Around Town: Outside Mullingar, Sister Helen Prejean, Eyes of Agape . . .

Ron Reed (left), John Emmet Tracy, Rebecca deBoer and Erla Faye Forsyth in Outside Mullingar. Photo by Matt Reznek.

Pacific Theatre will be creating a little corner of Ireland over the next month, in their production of Outside Mullingar.

But it took playwright John Patrick Shanley many decades to warm to such an undertaking. He said in a 2014 New York Times article: “I never wanted to write about the Irish.” Sure, he was Irish-American, but during 30 years of writing he rigorously avoided his heritage.

Eventually, however, it caught up with him:

I always knew I’d have to come home eventually. I’m Irish as hell: Kelly on one side, Shanley on the other. My father had been born on a farm in the Irish Midlands. He and his brothers had been shepherds there, cattle and sheep, back in the early 1920s. I grew up surrounded by brogues and Irish music, but stayed away from the old country till I was over 40. I just couldn’t own being Irish.

A recent interview with director Angela Konrad in the Vancouver Sun captures some of Shanley’s journey:

Besides [being a] love story, the play is also about its setting, rural Ireland and family.

“Even if we aren’t Irish, or from a farm, there’s a feeling of coming home that the play evokes,” Konrad said.

“And the relationships in the family members are similar to the relationship they have with the land, this kind of love/hate kind of thing.”

As part of her research, Konrad visited Ireland, specifically the county of Westmeath, where the play is set.

“It gave me a deeper appreciation for where this is, and for how it feels,” she said. “So many different references in the script make sense to me now. Yes the roads are as wide as your leg. Yes, they’re dangerous. Little things that make it easier to enter into the reality of that world.”

This is the outline of the Outside Mullingar story, according to Pacific Theatre,

Rosemary and Anthony are a pair of introverted misfits whose families have lived on neighbouring farms as far back as anyone can remember, battling over property lines and childhood stories but never what matters most. A quirky story of flawed love and some kind of happiness told with effortless wit and poetic Irish lyricism.

Go to Soul Food Vancouver for more background on Shanley and his play, which runs May 19 – June 10.

Sister Helen Prejean, at the opera

Sister Helen Prejean was in Vancouver for the Dead Man Walking opera late last month.

I try to keep up with significant events in the city, but I really missed a good one late last month. The renowned Sister Helen Prejean (leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, whose work was featured in the movie Dead Man Walking) was in Vancouver for the opening of . . . Dead Man Walking (the opera). She was here to watch the Vancouver Opera perform her story and to speak on a social justice panel.

Fortunately, Agnieszka Krawczynski of The B.C. Catholic sat down with Prejean for an interview while she was in town. Here is a portion:

The B.C. Catholic: How does a religious education teacher start visiting inmates on death row?

Sister Helen Prejean: I was in my 40s. I had grown up in a privileged life. I became a nun. I was prayerful. I was the director of religious education in a parish, but I was always in the suburbs. We had 10 major housing projects where African-American people were suffering terribly (but) I was oblivious.

This is the way I thought: “If the poor have God, they have everything, no matter how much they have to suffer in this life. One day, their reward will be great in heaven.”

Well, you can make those kinds of arguments when your family is not suffering, you’re not suffering, you have health care, you have education and you have everything you need. I was sincere, but I was not awake.

The awakening happened when we were at a conference and a nun – Sister Marie Augusta Neal – was giving a talk and it was about being women of social justice.

I’d been on the other side of the debate, the “spiritual” camp. We’re nuns. We’re not social workers. Then here comes this social justice nun.

On the second day, she was talking about Jesus. She said integral to the Good News Jesus preached to poor people is that they would be poor no longer. It’s not God’s will for them to be poor and to suffer.

Everything changed then. It was like tectonic plates, everything shifted. I thought: “I don’t even know any poor people.” I woke up and moved into the St. Thomas housing projects. African-American people became my teachers then.

One day I came out of that adult learning centre called Hope House and somebody asked me: “Would you like to write someone on death row?” I didn’t know anything about prisons!

Go here for the full interview; it’s well worth reading.

Through the Eyes of Agape

The work of Grace Tan is being featured at Regent College’s Lookout Gallery. Through the Eyes of Agape is described in this way:

Inspired by the story of Hagar in Genesis, Grace W.S. Tan captures the creative and compassionate nature of “The God who sees” as she portrays a myriad of characters in figurative charcoal drawings.

From Tan’s biography:

Grace was born in Hong Kong and spent her formative years in England. She received her Art education partly in London and Toronto. For some 30 years after graduating from Ontario College of Art in Graphic Design and earning a Bachelor of Arts from University of Guelph, Grace did not engage in any artistic activities but devoted her time to the care of home and family.

Since 2000, she has inched her way back into art-making with her main focus in figurative art and her most preferred medium, today, is charcoal.

‘Charcoal feels like the extensions of my fingers!’

The exhibition runs until June 22.

Briefly noted

Armerding and Gasque: professors emeriti

Carl Armerding (left), Jeffrey Greenman and Ward Gasque – key players in the Regent College story.

Regent College announced the appointment of two new professors emeriti during the 47th Convocation of Regent College at the Chan Centre April 28. Regent president Jeffrey Greenman remembered the “manifold contributions” of Carl Armerding and Ward Gasque to the college. “Along the way,” said Greenman, “they’ve held various senior leadership roles at Regent: Carl served as principal-president between 1978-88, and Ward served as vice principal.” Go here for Greenman’s comments.

Roy Bell remembered

Roy Bell, former senior pastor at First Baptist in Vancouver and principal of Carey Theological College, passed away May 11 in Duncan, two days after his wife Elizabeth and he marked their 65th wedding anniversary. Roy is the father of the Canadian Baptist of Western Canada executive minister, Jeremy Bell. The funeral service will take place May 28, 3 pm, at First Baptist Church.

Prayer warrior passes on

Another leading figure in the Metro Vancouver area passed away recently. Arne Bryant, a Surrey resident who founded Prayer Canada, died May 14 at the age of 99. Beth Carson wrote his biography in 2014. There will be a celebration of his life at Calvary Worship Centre in Surrey May 20, 2 pm.

May 2017

Jun 2017

(in)finite: Spiritual Conversations in Cloth – June 1, 2017 - June 4, 2017 at All Day
Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation – June 2, 2017 - June 4, 2017 at All Day
More Than an Art Show – June 2, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Un-Stuck: Inspiring Movement Toward Christ and His Mission – June 3, 2017 at 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Christian Estate Planning Seminar – June 3, 2017 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Praise in the Park – June 4, 2017 at 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
City-wide Prayer: Global Day of Prayer – June 4, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Concert and Reading with Sam Rocha: Tell Them Something Beautiful – June 5, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
ARC Canada Conference 2017 – June 6, 2017 - June 7, 2017 at All Day
Experience Regent – June 6, 2017 at 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Reading the Bible in China – June 6, 2017 at 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited Golf Tournament – June 7, 2017 at 10:30 am - 7:30 pm
Business By the Book: Darian Kovacs – June 7, 2017 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Made in God's Image – June 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mark Buchanan: Truth and Reconciliation – How Do We Respond? – June 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Gordon T. Smith: Being Christian in a Secular Society – Getting Beyond the Culture Wars – June 7, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Armi Grano & Friends – June 7, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Anabaptist Theology: Methods and Practices Conference – June 8, 2017 - June 9, 2017 at All Day
Mackay: The Black Bearded Bible Man – June 8, 2017 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Stanley – June 8, 2017 - June 10, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Family Matters Preview Conference – June 9, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
IN SPIRED: An art show and poetry reading – June 9, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Bible Confronts Patriarchy: A Workshop on Gender Equality – June 9, 2017 - June 10, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 12:00 pm
Some Like it Hot: An alternative, biblical view of climate change – June 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Run for the Nations: DRIME 2017 annual charity fundraiser – June 10, 2017 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Catholics & Evangelicals: What Can We Learn From Each Other? – June 10, 2017 at 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thousands Not Billions: The results of the RATE project on the age of the earth – June 10, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Hymn Festival – June 10, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
One City, One Message – June 11, 2017 at All Day
Jazz Vespers: Glenda Rae, Brett Wade & Miles Black – June 11, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Song-cology BC Cancer Fundraiser – June 11, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
A Gospel Sing-Along Evening with Richard Stepp – June 11, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Philosophers' Cafe: What do you think about C.S. Lewis’s views on love? – June 12, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Laura A. Smit: Beauty as Iconoclast – June 14, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Natasha D'Agostino & Friends – June 14, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
UGM: Call for Artists – June 15, 2017 - June 16, 2017 at All Day
Generous Space Launch Party – June 15, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Steve Imbach: Spiritual Direction – Contemplative Prayer Night – June 15, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Serving Refugees – June 17, 2017 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
St. Andrew's United Church 12th annual Teddy Bear Picnic – June 17, 2017 at 10:30 am - 2:00 pm
Market Day for Cambodia – June 17, 2017 at 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Organ Concerti: Gail Ovington, Carmen Ranta – June 17, 2017 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
World Refugee Sunday – June 18, 2017 at All Day
Point Grey Fiesta: Ecumenical Service – June 18, 2017 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Beyond 150: A Street Party in Honour of National Aboriginal Day – June 18, 2017 at 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Screening: Countdown to Sanctuary Wood – June 18, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Church Leaders Forum: Flying in Formation – June 20, 2017 at 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Mental Health, Faith and Community – June 21, 2017 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Migration, Mission and Multiplication Movements – June 21, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
National Aboriginal Day Observance – June 21, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Marcos Flo & Friends – June 21, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Grace W.S. Tan: Through the Eyes of Agape – June 22, 2017 at All Day
Charles Montgomery: Soul and the City – June 22, 2017 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Between the Sheets – June 22, 2017 - June 24, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Jenny Banai & Bre McDaniel – June 23, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Over 18 Film Screening – June 24, 2017 at 9:15 am - 12:30 pm
Martin Luther Remembered – June 24, 2017 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Walk for Water – June 24, 2017 at 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Borders to Beginnings – June 24, 2017 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jeremy Pearsons – June 24, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Pastor Anil Kant and Family – June 24, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Ember – June 24, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
World Refugee Sunday – June 25, 2017 at All Day
Jazz Vespers: Karen Graves & Miles Black – June 25, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Jazz Vespers: Quintessential Jazz – June 25, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Pastor Anil Kant and Family – June 25, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

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Around Town: Outside Mullingar, Sister Helen Prejean, Eyes of Agape . . .

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