'Seelos: Doctor of Souls' revealed through production at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Casey Groves wrote and stars in 'Seelos: Doctor of Souls,' which focuses on the life of the Blessed Father Francis Xaiver Seelos. The play will be presented July 28 at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
There are 28 characters in "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" but audiences only see one man. The play, which playwright and actor Casey Groves wrote and stars in, focuses on the life of the Blessed Father Francis Xaiver Seelos, the Redemptorist priest who served in New Orleans in the 1800s. His powerful prayers of intercession resulted in the healing of countless people around the country with terminal illnesses, injuries, and troubled souls.
North shore residents will get the chance to see Groves' 90-minute performance on July 28 at 2 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 4465 Highway 190 East Service Road, Covington.
"We wanted to bring him here because there are a lot of parishioners who have devotions to Fr. Seelos," said Terri Derbes with Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
Groves uses the seven sacraments to create seven sections in the play. Those sections follow the progression of Seelos' life, starting with baptism representing the priest's upbringing in Germany.
"It shows a lot of different sides of him," said Groves, who teaches acting classes to professional actors and is the artistic director of Inner Compass Theatre in New Orleans.
The 28 characters seen throughout the Seelos play are announced by name. Otherwise there are no costume changes, Groves said, and very few props are used. Instead Groves uses vocal and personality changes to play the different roles.
Groves starred in Aldyth Morris' one-man play, "Damien," about the Catholic missionary priest who helped suffering from leprosy on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai in the 1800s before moving to New Orleans. He was commissioned to write "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" by the National Seelos Shrine and the Seelos Center.
The research and writing took about a year-and-a-half, Groves said. It started with his reading of Seelos' biography, "The Cheerful Ascetic," which was given to him by Fr. Byron Miller, CSsR, director of the National Seelos Shrine.
Fr. George Drance, SJ - who teaches acting at Fordham University and with whom Groves performed in a theater company for five years - served as director and a writing consultant. Todd Voltz was responsible for sound design.
Groves spent 10 days with Drance in New York, working six hours each day on the writing and movement of the play. By the end, Groves had a rough draft to show Miller, who "had a lot of input" into the play, Groves said.
"There was a real collaboration," he added.
Groves debuted "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" in November 2012 and has performed it more than 40 times across the state, as well as in locations in the Northeast, Alabama and Mississippi, and Los Angeles.
Audiences are asked to make free will offering to see "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church. For more information, call 985.892.0642.
North shore residents will get the chance to see Groves' 90-minute performance on July 28 at 2 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 4465 Highway 190 East Service Road, Covington.
"We wanted to bring him here because there are a lot of parishioners who have devotions to Fr. Seelos," said Terri Derbes with Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
Groves uses the seven sacraments to create seven sections in the play. Those sections follow the progression of Seelos' life, starting with baptism representing the priest's upbringing in Germany.
"It shows a lot of different sides of him," said Groves, who teaches acting classes to professional actors and is the artistic director of Inner Compass Theatre in New Orleans.
The 28 characters seen throughout the Seelos play are announced by name. Otherwise there are no costume changes, Groves said, and very few props are used. Instead Groves uses vocal and personality changes to play the different roles.
Groves starred in Aldyth Morris' one-man play, "Damien," about the Catholic missionary priest who helped suffering from leprosy on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai in the 1800s before moving to New Orleans. He was commissioned to write "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" by the National Seelos Shrine and the Seelos Center.
The research and writing took about a year-and-a-half, Groves said. It started with his reading of Seelos' biography, "The Cheerful Ascetic," which was given to him by Fr. Byron Miller, CSsR, director of the National Seelos Shrine.
Fr. George Drance, SJ - who teaches acting at Fordham University and with whom Groves performed in a theater company for five years - served as director and a writing consultant. Todd Voltz was responsible for sound design.
Groves spent 10 days with Drance in New York, working six hours each day on the writing and movement of the play. By the end, Groves had a rough draft to show Miller, who "had a lot of input" into the play, Groves said.
"There was a real collaboration," he added.
Groves debuted "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" in November 2012 and has performed it more than 40 times across the state, as well as in locations in the Northeast, Alabama and Mississippi, and Los Angeles.
Audiences are asked to make free will offering to see "Seelos: Doctor of Souls" at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church. For more information, call 985.892.0642.
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