A guest of Freed-Hardeman University Theatre, Tom Key performs his show C.S. Lewis On Stage Monday, September 28 at 7 p.m. in Loyd Auditorium.

Known worldwide, Key has presented this show for over two decades, including performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  and the Shaldonean Theater at Oxford University.

C.S. Lewis On Stage puts the audience in the presence of the author himself, as though they are in attendance at one of his popular public appearances. Key explains, “to illuminate important points of his spiritual journey for the audience, Lewis portrays various characters from The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, The Dark Tower and Other Stories, quotes his poetry, and even finishes some alternately hilarious and poignant correspondence from Letters to an American Lady.” 

During portions of the show, Lewis "reads" from his work, and Lewis, as a character, vanishes. To establish this convention early, Key integrates a larger-than-life performance of Gabriel and Satan from The Great Divorce, thereby informing the audience what the rules are, and, in turn creating a dynamic yet accessible piece of theatre.

C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1898, and died in Oxford in 1963. He held the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English Literature at Cambridge University. He wrote more than thirty books, ranging from literary criticism to children’s stories. 

Tom Key is the Producing Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit, Atlanta’s fastest growing professional theatre company, where he has presented the world premiere of his play based on Walker Percy’s National Book Award Winning Novel The Moviegoer. He is well known for his award-winning performances in the celebrated off-Broadway musical Cotton Patch Gospel.

Admission is free.