Max McLean Stars in THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS at Gallo Center for the Arts Tonight

"The Screwtape Letters," a smart, provocative and wickedly funny theatrical adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from the Devil's point of view, will be performed at the Gallo Center for the Arts at 7:30 pm tonight, April 10. Veteran 'Screwtape' actor Max McLean stars in the production.

Tickets range in price from $19 to $69, and may be purchased online at GalloArts.org, calling 209-338-2100, or at the Gallo Center ticket office, 1000 I Street in downtown Modesto. Organized groups of 15 or more people receive a 15% discount on ticket prices. Group sales

"The Screwtape Letters" is set in an eerily stylish office in hell, and follows the clever scheming of Satan's chief psychiatrist, Screwtape, as he entices a human 'patient' toward damnation. In this topsy-turvy, morally inverted universe, God is the "Enemy" and the Devil is "Our Father below." The stakes are high as human souls are hell's primary source of food.

McLean is the founder, president and producing artistic director of Fellowship for the Performing Arts, whose mission is to produce theatre from a Christian worldview that engages a diverse audience. In addition to his national touring production of "The Screwtape Letters," which he adapted and co-directed with Jeff Fiske, McLean also is well known for his roles in "Mark's Gospel" and "Genesis".

Along with "The Chronicles of Narnia" (including "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"), "The Great Divorce" and "Mere Christianity," "The Screwtape Letters" is still one of Lewis' most popular and influential works. The book's success is due to its piercing insight into human nature and the lucid and humorous way Lewis makes his readers squirm in self-recognition.

The Gallo Center's 2012-2013 Premier Partner is Boyett Petroleum.