Around Town: The Trip to Bountiful, Thinking Through the Arts, Equipping

Ron Reed is back, finally having the opportunity to direct a play that Covid prevented him from presenting during his final year with Pacific Theatre.

The Trip to Bountiful will run from March 22 to April 14 at the Jericho Arts Centre.

During a  March 17 interview with Gerry Kowalenko on Co-op Radio’s Arts Rational, Reed spoke about how tough it was to lose his final 2020-2021 season of directing and acting in several shows at Pacific Theatre:

For all the grief about losing that final season, the thing that really broke my heart was that we also lost Trip to Bountiful for the end of that [2020] season.

And here I am, exactly four years later, one week [now one day] away from opening that very show, with Erla Faye Forsyth still in the lead – and I just thank Sarah and United Players from the depths of my heart. We’re making it possible to fulfil this dream.

He added, “Erla showed up in an acting class I was doing in a church basement back in the late 80s, and she just stood out amazingly.” Reed urged her to pursue acting, and she did.

She was one of the four actors in the “tiny rep company” that began Pacific Theatre in 1994. She has had an impressive career – and is clearly still going strong.

In a recent email to his Soul Food followers, Reed wrote:

Once the theatres began to reopen, Sarah Rodgers (director of many PT shows) became the Artistic Director of United Players, and invited me to direct The Trip To Bountiful in her first full season, featuring Erla as Mrs Watts. Stephen Elcheshen also returns from that original cast, as well as Rick Colhoun as our sound designer.

I would love you to come see this deeply heartfelt, simple story of a woman who flees the strains of life in a cramped city apartment with her contentious daughter-in-law, to return to the childhood homestead in Bountiful, Texas, where she raised her family.

In February 1986, I became a new father, when Carole gave birth to little Thea Kristin. With a colicky newborn we didn’t get out much, until my mother came out to meet the new baby and courageously volunteered to look after Thea one evening so Carole and I could get out and see a movie. The Trip To Bountiful.

I shed a lot of tears that night, seeing uncanny similarities between Carrie Watts on that screen and my own mother back in our tiny apartment, caring for my new baby daughter. Really, at the heart if it, Bountiful is the story of the complicated love between a mother and her son, and I knew then that this was a play I had to be a part of some day. As a tribute to my passionate, prickly, plucky, self-sacrificing mom.

He also described The Trip to Bountiful as “pure Pacific Theatre.”

Though Reed spoke primarily about The Trip to Bountiful during his Rational Arts interview, he covered a range of topics, including his long-standing appreciation of C.S. Lewis  (“he is a big hero, or model, for me . . . once I became a Christian, a couple of his books were very, very early influences on me”) and J.R.R. Tolkien, and a play about them.

Go here to listen to the interview.

For real keeners, there is even an SFU Continuing Studies course called Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful: Can We Go Home Again? The Zoom course, which begins today (March 21) includes a discussion with Ron Reed – and even a field trip to see the play itself.

Thinking Through the Arts

Regent College will be host a gathering next Monday and Tuesday (March 25 – 26) which will draw together seven early- to mid-career scholars in the fields of music, fashion and visual art “to discuss the interplay between the arts, the world around us, and our inner lives.”

Thinking Through the Arts will consist of two afternoon sessions, as well as a special evening session featuring world-renowned pianist and music theorist Mia Chung and philosopher Loren Wilkinson. 

• Colloquium I: Thinking Through Music and Fashion

Monday, March 25 • 1:30 – 4 pm • Room 2

Hear from emerging scholars in the fields of music and fashion as they discuss the interplay between the arts, beliefs and societies. Three 30-minute presentations will be followed by questions and discussion.

• Nicholas Chong, Beethoven and the Catholic Enlightenment: Rethinking Musical Modernity
• Andrew Chung, Music’s Long Anthropocene: The Climate of Empire and the Sound of Ecological Disaster
• Fiona Dieffenbacher, Fashion—Interfaith Dialogues in Academia

• Coherence and Wholeness in Music

Monday, March 25 • 7 – 9 pm • Chapel

Join us for a special evening event with Mia Chung, a world-renowned pianist and music theorist, and Loren E. Wilkinson, a philosopher who works at the intersections of the arts, science, and earthkeeping.

• Mia Chung, Individuality Redefining Tradition: Structural Coherence in Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Piano Sonata and Schumann’s Papillons Suite
• Loren E. Wilkinson, Coherence and Wholeness

• Colloquium 2: Thinking Through the Visual Arts

Tuesday, March 26 • 1:30 – 4 pm • Room 10

Hear from emerging scholars in the field of visual art as they explore the interplay among artistic creation, sight, and spirituality. Three 30-minute presentations will be followed by questions and discussion.

• Snow Yunxue Fu, Making Art in the Phygital (Physical + Digital) Space
• Christina Carnes Ananias, The Illuminating Spirit: Seeing the Trinity in Olafur Eilasson’s Beauty
• Jonathan Anderson, Conceptual Art, Theology, and Re-Presentation

Thinking Through the Arts is co-sponsored by Veritas Forum. All events are free and open to the public.

SAMC’s Equipping Lectures

A series of lectures, given by faculty from Trinity Western University’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture (SAMC),  is exploring some timely topics.

For example: Do we still matter in the age of A.I.? How are we interconnected to our natural environment? In a digital world, how can we learn to pay attention to ourselves and those around us?

Two of the lectures – by Scott Macklin and Kevin Schut – have already taken place, but can be viewed on YouTube here. Three more are still to come, on the last Thursday of March, April and May:

• Divine Agodzo – How to Develop Cultural Intelligence (March 28)
  Professor Divine Agodzo shows the listener that cultural intelligence is essential in today’s world and teaches them how to wield that skill to better understand individual differences across cultures and contexts.
• Joshua Hale – Creativity and Cultivating Interconnection (April 25)
  Professor Joshua Hale focuses on connection, advising the listener to learn from complex interconnections in the natural world and to use those lessons to enhance their own lives, relationships, and community.
• Erica Grimm – Paying Attention and the Cost of Inattention (May 23)
  Professor Erica Grimm seeks to change the listener’s perspective, emphasizing that “paying attention” is a verb, requiring action, and practicing that skill will unlock a better understanding of both one’s internal and external reality.

SAMC will be introducing one new lecture per month during the “Last Thursday: Donuts + Dialogue” encounters, at 1 pm in RNT 128 on the TWU campus. You can also view the lectures online through the SAMC Equipping Lectures channel.

Events and Jobs

Scroll down (or go here) to find a wide range of events around the Christian community, and here to find links to a couple of hundred jobs.

Mar 2024

Black History Month: Ghislain Brown-Kossi’s new exhibition UMOJABLACK – March 7, 2024 - March 26, 2024 at 12:00 am
Canadian L'Abri Lecture Series (Friday evenings) – March 8, 2024 - March 22, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – March 12, 2024 - March 23, 2024 at All Day
Céilidh – March 21, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Planetary Health: Protecting and Sustaining the Well-being of our Ecosystems – March 22, 2024 - March 23, 2024 at All Day
Public Talk & Retreat on Thomas Merton – March 22, 2024 - March 23, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Thomas Merton, Hermann Hesse and the Israel-Palestinian War – March 22, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Vespers: Miles Black Trio – March 22, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Easteravaganza – March 23, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Selections from St John Passion, BWV 245 and St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 , Johann Sebastian Bach – March 23, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Haydn's 7 Last Words of Christ - An Easter Concert – March 24, 2024 at 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Taizé Contemplative Service – March 24, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The 7 Last Words Of Christ – March 24, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Thinking Through the Arts (three events) – March 25, 2024 - March 26, 2024 at All Day
Thinking Through Music & Fashion – March 25, 2024 at 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Town Hall to Discuss Bill S-210 with MP Garnett Genuis, MP Arnold Viersen & Frm – March 25, 2024 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Thinking Through the Arts: Conherence & Wholeness in Music – March 25, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thinking Through the Visual Arts – March 26, 2024 at 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Bringing Hope To Newcomers & Refugees in Canada – March 26, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 6:15 pm
Moral Machines: Social Values, Technology & Critical Constructivism – March 26, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Kentro Webinar: Time to Take a Stand – March 27, 2024 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Speed Dating: Christian Singles (Ages 27 - 44) – March 27, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
'Working for Beauty' by Dr. David Henderson – March 27, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Sam Ellington Quartet – March 27, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Free Documentary Screening Online: The Story of Euthanasia – March 28, 2024 - March 31, 2024 at All Day
The Craft of Spirit: BC Liturgical Textiles – March 28, 2024 - March 31, 2024 at 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Seven Words, Composed & Performed by Jonathan Saunders – March 28, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Prayer & Fasting Gathering: Loving Muslims Together Network – March 29, 2024 at All Day
Good Friday @ CLA: Churches of Langley (2 services) – March 29, 2024 at 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Good Friday Art Exhibit – March 29, 2024 at 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Bridges: Christians Connecting With Muslims – March 30, 2024 at 7:00 am - 9:00 am
Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage (4 stops in Vancouver) – March 30, 2024 at 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Bach St John Passion – March 30, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Worship Invasion Loves Easter! – March 30, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Jazz Vespers with Marcus Mosely – March 31, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Apr 2024

Abigail Favale: Examining the Sources of Gender – Why Sexual Difference Matters – April 3, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Linda Szentes & Jazzlinks – April 3, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
The Inklings Institute of Canada hosts a table-reading event of Dorothy L. Sayers’ Easter play, 'The King Comes to His Own' – April 4, 2024 at 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Canadian Regional Evangelical Missiological Society (EMS) gatherings – April 5, 2024 at 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Art Installation and Artist Talks at Tapestry Mundy Park – April 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Pacific Life Bible College Annual Fundraising Dinner – April 5, 2024 at 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Brian Doerksen: The 'Come, Now is the Time to Worship' Tour – April 5, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mercy Me: Always Only Jesus Tour 2024 – April 5, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Jazz Book Launch: Improvising Church, by Mark Glanville – April 5, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
O Let Me Rise and Sing: TWU Choral Concert 2024 – April 5, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
TWU Chamber Choir and Masterworks Chorus Concert – April 5, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Kym Gouchie Trio – April 5, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Emotions Education 101 – April 6, 2024 at 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Columbia Bible College Presidential Installation Service – April 6, 2024 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
PCMA Spring Fundraiser Concert – April 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
TWU Chamber Choir and Masterworks Chorus Concert – April 6, 2024 at 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Help. Thanks. Wow: A Benefit Night for Pacific Theatre – April 6, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sweet Sounds on Sussex with Michael Friedman & Kerry Galloway – April 6, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Jazz Vespers in the Valley with the Inlet Jazz Band – April 7, 2024 at 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
With Them | A Ukraine Documentary Showing – April 7, 2024 at 6:45 pm - 9:00 pm
Exodus & Beyond: A celebration and symposium in honour of Larry Perkins – April 8, 2024 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Book Launch: Incarnational Humanism (2nd Edition) by Jens Zimmerman – April 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Awakening to my Neighbourhood: an evening of sharing stories and practices – April 9, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
5th Annual Charity Scotch Tasting Reception – April 10, 2024 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Jazz + Renaissance Night – April 10, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Gabriel Hasselbach & Friends – April 10, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Trip to Bountiful – April 11, 2024 - April 14, 2024 at All Day
Tomatoes Tried To Kill Me, But Banjos Saved My Life – April 11, 2024 - April 13, 2024 at All Day
Kentro Webinar: Elephant Hunting – April 11, 2024 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Speed Dating: Christian Singles (Ages 27-44) – April 11, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mental Health First Aid: Supporting Youth – April 12, 2024 - April 13, 2024 at 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Created for Connection: Hold Me Tight® for Christian Couples (2 Saturdays) – April 13, 2024 - April 20, 2024 at 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Service of Lamentation for the Victims of the Opioid Crisis – April 14, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Bruce Hindmarsh: Holy Club 2.0 – Early Methodism in the Young George Whitefield’s Diary, 1735–36 – April 15, 2024 at 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm
Loaves and Fishes: Vancouver's Hidden Helpers – Presentation / Reception – April 17, 2024 at 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Nancy Newman & Friends – April 17, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Big Picture – April 18, 2024 - April 20, 2024 at 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Paul Stevens: Book Launch & Lecture – What I Have Learned About the Faith & Work Connection – April 18, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
The Brentwood Katz, with Rhian Walker – April 19, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
1Life Foundations Conference: Called to Lead – stewardship, leadership & the generosity of God – April 20, 2024 at 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Together for Good Marriage Workshop – April 20, 2024 at 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Bible Saturday: Rikk Watts: Exploring Jesus' Identity & Understanding of His Death in Isaiah 40 & 53 – April 20, 2024 at 9:30 am - 11:45 am
Earth Day Event – April 20, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Requiem Mozart: Life, Love & Loss – April 20, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Dawn Pemberton in Concert with Michael Creber – April 20, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Steve Dawson & The Hooded Mergansers – April 20, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Partnership as Mission: Essays in Memory of Ellie Johnson – April 21, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Fundraising Concert with The Soda Crackers – April 21, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Jazz Vespers in the Valley with The Trevor Whitridge Quartet – April 21, 2024 at 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Jazz AWE – April 21, 2024 at 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Grieving Faithfully: A Night with Tim Challies – April 21, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Earth Day Neighbourhood Clean Up – April 22, 2024 at 12:45 pm - 3:00 pm
Acts Once Again: Reaching Canadian Cities for Christ – April 22, 2024 - April 24, 2024 at 1:30 pm - 12:00 pm
2024 Human Resources & Employment Seminar – April 24, 2024 at 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Jazz Evensong @ Brentwood: Michelle Carlisle & Friends – April 24, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
One Conference – April 25, 2024 - April 26, 2024 at All Day
Peace Portal Alliance Church Tax Clinic – April 25, 2024 - April 30, 2024 at All Day
Tax Clinic – April 25, 2024 - April 30, 2024 at All Day
Tax Program – April 25, 2024 - April 30, 2024 at All Day
Tenth Tax Help – April 25, 2024 - April 30, 2024 at All Day
Public Meeting about the Online Harms Act – April 25, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Prayer & Fasting Gathering: Loving Muslims Together Network (last Friday of each month) – April 26, 2024 at All Day
Intercultural Development Workshop: Expand Your Intercultural Horizons – April 26, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Suicide Intervention Training with Dr Laura Bulk and Michael Lee – April 27, 2024 - April 28, 2024 at All Day
Spring Craft Fair – April 27, 2024 at 10:00 am - 3:00 pm