UPDATE: GOD DISCUSSES THE BASTARDS RUNNING SCIENTOLOGY

Media Release: Superstar Women Expose Scientology Crimes

Submitted by intelligence on Jan 04, 2013 - 01:04 PM | 

The Church of Scientology is in for a wake-up call tonight on the God Discussion radio show with Hosts Al and Deborah. A handful of prominent women from the USA, England, and France will tell their stories about being in Scientology for decades and subjected to "Billion Year Contracts" and abusive slave labour conditions.

Sautez (not real name), joined Scientology's Sea Organization (Sea ORG), at 18 and that her family was destroyed by Scientology - - she now speaks out to save others from the same fate.

Show guest Nancy Many, spent 30 years in Scientology. She was in Scientology's infamous Guardians Office, the church's covert intelligence entity. Nancy is the author of "My Billion Year Contract" and will share some of these operations tonight.

Claire Headley was raised in Scientology from the age of four. She and her husband Marc, author of "Blown for Good", sued the church over lost wages while in the Sea Org. Claire will discuss Scientology's forced abortions when women become pregnant in the Sea ORG.

Lori Hodgson is a former Scientologist who has experienced the nightmare of what Scientology does to families and how she experienced the horrific pain of her family disconnecting after she escaped the cult. Lori will join the show live to share her experience.

Nefertiti (not real name), worked for Scientology at their prison camps called "Rehabilitation Project Force" (RPF), when she ended up in the same prison. Fearing for her life and sanity, she escaped - with a price. She has not seen her children for 25 years. Nefertiti joins the discussion from France, where she speaks out against Scientology and cults in general.

Another guest will be Sharone Stainforth, who was a personal child servant of L. Ron Hubbard (known as a "messenger") when she was in Sea Org at 10 years of age. From London, Sharone will share what her experience was like, and how the Scientology experience has shattered her family.

Tonight's show promises to be very informative to listeners from several women who tell of the pain and suffering while in a deceptive cult.

Radio Show Schedule: Friday night, January 4, 2012, 6 Pacific / 7 Mountain / 8 Central / 9 Eastern / GMT=Saturday, January 5 @ 2 AM, with call-in Show Link at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/god-discussion/2013/01/05/the-x-women-escapes-from-scientology

David Edgar Love

Superstar Women Slam Cult of Scientology for Abusive Crimes

• SCIENTOLOGY CRIMES EXPOSED
• JANUARY 4, 2013
• BY: DAVID LOVE
• Subscribe

Scientology Crimes

Credits: 

Smart People oday

0Email

Social Issues newsletter

Tonight on the God Discussion radio show with Hosts Al and Deborah, a group of prominent women from the USA, England, and France told their stories about being in Scientology for decades and subjected to “Billion Year Contracts” and abusive slave labour conditions and forced abortions.

Not so long ago, media would be in fear of airing a show such as this, knowing well that Scientology was worse than a rabid attack dog when anyone spoke out against their church. Brave heroes from past have faced lengthy court battles, the sting of unscrupulous investigators and cult legal teams determined to shut the mouth of any apostate.

God Discussion: “The “X-Women” -

http://www.goddiscussion.com/106024/this-week-on-the-goddiscussion-show-the-x-women-x-scientologists-that-is/

In the past few years, the flood-gates of Ex-Scientologists telling their stories without fear have snowballed and the relentless pressure from media has caused church membership to dwindle fast.

Superstar Women Slam Scientology for Abusive Crimes Pt 1/3

The hosts of the God Discussion show, as well as listeners from around the globe; many who called in, were stunned at what was voiced by the six brave lady guests from three countries. Indeed, heartbreaking and emotional stories.

Sautez (not real name), joined Scientology’s Sea Organization (Sea ORG), at 18 and that her family was destroyed by Scientology - - she now speaks out to save others from the same fate. Sautez was instrumental in helping the God Discussion host make this show happen tonight.

Show guest Nancy Many, spent 30 years in Scientology. She was in Scientology's infamous Guardians Office, the church’s covert intelligence entity. Nancy is the author of “My Billion Year Contract” and shared some of her experiences tonight.

Claire Headley was raised in Scientology from the age of four. She and her husband Marc, author of “Blown for Good”, sued the church over lost wages while in the Sea Org. Claire discussed Scientology’s forced abortions when she and other women become pregnant in the Sea ORG.

Tampa Bay Times Claire Headley story:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/defectors-claire-and-marc-headley-say-church-of-scientology-tried-to/1250163

Lori Hodgson, a former Scientologist who has experienced the nightmare of what Scientology does to families and how she experienced the horrific pain of her family disconnecting after she escaped the cult, joined the show live to share her experience. Tony Ortega shared Lori’s story and heart-wrenching open letter to her children on "The Underground Bunker" here:

http://tonyortega.org/2012/11/03/scientologys-policy-of-disconnection-a-mothers-open-letter-to-the-children-who-have-abandoned-her/

Nefertiti (not real name), was sent to one of Scientology's prison camps called “Rehabilitation Project Force” (RPF), because she wanted to leave. Fearing for her life and sanity, she escaped – with a price. She has not seen her children for 25 years. Nefertiti joined the discussion from France, where she speaks out against Scientology and cults in general.

The final guest was Sharone Stainforth from England, who was a personal child servant of L. Ron Hubbard (known as a “messenger”) when she was in Sea Org at 10 years of age. From London, Sharone shared what her experience was like, and how the Scientology experience has shattered her family. Her blog “Scientology – The Apollo Series”, is packed with information and more heart-breaking stories at:

http://theapolloseries.blogspot.co.uk/

Tonight’s show was obviously quite emotional for some of the guests and callers - - even for me when I called in after listening to how these women and their families were treated. Many described how their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), still affects them today, with terrible nightmares and upset.

Most disturbing was the forced, coerced abortions, children separated from their parents, and disconnections when one family member leaves the cult and others remained. The so-called church forbids contact with those who leave and speak out.

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Women_reveal_accounts_of_forced_abortion_in_Scientology

Scientology denies such abortion and disconnection policies, but the evidence is mounting that these courageous women are telling the truth in horrifying detail. One of tonight’s guest said she knows of one lady who was forced to have an abortion at a “term” of six months. As Claire Headley stated to St. Petersburg Times, "The policy was if a staff member became pregnant, that they were to have an abortion."

At the end of the show, there was a brief discussion about bringing together, women who have suffered these horrific events in Scientology - - supporting each other as much as possible.

Podcast of Radio Show here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/god-discussion/2013/01/05/the-x-women-escapes-from-scientology

David Edgar Love

Read More

MISCAVIGE'S REPLY TO LA TIMES SHOWS HOW SCARED AND DELUDED HE IS [note KAREN POUW = DAVID MISCAVIGE]

The Church of Scientology Responds to "The Tip of the Spear"

Los Angeles magazine received this letter to the editor in response to our January feature about how investigating the Church of Scientology changed journalist Joel Sappell's life

Posted on 1/4/2013 10:21:00 AM

Joel Sappell’s article “The Tip of the Spear” is egocentric, rambling tabloid babble. More than a quarter of a century ago Mr. Sappell spent five years writing intolerably long and factually inaccurate stories on the Church of Scientology for the LA Times. Then media critic James Warren of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the series “became the butt of jokes among colleagues” and that “few heads probably turned” when the results were published. Mr. Sappell forgot to mention this amid all his self praise.

Fast forward to today and Mr. Sappell’s proposed “cold case” grassy-knoll theory that the Church of Scientology may have played a role in the death of his 13-year- old dog 27 years ago is bizarre. Mr. Sappell might as well add that he believes we “shot J.R.” and cause global warming. To reiterate what we told Mr. Sappell in preparing his story we had nothing to do with the 1985 death of a 13-year-old dog nor any other pets of anyone else, nor anything to do with his reporting partner being pulled over by the California Highway Patrol or any traffic or parking tickets Mr. Sappell may or may not have received during the five years he “investigated” the Church of Scientology as well as the last 27 years.

This level of paranoia expressed in Mr. Sappell’s article is exactly what one would expect when a writer deifies his primary source, Marty Rathbun, a self- promoting anti-Scientologist in Texas who is bitter and consumed with resentment and cannot move on with his life (just like the writer himself). Rathbun has been revising his stories to fit any media and his latest exemplifies the revisionist history:

•           Rathbun misrepresents his history in the Church claiming a high position to inflate his status. Rathbun was never part of the Church’s international ecclesiastical management. Contrary to his delusional belief, he was not well known to parishioners, he did not speak at Church convocations and Sappell did not disclose that his only connection to Rathbun was meeting him once nor did he name Rathbun in his 1990 five-year-in-the-making opus illustrating Rathbun’s insignificance in the Church’s hierarchy.

•           The real story is Rathbun was simply a failed external affairs staffer, removed a decade ago for malfeasance, who left the Church in disgrace. He was obsessed with creating and fighting legal cases. In 2003 he self-originated and self-authored a description of his misconduct and admitted to his efforts then to misrepresent his position, stating he masqueraded as “being important or working on important things. It is all the more insidious because that ‘importance’ has been by association with COB [Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige].” Rathbun further described the “fraud” (his word) he perpetrated, “Each and every time on major situations, COB has had to intervene to clean up wars I had exacerbated. For example, left to my own devices in handling IRS litigation, the end result would undoubtedly have been no exemption, a billion-dollar tax bill, and possible shutting down of the Church. I have developed a slick false PR technique of positioning myself as having been integral in handling threats during and after the fact, when they are actually terminatedly handled by COB. By calculation I have lost the Church 43 million dollars on losses and expenses that could have been avoided.” (The entire document can be found at: http://www.freedommag.org/special-reports/sources/marty-rathbun-public- announcement.html and his malfeasance is detailed at www.freedommag.org/special-reports/sources/marty-rathbun-brief- chronology-of-monumental-disasters.html).

Sappell relied on a man who will tell him what he wants to hear. We are the first to admit Rathbun has a history of delusional grandeur with respect to the Church and that no unauthorized, rogue actions he undertook on his own would surprise us. But that doesn’t justify Sappell’s failure to note that his source has shown he lacks a moral compass by admitting in both broadcast and print interviews to having lied in the past, suborning perjury and also to having obstructed justice. Los Angeles Magazine knew and failed to convey that anything said by this man—who carries both a chip on his shoulder and a huge ax to grind—must be taken with an enormous grain of salt.

We are not the Church we were 27 years ago when Mr. Sappell began his story. In those same 27 years the Church has moved on. The kind of warfare Marty Rathbun relished then and apparently desires today is not the direction of our Church.

The Church enjoys peace today thanks to Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion. Our energies and resources are dedicated to the growth of our Churches and serving our communities through our social and humanitarian work. Mr. Miscavige has led the Church through the most difficult time for any religion, the passing of its Founder, to where it is today. Some of the accomplishments since Mr. Sappell’s previous article are covered below. (A full description of Mr. Miscavige’s work on behalf of the Scientology religion may be found at www.scientology.org/david-miscavige.html.)

•           More than 30 new Ideal Churches opening in major cities throughout the United States and around the world. This year those new Churches opened in Hamburg, Germany; Florence, Kentucky; Sacramento, Orange County, San Jose and Los Gatos, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Buffalo, New York; Padova, Italy; and our first in the Middle East, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

•           This past September the inauguration of the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C.

•           Church sponsored and supported humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs reach millions of people all over the world addressing the fields of drug abuse prevention, drug rehabilitation, education, human rights and morals education. Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been active in more than 200 disaster relief efforts nationally and internationally.

•           The Church completed a massive 25-year program to recover all of its Scripture and make it available to our parishioners, with nearly a hundred million books and lectures distributed in the last decade.

•           The establishment of the world’s largest religious all-digital publishing house in Commerce, California capable of producing some 67 million books and 52 million CDs annually.

•           A new 185,000 square foot Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center, also in Commerce.

The future will see even more growth with some 50 Church buildings in design, planning or construction set to open on five continents, the opening of a Scientology religious broadcasting and media hub in the former KCET historic studio lot and the inauguration of the soon-to-be complete 377,000 square foot Flag Building, our spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.

The Church works to make Los Angeles and the world a better place by achieving the aims of Scientology:“A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights.” Anyone can find information about Scientology by visiting our website athttp://www.scientology.org or visiting one of our Churches.

Sincerely,
Karin Pouw

---

RELATED: Read The Tip of the Spear

Categories: Off the Record BlogTags: Church of Scientology , David Miscavige , Mark Rathbun

Read More

MISCAVIGE'S PSYCHO MUSICAL CHAIRS GAME OUTED IN NATIONAL PRESS

LOOKING LESS LESS LIKE HER DADDY EVERY DAY.....

Suri Cruise has a spring in her step as she returns to school after the holidays... but mother Katie Holmes isn't looking so rested

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 17:48, 3 January 2013 | UPDATED: 18:12, 3 January 2013

• Comments (42)
• Share

Clearly feeling invigorated by the holidays, Suri Cruise had a spring in her step as she returned to school on Thursday.

The six-year-old was spotted bright and early in New York with her mother Katie Holmes who, after another late night on Broadway on Wednesday evening, was not looking quite as wide-awake as her daughter.

The twosome rugged up against the brisk weather with little Suri wearing a big red bow in her hair.

Back to school: Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise were spotted out in the Downtown area of New York City on Thursday morning

She was also carrying a Hello Kitty rucksack as she bounded down the street hand-in-hand with her mommy.

Katie, meanwhile, was clad in a large blue coat, red dress and sensible flat shoes.

The night before she was on stage again for her theatre role in Dead Accounts.

Refreshed: Little Suri looked full of beans as she jumped out of a car as she returned to school after the holidays

Ready for class: The six-year-old was wearing a cute red bow in her hair and carrying a Hello Kitty bag

On Wednesday a rep for the 33-year-old actress told Gossip Cop that claims she is dating Jake Gyllenhaal are ‘not true at all’.

It had been reported that Katie, who divorced from Tom Cruise last year, had been spending time at Jake’s West Village apartment on dinner dates.

Although Katie is currently busy with her onstage role, she will soon have a lot more free time on her hands as Dead Accounts is schedule to close on January 6.

Feeling sleepy: Katie looked a little tired after another late night on stage for her Broadway role in Dead Accounts

The show will be closing six weeks after it opened as a result of poor ticket sales.

Meanwhile, it has also been suggested that Tom has moved on following the split.

He reportedly was seen dancing with restaurant manager Cynthia Jorge over the Christmas period and is said to be ‘enamoured’, according to In Touch.

Glamour girl: Katie was seen looking stunning as she arrived to the theatre on Wednesday night

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2256731/Suri-Cruise-spring-step-returns-school-holidays--mother-Katie-Holmes-isnt-looking-rested.html#ixzz2GyUlJ000
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Journalist Exposes ‘Weird World of Scientology’ and its Secret Underground ‘Alien Space Cathedral’

January 3, 2013 | Filed under: Life & Society,Top Stories,World | By: Heather Clark

Trementina, New Mexico – A journalist in the UK has written a book about what he calls a secret Scientologist “alien space cathedral” after studying an underground bunker built by the organization hidden deep in the desert of New Mexico.

John Sweeney of The Sun states that the enormous facility, called the Trementina Base, was built in the 1980′s by Scientologists and is located approximately 30 miles outside of the nearest city. The location is marked by two circles with a diamond center that are carved in the ground.

Sweeney says that he and a former Scientologist traveled to the location to learn more about what is inside of the underground bunker, but were not able to get far. He explains that at one point, his vehicle was stopped by steel gates, which include some sort of intercom system that monitors visitors before they are allowed to pass. When Sweeney asked for a tour after being greeted through the intercom, he claims that he was met with only white noise and had to turn back.

According to his new book The Church of Fear: Inside the World of Scientology, Sweeney outlines that Scientologists created the underground bunker to serve as a shelter in the event of a nuclear holocaust. He explained that the facility contains titanium caskets that hold gold disks inscribed with the writings of founder L. Ron Hubbard.

While a spokesman for the organization did not confirm information about the facility serving as holocaust housing, they were willing to explain the latter assertion.

“The facility in New Mexico is one of the archival storage sites containing preservation copies of Mr. Hubbard’s writings and lectures,” the spokesman told the UK Mail.

Some also state that Scientologists carved a design in ground above the bunker in order to provide guidance to fellow Scientologists who will purportedly return to earth after fleeing the planet to escape the events of Armageddon. However, the spokesman provided a different reasoning.

Connect with Christian News  

“The symbol carved in the hillside near the facility is CST’s corporate logo,” the stated. “Because the facility is in such a remote area, the only way to it is by way of a nearby airstrip.”

The airstrip is to provide access to Scientology leaders, reports state.

According to the organization’s official website, Scientology “is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being.”

“Scientology further holds man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself, his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe,” it continues. “The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all.”

The organization, founded in 1953 in Camden, New Jersey by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, also has controversial beliefs about aliens and the origin of life on earth. While most Scientologists reportedly refute the claims, others assert that Hubbard outlined in his book Operating Thetan Level III that an alien named Xenu brought millions of people to earth at one time, and that thetans — the spirits of the people — have lived innumerable past lives in outer space.

A number of Hollywood celebrities are avowed Scientologists, including actors Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley.

“I think there is something very strange about a church which builds an enormous cathedral but then hides it away from everyone,” Sweeney states. “I’d like to see Tom Cruise and John Travolta explain why they hide this from people.”

According to the latest statistics, there are approximately 25,000 Scientology adherents in the United States.

Photo: WhyWeProtest

Read More

FIRST REVIEW OF THE FIRST SCIENTOLOGY EXOSPOSÉ BOOK OF THE YEAR.... IT'S A DOOZEY!

A Careful Writer Stalks the Truth About Scientology

By CHARLES McGRATH

Published: January 2, 2013

• FACEBOOK
• TWITTER
• GOOGLE+
• SAVE
• E-MAIL
• SHARE
• PRINT
• REPRINTS

AUSTIN, Tex. — The writer Lawrence Wright doesn’t seem at all the sort of person you’d find in public wearing a black cowboy shirt emblazoned with big white buffalos. He’s shy, soft-spoken, a little professorial. But as if he didn’t have enough to do, besides working on three plays simultaneously and getting ready to publish a new book in two weeks, Mr. Wright has been taking piano lessons withFloyd Domino, the two-time Grammy winner, and on a recent Saturday, in his buffalo shirt, he played in a concert at the Victory Grill here with the band WhoDo. Mr. Wright was at the keyboard, and sang solo on “Sixty-Minute Man” and the Count Basie tune “She’s Funny That Way.” Not bad for a bookworm.

Enlarge This Image

Ben Sklar for The New York Times

Lawrence Wright said his new book inspired threats.

Enlarge This Image

Ben Sklar for The New York Times

Mr. Wright, above right, with other members of the band WhoDo.

“I decided a while ago that I would only do things that are really important or really fun,” Mr. Wright said. “This is really fun.”

More fun, probably, than dealing with lawyers. His new book, “Going Clear: Scientology, Celebrity, and the Prison of Belief” (Knopf) is about the famously litigious Church of Scientology, and he said he has received innumerable threatening letters from lawyers representing the church or some of the celebrities who belong to it. (Transworld, Mr. Wright’s British publisher, recently canceled its plans to publish “Going Clear,” though a spokeswoman insisted that the decision was not made in response to threats from the church.)

The book, which recounts the history of Scientology through the interwoven stories of key figures like L. Ron Hubbard, the religion’s founder, and celebrity Scientologists like John Travolta and Tom Cruise, claims among other things that the church has virtually imprisoned some of its members, threatening blackmail if they try to leave, and that its current leader, David Miscavige, has physically abused some of his underlings. The book won’t do anything to enhance the image of Scientology, already diminished by Janet Reitman’s 2011 book, “Inside Scientology: The History of the World’s Most Secretive Religion.”

In a statement, Karin Pouw, a Scientology spokeswoman, said Mr. Wright and his publisher refused to provide a copy of the book in advance and “showed little interest in receiving input” from the church. “The portions you cite from the book are preposterous lies,” she said, adding that “the allegation about Mr. Miscavige is false and defamatory.”

But Mr. Wright insists that he did not set out to write an exposé. “Why would I bother to do that?” he said. “Scientology is probably the most stigmatized religion in America already. But I’m fascinated by it and by what drives people to Scientology, especially given its image.”

He added: “There are many countries where you can only believe more or you can believe less. But in the United States we have this incredible smorgasbord, and it really interests me why people are drawn to one faith rather than another, especially to a system of belief that to an outsider seems absurd or dangerous.”

Mr. Wright, whose previous book, “The Looming Tower:” Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, is no stranger to writing about secretive organizations. In the case of Scientology, he said, he had been looking for what he calls a “donkey” — a character strong and sympathetic enough to carry a complicated story. “I don’t mean it in a disparaging way,” he explained. “A donkey is a very useful beast of burden.” In 2010 he finally found one in Paul Haggis, the winner of back-to-back Oscars for “Million Dollar Baby,” which he wrote, and “Crash,” which he wrote and directed, who defected from Scientology in 2009, after 34 years in the church, during which he rose to one of its highest ranks.

In 2011 Mr. Wright published a profile of Mr. Haggis in The New Yorker, and in the course of the fact-checking process Tommy Davis, the international spokesman for Scientology, did Mr. Wright an unwitting favor. He showed up in The New Yorker offices with four lawyers and 47 white binders full of material about the church.

“I suppose the idea was to drown me in information,” Mr. Wright recalled, “but it was like trying to pour water on a fish. I looked on those binders with a feeling of absolute joy.”

Among his peers Mr. Wright is known for his thoroughness and for his legal pads and his filing-card system, which in the computer age is as complicated and as antique asthe historian Robert Caro’s. Lauren Wolf, a recent graduate of the journalism school at the University of Texas, who worked for Mr. Wright as a fact checker and researcher on “Going Clear,” said, “I think the reason Larry hired me was that in the interview I said, ‘I think one of my faults is that I don’t know when to stop researching.’ He looked at me and said, ‘I don’t think that’s a fault.’ ”

She added: “He’s incredibly thorough. He does an immense amount of reading and researching and talking to sources.”

In all Mr. Wright spoke to some 200 current and former Scientologists, only a few of whom insisted on anonymity. He started with Mr. Haggis, he said, and one name led to another. It helped that, starting in 2009, a number of high-ranking officials had broken from the church and began talking to The St. Petersburg Times. (The spiritual headquarters of Scientology is in nearby Clearwater, Fla.)

“The church for decades has been mopping up as much information as they can,” Mr. Wright said. “That’s why there are so few photographs in the book. They’ve also silenced people through nondisclosure agreements and through intimidation. But this has not been a perfect job on the part of the church.

“There are a lot of people out there who were very high up in the church and know a lot about it who have become outspoken. I’m very lucky to come along at a time when a lot of these people are ready to talk.”

One of his sources, Amy Scobee, said of meeting Mr. Wright: “I had already taken the plunge and decided to speak out. But I’ve been approached by a lot of people who just want a quick sound bite. He wasn’t a Johnny come lately. I felt he had real integrity.”

Another ex-Scientologist, Tom De Vocht, a construction manager for the church who left after 28 years, said: “I could tell that Larry wasn’t just out to get the church — which would have been fine with me, actually. He really had dug into this, which made it easier to talk to him.” He added: “I couldn’t not say anything. I feel I’ve got to make the truth known.”

A color-coded outline for “Going Clear” is still on a wall-size whiteboard in Mr. Wright’s office in his house here. Next to it is an equally large whiteboard outlining a play Mr. Wright has written about the Camp David accords, which is expected to have its premiere at Arena Stage in Washington next season. In February he is going to London for a reading of a play he has written about the making of the movie “Cleopatra.” And in March a play he has written about the journalist Oriana Fallaci will open at Berkeley Rep in California.

Fallaci, he explained, was someone he admired and in some ways loathed. “She was a very formative figure for me,” Mr. Wright said, “though I’m not sure what I think about some of her techniques now. She went a little crazy at the end and after 9/11 her anti-Muslim rhetoric was so provocative and inflammatory. But I’m still very interested in the tension between Islam and the West, and so Oriana Fallaci became for me a great vehicle, another donkey.”

Mr. Wright, who despite his shyness has also appeared in two one-man shows based on his own journalism, said that he didn’t see much disconnection between his books and his theatrical writing.

“They’re all kin,” he said. “I did interviews and have note cards for Oriana.” He also interviewed people who had worked on “Cleopatra.” “I like the serendipitous surprises of reality,” he said. “I get more pleasure from discovering it than from inventing it.”

Excusing himself because he had to go practice the piano, he added, “I get very antsy when I’m not occupied.”

Read More