"In their own highly fantastical way, these characters are standing up for themselves and taking action. It may not be very Christian, but it is undeniably dramatic."
Read more

You won’t find Vatican Falls on any map about picturesque raging waters. No, Frank J. Avella’s new play, "Vatican Falls," is, instead, a passionate, sometimes humorous, indictment of the Catholic Church and its long history of concealing the sexual abuse suffered by hundreds of young men at the hands of priests. Tony DiBernardo’s vivid, yet simple set—red platforms that were eventually arranged into the form of a cross—help Avella—who co-directed with Carlotta Brentan—make his sometimes confusing storytelling clearer by dividing the stage into two playing areas.
Read more

In Vatican Falls, playwright Frank Avella vividly depicts the struggles, residual scar tissue, and raw anger of survivors of sexual assault by Catholic clergy whom they trusted...The narrative and nonlinear timeline of Avella’s play is unique in conveying not only the rawness of the characters’ emotions but how they aggressively resolve it.
Read more