Max McLean

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Max McLean
File:Max McLean 2019 (mxsTpZMJn8Q).jpg
McLean in 2019
Born (1953-04-14) April 14, 1953 (age 73)
Panama City, Panama
Alma materUniversity of Texas
OccupationsStage actor, writer, and producer
Years active1992-present
SpouseSharon McLean
Children2

Max McLean (born April 14, 1953) is a Panamanian-born American[1] stage actor, writer, and producer.[2] He is the founder and artistic director of the Fellowship for Performing Arts,[3] a New York City-based company that produces live theater and film from a Christian worldview.[4]

McLean is known for his stage adaptations of books by author and theologian C. S. Lewis. Some of McLean's adaptations include The Screwtape Letters (written with Jeffrey Fiske),[5][6] The Great Divorce (written with Brian Watkins),[7][8] and C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert (based on Surprised by Joy).[9] C.S. Lewis Onstage was adapted into a film, The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis, which starred McLean as an older Lewis and was released in 2021.[10]

Outside of his work regarding Lewis, McLean wrote the play Martin Luther on Trial with Chris Cragin-Day,[2][11][12] and narrated KJV, NIV, and ESV versions of "The Listener's Bible", an audio Bible.[13]

Early life and education

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McLean was born in Panama City, Panama, on April 14, 1953. McLean immigrated to the United States through New York City at age four.[13]

McLean graduated from the University of Texas in 1975, where participation in theater helped him overcome a fear of public speaking. After graduating, he pursued theatrical studies in London.[14][13]

Career

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In 1992, McLean founded the non-profit theatre company, the Fellowship for Performing Arts (abbreviated as FPA).[13]

Early on, McLean and the FPA toured and performed at colleges and universities. These included one-man shows with dramatic presentations of books of the Bible. He has adapted Genesis, the Acts and the Gospel of Mark (called Mark's Gospel).[13][3]

C. S. Lewis stage adaptations

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After seeing McLean perform Genesis, playwright Jeff Fiske emailed McLean, telling him that he would portray Screwtape well.[1] With Fiske, McLean adapted the 1942 novel The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis as a stageplay, which stars McLean as Screwtape.[6] It has been performed since 2006,[15] and has received positive responses from critics.[16][17][6][18]

McLean and co-writer Brian Watkins developed a stageplay for the 1945 Lewis novel, The Great Divorce, and in September 2013, McLean brought it to the Cape Playhouse in New York City for the development production.[7] On December 13, 2013, it premiered at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and toured nationally in 2014.[19] In December 2019, a revised revival of The Great Divorce opened at Theatre Three on Theatre Row in New York City.[20] After this, it began a national tour.[8]

McLean adapted the 1955 Lewis book Surprised by Joy [9] into the one-man play, C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert. McLean also stars as Lewis.[21] The play was adapted into the film, The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis, which McLean reprises his role in as an older Lewis. It was released in 2021.[10]

Other projects

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McLean co-wrote the play, Martin Luther on Trial, with playwright and drama professor Chris Cragin-Day, which premiered at the Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2016.[2]

Awards

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In 2009, McLean received the Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance for his one-man show Mark's Gospel.[22]

McLean's narrations for The Listener's Bible have received several Audie Award nominations in total. One in 1999 for the "Inspirational" category,[23] one in 2000 for "Package Design",[24] and one in 2002 for "Inspirational/Spiritual".[25]

Personal life

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In 1976, McLean became a Protestant Christian, after having grown up a nominal Catholic.[13]

He is married to Sharon McLean, and they have two grown daughters. They live in New York City, and are members of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church.[13]

References

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