In the Interests of the Brethren: A One Act Masonic Drama
In the Interests of the Brethren: A One Act Masonic Drama

Author: Aaron Joy

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 1387332767

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Loosely inspired by Rudyard Kipling's 1917 short story of the same name, this is the drama of a young man who has put Freemasonry behind him as a bitter tasting memory. He long ago left disillusioned on the eve of his father not becoming Master of the Lodge, and who would also leave to soon die broken. Now, after meeting an old bookseller who shelters a life-changing secret, the man finds himself unexpectedly attending lodge again. He reluctantly is forced to face his father's death and the question of what it means to be a Mason in what is a unique Masonic play. This is the first play by a Maine Mason that uses Masonry as its central theme, takes place in the present day, discusses contemporary issues of lodge life, and can be performed for the public. Playwright Aaron Joy is a music writer who has been involved in Masonry in his home of Portland, Maine. His theater work spans on and off stage in the U.S. and Japan, including directing Off-Broadway and tech at San Francisco's Jon Sims Center.

The Masons and the Mysteries in 18th Century Drama
The Masons and the Mysteries in 18th Century Drama

Author: Matthew Leigh

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-12-02

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 311067629X

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The fathers of modern freemasonry sought a classical pedigree for their rituals and forms of association. This volume offers the first academic study of how freemasons writing in the first half of the 18th century deployed their knowledge of antiquity to bolster this claim and how the creative literature of the period reflected their ideas. The scholarly investigation of freemasonry is a relatively new phenomenon. The writings of active freemasons tend either to generate new masonic myths or to focus on the minutiae of insignia, rank, and ritual. Only in the last 50 years have non-masons given serious thought to freemasonry as a social practice and to its place within the intellectual and political life of Enlightenment Europe and beyond. Study of masonic elements in literary texts lags much further behind. This volume offers the first English translations of three mid-18th century comedies on female curiosity about this exclusively male order and shows how they reflect contemporary attempts to forge a link with ancient mystery cult. The theatrical aspect of masonic ritual and the ancient mysteries is examined in depth. This volume opens up important new ground in classical reception and 18th century theatre history.