AUGUSTA – The Tennessee Players’ production of “The Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach” will be performed for the first time in Maine.

The production Friday, Jan. 14, will mark the 130th anniversary of Albert Schweitzer’s birth.

This blending of drama, music and historical images of two great men, Schweitzer and J.S. Bach, will be at 7:30 p.m. in the South Parish Congregational Church, 9 Church St., just off State Street.

“Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace laureate, was a rare and gifted individual with immense creativity. He was one of the most remarkable men of the 20th century. His philosophy of reverence for life has never been more urgent than it is now in this violent age of suicidal contempt for life,” wrote Thurston Moore, producer of this multimedia musical dramatization. “He forever remains a brilliant thinker and a great ethical genius and teacher and no one in the past century has offered greater moral leadership. … Please help me keep the spirit of Albert Schweitzer alive by letting others hear his words and become acquainted with the wisdom and knowledge of this great man. Our production brings cultural and spiritual enrichment to all who see it.”

Multifaceted

Schweitzer was a humanitarian, theologian, missionary and medical doctor who built a hospital in Africa. He also was a professional organist and an authority on the life and work of J.S. Bach.

This production features a reader’s theater group including Peter Thompson, president and CEO of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce; Sheila Siragusa, professor of theater arts at the State University of New York in Oneonta, N.Y.; and the Rev. Bruce Forbes, pastor of South Parish church.

The Hook organ will be played by Jay Zoller, organist at the church, who will play seven Bach pieces during the performance. A PowerPoint slide show complements the words of Schweitzer and the musical selections.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Albert Schweitzer Academy for the Arts, a classical Christian school in Manchester. More information about the school is on the Web at asaame.com.

Tickets are $10 for adults. Contributions will be accepted from students.