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Fr. Thomas Carey, O.P
Thomas Carey was born in Chicago in 1904. He was orphaned at the age of twelve and left in the care of a local parish priest. Carey was sent to study at Campion Academy, a Jesuit run school in Wisconsin, and then later joined the Dominican Order where he was given the name Brother Fabian. In 1930, while studying at Catholic University of America, Carey designed the set for an original work, “Barter, written by fellow seminarian, Fr. Urban Nagel, O.P. From this initial partnership, the two men wrote and produced a number of plays and together they dreamed of one day establishing a nationwide Catholic theatre group.
In 1931, Nagel and Carey founded Blackfriars Guild. The organization was first located in Washington, D.C., but eventually included chapters in Rochester, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, Dayton, Albany, Madison, Louisville, San Antonio, New Haven, Providence, and New York City. In total, there were twenty-two branches nation-wide.
Fr. Nagel was sent to teach psychology at Providence College in 1934. There, he founded a Blackfriars chapter, which continues to remain active. Carey remained at the Catholic University, and in 1936, he convinced Dean Deferrari that there was a demand on campus for quality theatrical productions. Deferrari subsequently allowed Carey to establish a summer drama program, the Blackfriars Institute of Dramatic Arts. Under the recommendation of Carey, Fr. Nagel was asked to head the summer program. The institute was a success and is a permanent fixture at the school.
In 1940, the two friends found themselves together again in New York City. Fr. Nagel had been assigned to edit the Holy Name Journal, and was able to secure a position there for Carey. The men seized the opportunity of being in New York and quickly established a Blackfriars Theatre at 320 W. 57th Street. Over the next few years, both Carey and Nagel were actively involved in managing and producing original plays that reflected their shared belief that theatre should be spiritually, artistically, and intellectually challenging. Carey put his design talents to use once again when he created the entire set for the highly acclaimed, “Caukey”.
Carey was of the firm opinion that Catholic theatre should be didactic in nature and, in order to secure the future of Blackfriars, a permanent theatre needed to be built. Nagel on the other hand believed that Catholic theatre should be inspirational rather than instructional, and did not feel the same urgency to build their own theatre. In addition, tensions arose between the two men over financial matters and Nagel’s involvement in outside projects. The final break in their friendship occurred when Carey accused Nagel of being inept at handling Blackfriars’ business affairs, and for hiring a financial manager who, Carey believed, was stealing from the corporation. Although this latter accusation proved unfounded, the conflict led to the intervention of their superior, Fr. McDermott. In 1952, McDermott reassigned Nagel to serve as chaplain at a Dominican Sister Motherhouse, St. Mary of the Springs, in Columbus, Ohio, leaving Carey in charge of Blackfriars.
Blackfriars Theatre prospered under Carey’s direction in the 1950s, generally producing at least two plays each year. For the first time, the theatre began to make a profit and Carey believed that he would soon have the funds to build a permanent theatre. However, due to a lack of original scripts, Carey began producing plays that had overt religious themes. While some plays were well received, Blackfriars’ reputation as an innovative theatre began to wane, and consequently, so did funds to build a theatre. In 1971, when Carey was diagnosed with terminal cancer, it marked the beginning of the end of Blackfriars in New York. With the passing of Carey, Blackfriars Guild lost its staunchest advocate and the corporation was dissolved in 1975
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1937-1972
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Productions
This series contains materials from plays produced by the Blackfriars Theatre of New York. Blackfriars Guild employed the talents of playwrights, many who were members of the Dramatists' Guild of New York, to create original works that were artistically rich, intellectually engaging, and spiritually provoking. Fr. Brendan Larnen, O.P., also lent his playwriting talents to the theatre for over thirty years, and Fr. Urban Nagle penned several works as well.
Blackfriars became known as an innovative alternative to Broadway, and received immense praise for many of its works, especially, "Up the Rebels," "Career Angels," and "Caukey." During the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was a shortage of original works that met the high standards Blackfriars was used to, and subsequently was forced to revive some older productions. However, Carey was against this trend and strove to run only new plays.
In the 1960s, under the sole direction of Carey, the productions became more didactic in nature, and revolved around religious themes. Carey commissioned playwrights to create works that either featured the lives of religious figures or centered on a theological issue. These works received mediocre reviews, and with a rise in the number of off-Broadway theatres, Blackfriars' reputations as an innovative artistic center slowly diminished.
Nevertheless, the theatre enjoyed over thirty-years of commendation, demonstrating that the Catholic faith and drama were not mutually exclusive
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1941-1972
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