Back to the People with Nicole Shanahan Max McLean on The Screwtape Letters and the Spiritual War for Your Soul
Oct 8, 2025
Max McLean, a celebrated stage actor and founder of the Fellowship for Performing Arts, dives into the profound themes of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. He shares his personal journey to Christianity and how it shaped his theatrical adaptation. McLean discusses transforming Lewis's complex prose into relatable theater, exploring the nuances of temptation and moral choices. He reflects on the timely relevance of Lewis's insights, the psychological depth of the work, and the exciting potential for a film adaptation, alongside discussions on spiritual growth and cultural authority.
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Lewis's Personal Roots In Screwtape
- C.S. Lewis used his own conversion and battles with temptation to shape The Screwtape Letters.
- That personal transparency makes the book resonate across generations.
Predator‑Prey Dramaturgy
- Theatrically, Screwtape is framed as predator and the human as prey to heighten moral stakes.
- The play follows two arcs: the patient's growth and Screwtape's defeat.
Condense Dense Prose For Performance
- Theatre simplifies dense prose by distilling long sentences into clear spoken lines while preserving original meaning.
- Use Lewis's actual words where possible to honor his ideas in adaptation.