Husband and Wife Team Make History Come Alive Onstage

For Woodbridge resident Lawrence McCullough, a lifelong passion for history has blossomed into a successful career as an historical playwright. Two of his plays, “Heart Centered in God” and “Bringing Mercy to America” were performed at the St. James Church on Amboy Avenue. The plays depict the lives of Catherine McAuley and Sister Frances Warde, two Irish Catholic women who founded the Sisters of Mercy order in the U.S. - the same religious order attached to St. James.

“Behind all the hospitals and institutions there was a person behind it,” McCullough said as he described how McAuley and Warde were instrumental in creating the Sisters of Mercy, a religious order of Catholic women dedicated to helping the needy. McAuley and her disciple Frances Warde were responsible for creating hundreds of health and educational institutions throughout the U.S. The order originated in Ireland, McCauley’s native country.

“If you look at the history of this country,” McCullough said, “behind all the hospitals, the institutions…citizens had to do it, had to raise money (to build these places). The government didn’t do it. It was usually a religious group. It wasn’t just nuns. The institutions were open to everybody. That’s what these people did. They really were pioneers.”

McCullough’s wife, Lisa Bansavage, portrayed both women in the plays; a performance she will repeat next month when she and her husband travel to Ireland. Bansavage, whose theater credits include Broadway, will perform at the Mercy International Center in Dublin. The center, built in the 1800s, is the original Sisters of Mercy house created by Catherine McAuley. It will be the location for a global youth pilgrimage said McCullough who added that children from around the world will be attending the show.

The playwright who has published nearly 200 plays is no stranger to the Emerald Isle. As an undergraduate student, he studied abroad in Ireland. It was there, he said, where he discovered Irish music and learned about how music influenced culture. He was inspired, he said, to seek an advanced degree in Ethnomusicology and holds a Ph.D. in the field. Ethnomusicology is the study of the social and cultural context of music in history.

“Theater is such a great medium for telling stories,” said McCullough, who also plays a number of instruments including the piano, saxophone and Irish Tinwhistle. “It’s really up close and personal. Good theater pulls you into a special place.”

In the past year, McCullough, who has also written 48 books of fiction, nonfiction and plays, took on another creative venture when he started the Pages of History, a nonprofit educational theater group. His goal is to create and produce educational film and theater. The playwright, who publishes under the name L.E. McCullough is always interested in hearing from others who would like to pool together resources to help bring to the stage the subject he loves most: history.

“I have always loved history,” McCullough said. “I will pick up anything and everything when I’m in a bookstore and read up on it. I can’t help myself.”

For more information on Pages of History, visit the website http://www.pagesofhistory.org. For more information on actress Lisa Bansavage, visit her website at http://www.festivalofthearts. To contact Larry McCullough, call 732-636-7743 or email him at lemccullough@mac.com.