Actress becomes saint each night

By KAREN DIETLEIN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

It's understandable that Margaret Litschi was a bit spooked when she faced her 24th birthday.

Traveling the country in the one-woman live drama, "Therese: A Story of a Soul," the actress portrays St. Therese of Lisieux from her earliest days to her 24th year -- when she died after a long struggle with tuberculosis.

"It's a little scary," said Ms. Litschi. "In her entire life, she did so much. I feel like I've done nothing, in some ways. It's amazing how much of an impact she made."

In saint's footsteps

It could be argued that Ms. Litschi, who looks uncannily like the French nun, is as close to Therese as anyone today.

Having played the role for a year, she repeats the saint's words each night in the 70-minute drama, moving through key moments in her life and illustrating the concepts she's known for -- simple, childlike love and unconditional trust in God.

"It's really humbling to be able to be Therese for those short minutes, and to know that people in the audience are thinking that I'm her," Ms. Litschi explained. "In that time, I forget who I am. I give up all my thoughts, try to put them all away before the show, and let Therese take over."

Audience praise

Ms. Litschi's proudest moments come when audience members tell her that "they don't think it's me. There have been so many moments when people have come up afterwards and told me how much the play meant to them, how it was just what they needed, how Therese was a refuge for their soul. Every one of those moments is the reason why I do this."

Leonardo Defilippis, the play's author, says that the reaction Ms. Litschi mentions is one of his treasured moments, as well.

"The moment that really touches me is when you and the audience form a real connection to the play," he said. "It's a moment for them. Sometimes, it is a catalyst for conversion or vocation."

Mr. Defilippis, who himself has performed one-man plays as male saints like Francis of Assisi, counts his work as an effort to evangelize America, "based on the Holy Father's great vision of the 'new evangelization.' We want to evangelize the media itself, because they're the ones who help control the culture."

Return engagement

"Therese" came to the Albany Diocese last year, but the result was a performance the actress called "the worst moment" she's yet had playing Therese: Microphones meant to broadcast her voice to the audience were broken.

"The sound was just awful," she recalled. "On stage, I didn't realized how bad it had been. Only a third of the audience was able to actually hear the play!"

Ms. Litschi said that "doing the play helped me to know that I do have a chance of getting into heaven. I really see that it's all right that we're not perfect, that we will make mistakes and sin, but that God doesn't hate us for it. He wants us just to love Him; and when we do things wrong, He wants us to forgive ourselves and move on to be better for Him, for ourselves and for everyone that we meet."

("Therese: A Story of A Soul" will be performed Oct. 16, 7 p.m., at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall; a free-will offering will be taken to benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor. It will also be performed Oct. 17, 7 p.m., at St. Madeleine Sophie parish in Guilderland, to benefit the building fund. For tickets, call 356-3439 or 355-3454.)

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