About the Play:

Incorruptible is a full-length comedy by Michael Hollinger. What happens when faith alone can't pay the bills? This madcap comedy is set in the Dark Ages featuring monks in the body parts business, a travelling one-eyed con artist, reunited young lovers, and the eternal belief in miracles.

Incorruptible is a satirical look at the fragility of faith in the face of survival. It was not the best of times for the rag-tag group of monks in a 13th century French monastery: what to do if your monastery is going broke and you have to feed the poor? The river flooded again last week. The chandler's shop just burned to the ground. Nobody's invented the wheelbarrow yet. And the bones of Ste. Foy, the patron of the local monastery, haven't worked a single miracle in 13 years! In other words, the Dark Ages still look pretty dark. All eyes turn to the Pope, whose promised visit will surely encourage other pilgrims to make the trek and restore the abbey to its former glory. That is, until a rival church claims to possess the relics of St. Foy – and "their" bones are working miracles. The destitute monks feel their faith slipping away until they cross paths with a larcenous, one-eyed travelling minstrel who teaches them an outrageous new way to fill their empty offering plate. Nothing is sacred or spared in this this hysterical, fast-paced farce. Business ethics and entrepreneurialism are treated with clever irreverence and sharp, dark humour by playwright Michael Hollinger as he skewers religion, celebrity worship and material worship in Incorruptible. The perfect comedy for our imperfect world.

Incorruptible premiered in 1996 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a co-production by by Philadelphia' Arden Theater Company and Pittsburgh's City Theatre.Since then it has been mounted by high schools, colleges, and community theatres.

Cast: 3 women, 5 men

What people say:

"A lightning-fast farce, rich in both verbal and physical humor." — American Theatre

"Everything fits snugly in this funny, endearing black comedy. Hollinger understands how to balance verbal and physical humor, how to sketch personality in a few deft strokes, how to pause here and there to allow his audience to catch its breath, how to bring on a new character at just the right time, and how to write dialogue that's an artful blend of the mock-formal and the anachronistically breezy. A piece of remarkably dexterous craftsmanship." — Philadelphia Inquirer

"A farcical romp, scintillating and irreverent." — Philadelphia Weekly

About the Playwright:

Michael Hollinger is an American playwright who is the author of two dozen plays, including comedies, dramas, musicals, translation/adaptation, and plays for children. He is currently an associate professor of Theatre at Villanova University.