He wrote hundreds of poems about his abuse by a Catholic priest. Now his words are a play.

INDINAPOLIS (IN)
Indianapolis Star

June 14, 2019

By Emily Sabens

When writer Norbert Krapf returned to his home state of Indiana after spending more than 30 years in Long Island, he finally felt ready to confront the abuse he experienced from his church’s priest as a young boy in Jasper.

During a one-year span, Krapf wrote 325 poems, many of which were published in his book “Catholic Boy Blues” in 2015.

“It was almost volcanic,” Krapf said. “I felt like I was finally able to write about it, and the poems just kept coming over that year.”

Krapf said he always pictured transforming the poems into a play. (He even mentioned it in the preface of his book.) Now, that dream is becoming a reality this weekend at IndyFringe.

The play version of “Catholic Boy Blues” features a cast of five who tell the story of James, who is based on Krapf, as he attends therapy and confronts the abuse he experienced as a child.

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