Book excerpt: The fast-paced story of one man's journey from sinner to saint as he battles the Inquisition and the corruption of the Catholic Church. Inigo (Ignatius of Loyola) begins as a hot-headed, street-fighting sensualist, in this action-packed play but due to serious injury in a sword-fight, he becomes disabled and has to spend time recovering and reassessing his dissolute life. This stage version of his life follows his transformation to become the co-founder of the Jesuits in the sixteenth century, battling the powers of the day and the Inquisition. In Moore's bold, funny play, he asserts Inigo's position as a radical figure bent on changing the Catholic Church. It is ideal for performing in schools, colleges and theatres. Of special interest to schools and colleges, many of which are named after Inigo (Ignatius of Loyola). Inigo's spiritual tools for change have informed modern self-development programs such as the 12 step program for recovering drug and alcohol addicts. As Pope Francis is a Jesuit, this is a timely exploration of one of history's major spiritual leaders and reformers. "This is the most interesting play text to have reached me for a while... Ignatius of Loyala, founder of the Jesuits is not the most obvious choice for a play subject until you remember that he was effectively a counter-cultural radical fighting an implacable establishment suddenly it s both topical and relevant. I hope this thoughtful, engaging and very funny in places eight-hander will get more outings very soon. If not read the text anyway." --Susan Elkin, The Stage "Impressive...entertaining. Enlightening." ★★★★ LondonTheatre1 "Historically accurate, comic and thought-provoking while still incredibly relevant." ★★★★ Plays To See "Brilliantly written and acted...a great evening of thoughtful and dynamic theatre" --Mark Lawson (Writer, Arts Broadcaster and Journalist) "The intelligence of the production, and especially the vitality and versatility of the performances make for a moving, stimulating and enjoyable experience. The structure and dynamism of the play, the art with which Jonathan Moore makes Ignatius accessible to us, capturing much of the drama of the Spiritual Exercises themselves, would also make ‘Iñigo’ an excellent discovery for schools and colleges. I hope that is something we may look forward to." --James Hanvey , Master of Campion Hall, Oxford University. (on thinkingfaith.org) (Full article: http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/forging-soul-‘iñigo’-white-bear-theatre) "Condensing a life so full of internal struggle, complex relationships and momentous incident into two hours of drama is an astonishing achievement. Jonathan Moore has honed the story with skill and passion and also a good measure of humour." --Jane Hellings, Jesuits and Friends Jonathan Moore is an award-winning actor, writer and director. As an actor he has played leading roles at the Royal Shakespeare Co, Royal Court, Donmar, the Royal Exchange and on BBC TV. He has directed theatre and opera world premieres at the Almeida, Donmar, West End, Royal Exchange, Gate, English National Opera, Covent Garden, La Fenice in Venice and on TV among many others. He has directed world premieres by composers such as Turnage, MacMillan, Henze, Schnittke, Nyman, Copeland and more, and his early work was sponsored by Joe Strummer of The Clash. He has collaborated with members of punk band Killing Joke and on several projects with Industrial group Test Dept. A published playwright and librettist, his work has been performed at leading theatres including the Donmar, Royal Exchange, Gate, BBC TV, radio and internationally. Jonathan was asked by Mark Rylance to direct the large-scale immersive project for over fifty performers What You Will, a co-production for Shakespeare s Globe, The Cultural Olympiad and Mayor s Office and several subsequent Shakespeare projects. He is due to direct a large-scale site-specific immersive project for Ludovico Einaudi in Italy and a new opera project with Stewart Copeland. He is on the Artistic Advisory Committee of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He has had a Who s Who entry since 2007. A collection of Moore's plays has been previously published by Aurora Metro Books. www.jonathanmooreuk.com