors of trench warfare in World War I," McLean said.
The play walks through Lewis' journey from his rejection of God and atheist point of view to his conversion to Christianity.
The FPA only recently decided to do a tour around college campuses. Cozby said he believes "C.S. Lewis Onstage" is a great play for college students to go see, since many students have a diverse view of the world.
There is also a Q&A session at the end of the play.
"[McLean] stands on stage after every performance and takes questions, and it's just a great opportunity to share our point of view with people at a time of life where I think they're exploring," Cozby said.
"C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert" will take place Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. at the Koger Center. Tickets are $5 for USC students who present a CarolinaCard at the box office or by phone.