After reading Gloria Amendola's play, Magdalene's Mind, earlier this month, I was giddy with excitement.
The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. It wasn't too sentimental, it wasn't too preachy, it didn't try to
explain too many things. The result is a balanced, well-written drama that occurs in a world with which we can identify.
Taking Magdalene out of 1st century Palestine is probably the best thing an author can do; while historical works are often compelling, nothing has grabbed this urban heart like Amendola's modern day miracle play.

I asked Gloria a few questions in email so Magdalene.org readers would know a bit more about Magdalene's Mind.

Whyte: I guess the obvious place to start is by asking what inspired you to write “Magdalene’s Mind”, and how you became interested in Mary Magdalene. Can you tell me a little bit about that ?

Amendola: It was time to write another play. I was interested in writing about a woman from the Bible. I knew nothing of who they really were, or could have been. And Mary Magdalene jumped out at me. With a passion.

Once I began to research her history, it’s as if she was leading me to more and more information, kindly connecting the dots for me. And it became an amazing revelation.

Whyte: The drama is well-crafted, which makes me believe this isn’t your first play. Do you have any other works that Magdalene.org readers can look for ? Is any of your work available from a publisher ?

Amendola: This is my third play. My first play – “There Comes A Time” - was produced at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. Some friends were faced with their senior projects. I owned and operated a fine art gallery at the time. They asked if I wanted to write something. I did. Then I became pregnant with my son after its initial run, and refused an offer to bring the piece “off-Broadway”.

An excerpt from the second play I wrote – “Inside Voices” – was produced in New York City along with other new works. After that, I went in a different direction and co-created two publications in the fields of music and fine arts. I wrote and published several interviews, developed stories, and edited others.

Mary Magdalene is a return to my roots – theatre.

Whyte: One of the themes that runs through the play is the childhood relationship between women and their fathers, how it affects their relationships with other men, and how it affects the way they relate to the rest of the world. Would you care to elaborate on this theme a little bit ?

Amendola: Suffice it to say it just became part of who Sophia and Lydia were. And it seemed as if Magdalene understood that relationship in each of them. That’s why she realizes she has to forgive George when she gets there. She held a piece of her puzzle aside…but it was now time to face her own enigma.

Whyte:. The shift from the Piscean Age to the Age of Aquarius seems to be influential toward the end of the play. Based on what the last 2000 years have shown us, how do you envision that this shift will take place ?

Amendola: I believe consciousness changes when people listen to speakers and musicians who offer new ideas, when people read books that offer messages of healing and love, and when people choose to believe these messages, and hold to these ideas mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, then a physical shift takes place. And many people have been following that path. It’s growing. And it becomes a movement, but more like what we saw after September 11th. A unity among people. I believe the more we see new stories in the arts, the closer we are getting to the actualized Aquarian Age.

Whyte: Although Jesus makes only a brief appearance in the play, you’ve managed to write him as a very rounded character. What mental image did you have of Jesus as you wrote him into the play ? What image did you have of the relationship between him and Magdalene ?

Amendola: The more I read and researched Magdalene, the more her feelings for Jesus became apparent. And then I was startled by the many suggestions of their more intimate relationship – an idea I had never been exposed to in my Roman Catholic education. I wasn’t sure how to handle this information. I decided it was probably an incredible relationship, and it deserved to be explored without judgment.

So I stayed focused on Magdalene and her feelings emerged. And as they did, the character of Jesus was a natural realization.

Whyte: The most enigmatic character in the play is The Unicorn. Can you tell me about what he represents, and why he was always looking out for Magdalene ?

Amendola: He represents the masculine in terms of sexuality and its need to protect its beloved feminine. But he lacks understanding of her depth because he is a creature mired in the physical body.

Whyte: My last question: why was it so crucial for Magdalene to be able to forgive, and why did you choose the type of person George represented ? Granted, I, for one, could probably try to find more forgiveness in MY heart for people like him, but Magdalene’s salvation seems to depend on it. Is it the last thing that stands between her and eternity ? If so, why ?

Amendola: I’m glad you perceived it as crucial. It is what frees her from the historical injustice of her name. If her feminine nature is to be the counterpart of the spiritual Jesus, then she must show that complete forgiveness is necessary for her emancipation.

The audience or reader must walk with Magdalene here. George represents the man who competes for success at all costs. He is the pillar of society with his shadow self attached. He is the mighty one who betrays all of us sooner or later.

Everyone must forgive the “George” in their lives.

Magdalene is released from the worldly perceptions of her history, and can therefore not be separated from her beloved Jesus, spiritually united as one.