A Benefit Staged Reading for Victims of Clergy Abuse, David Beck, Examiner, November 22, 2009

A Benefit Staged Reading for Victims of Clergy Abuse

By David Beck
Examiner
November 22, 2009

http://www.examiner.com/x-28103-NY-Theater-Scene-Examiner~y2009m11d21-A-Benefit-Staged-Reading-for-Victims-of-Clergy-Abuse?cid=email-this-article

Come see For Pete's Sake on December 11th

Have you ever kept a secret bottled up inside you so long that it cost you your job, your marriage, or any other honest relationship with a potential mate? Well, for Joe Capozzi, writer and leading man of For Pete’s Sake, a suffocating 20 year secret caused him to lose all that and more, but what he earned in return was sacred: living in the truth.

Mr. Capozzi’s secret? As a teenager and young adult, he was molested multiple times by Fr. Peter (“Pete”) Cheplic, pastor of his church in northern New Jersey. Not only was this priest somewhat of a local celebrity, but he was also a close friend and confidante to Joe’s family. Therein lies a small piece of the struggle that is the crux of For Pete’s Sake.

Translating such a grave yet penetrating topic to the stage is no easy feat. Without belittling or thwarting the issue, Mr. Capozzi deftly incorporates abundant amounts of humor throughout the story, namely in the dialogue between his inner voices, played by three actors, Judy Del Guidice, Bob Marlowe, and Kate Hodge. With the help (and sometimes hindrance) of his inner voices, Joe searches for the truth in this warped universe.

The sold-out premiere of the cathartic For Pete’s Sake took place last December at the Kraine Theatre in New York City. The play has gone on to perform in venues in New York with jam-packed houses, with a possibility of an open-ended regional tour. Each performance of For Pete’s Sake has been a benefit for Road to Recovery, an organization providing “emotional, financial, and spiritual assistance to survivors as they attempt to recover from the effects of [sexual abuse] by members of the clergy.”

So far, acclaim for For Pete’s Sake has been unanimous. Blogger David Dekok commended Mr. Capozzi’s “courage for turning his own tragedy into great art.” Fr. Bob Hoatsan, founder and president of Road to Recovery, calls it “a powerful and poignant depiction of the effects of clergy sexual abuse on its victims. Joe Capozzi has created for the stage a story of dying and rising that he experiences practically every day. The writing is brilliant, and the acting leaves audiences humbled, mesmerized, and forever changed by what they see. I hope to see it on a Broadway stage someday.” The true reward for Joe Capozzi, however, is that in sharing his struggle with others, one less person might suffer a similar misfortune.

Robert Charles Gompers directs, with original music by Mike Conelias and video by Peter Kostandelos.

For Pete' s Sake performs a staged reading on Friday, December 11th at 8 PM at the NY Society for Ethical Culture. 2 West 64th St @ CPW, NYC. Ceremonial Hall, 4th Fl. $15. All proceeds go to benefit Road to Recovery. For reservations: email forpetesaketheplay@gmail.com or call 646.881.4656.