Mary Magdalene: A Play in Three Acts

Set amid the lush gardens of Bethany, the play opens on a Roman terrace where the aging Annœus Silanus surveys his cultivated oasis against the stark backdrop of Judea. He is joined by his eager pupil Lucius Verus, whose conversation drifts from the beauty of orange trees to the unsettling reputation of the land and its people. Their banter quickly reveals a deeper curiosity about the ancient Jewish scriptures, hinting at a clash of cultures and philosophies.

Into this cultivated calm steps Mary Magdalene, a figure both revered and reviled, whose presence ignites a volatile crowd demanding judgment. As the mob’s anger rises, a distant voice—Christ’s admonition that only the sinless may cast the first stone—breaks through, offering a moment of tension and possible redemption. The act closes with Mary confronting a haunting choice: to save herself by surrendering to a Roman authority, or to risk everything for a higher, uncertain purpose.