THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
by CS Lewis, adapted by Nigel Forde

Performed: March 2000 at Portsmouth Arts Centre, Reginald Road, Southsea



CS Lewis’ classic text was a series of letters written by a senior devil, Screwtape, to the more junior Wormwood, advising him how to tempt a new convert. This spiritual classic was adapted by Nigel Forde, of Riding Lights Theatre Company, into a play set during the Second World War.

Senior devil Screwtape (Roger Sutton) outlines his vision for corrupting humans at the Tempters Training College Annual Dinner 1939

It presents the relationship between the devils as that between university tutor and student, and shows a series of real-life examples to illustrate how the Christian may or may not be influenced during his daily routine. Although the war with Germany is a constant backdrop, the play is more concerned about the spiritual battle raging for the hearts and souls of mankind.

The play had only been performed by Riding Lights itself and Saltmine Theatre Company before Top Cat’s production. It was so popular, an extra night had to be laid on – and that sold out within 48 hours!

Please note: we have been asked many times for copies of the script we used for this play. If you contact Riding Lights Theatre Company on info@rltc.org or via www.ridinglights.org, they can put you in touch with Nigel Forde, who adapted it. Do bear in mind that as well as requesting permission and paying royalties to Nigel, you will also need to ask permission and pay royalties to the CS Lewis Company, which handles the estate of CS Lewis. Unfortunately, we have no current contact details for them.