S/PAUL
THE MUSICAL
One Man. Two Names.
Same Zeal.
WHAT IS IT?
A two-act musical that bridges ancient drama with modern doubt — the story of the Apostle Paul told through the dual lens of a historical world and a modern mind unraveling it.
S/Paul is a genre-crossing theatrical production that traces the transformation of Saul of Tarsus into the Apostle Paul — and asks whether that transformation was truly complete. Framed by a modern graduate student who questions Paul’s legacy while trying to find their own voice, the musical fuses rap, folk, lament, liturgy, and ancient Jewish tradition into a theatrical experience for both the faithful and the skeptical.
Told across two acts (Saul the Musical and Paul the Musical), the show can be performed in full or marketed in split parts. It is both scholarly and soulful, reverent and rebellious. Developed alongside an academic dissertation exploring Paul’s economic strategies, Jewish purity tensions, and Greco-Roman patronage systems. “S/Paul” is part historical inquiry, part spiritual reckoning.
WHO MADE IT?
The show was developed by a singular active graduate student, a researcher, performer, and lifelong student of faith, language, and transformation. What began as a dissertation exploring Paul’s economic theology evolved into a musical with over 30 original songs and years of script development. Bringing academic depth and theatrical flair to a project that reclaims, questions, and reimagines.
TWO TITLES, ONE STORY
Act I: Saul the Musical
Traces Paul’s early zeal, training under Gamaliel, and persecution of the Jesus movement
Set against the backdrop of Jerusalem’s shifting political and religious tensions
Ends with his dramatic encounter on the road to Damascus
Act II: Paul the Musical
Follows Paul’s missionary journeys, theology of grace, and escalating tensions with Jerusalem
Showcases his letters, conflicts with other apostles, and eventual arrest
Asks whether Paul’s transformation truly brought unity — or further division
S/Paul the Musical
The full two-act performance — experienced as a single production or marketed as two linked shows
Ideal for festivals, church circuits, academic institutions, or multi-night engagements
WHY IT MATTERS
S/Paul is for anyone who’s wrestled with belief, identity, or legacy. It’s about the moments we change — and the ones that refuse to let us go. Rooted in historical sources and personal longing, this show aims to reclaim forgotten voices, reveal power dynamics in early faith, and sing a story of transformation for a new generation.
