Spring can be tough time of year.

It’s exams. You might be interviewing for that promising summer job, or you might be moving. Or maybe, you’re just lonely.

Need a break?

Come to an oasis!

Join us on Friday, April 13th at Glebe-St. James United Church (650 Lyon Street South) for “Friday the 13^th, Part 2018 – HOPE!” an evening of nourishing the body and spirit, and shining a light of hope into your life!

The evening will include music, pizza, theatre, discussion, more music.

Tom Sherwood, former Carleton University Chaplain, will get us thinking about “Dealing with Stress and Having Hope.”

Faith and Arts Ottawa will present their 5th documentary theatre workshop production, “Hope?”

Willow and the Deep will be performing music at 6 pm and again after the play.

Pizza will provided.

Tickets: $5 per person or $10 for a group of 3 people

Tickets on sale now online (via Eventbrite) and at the door, on the night of the show.

For more information: https://faithandartsottawa.org/spirit-talks/ or www.glebestjames.ca

Got a question? E-mail faithandartsottawa@gmail.com

It’s been a long while since we’ve posted here, but we haven’t gone away.  Faith&Arts is still very much alive and dreaming up new ways to connect with our spirituality imaginatively.  In fact, we’re about to premiere our fourth piece of original theatre and we’re excited!

Trans-Script asks an essential question: “Is love enough?”

What do you think?  Are there times when love is not enough?

Trans-Script is based on real experiences and real people. We gathered stories at a series of workshops in the fall, our theatre professionals Eleanor and Rosemary took some time to sift and write, and our cast of talented volunteer actors have been rehearsing hard to bring Eleanor and Rosemary’s script to life.  And now we’re just weeks away from our first performance.

Stay tuned to learn all the details, and check out our Trans-Script page for more info.

 

Hey, if you tune in to CBC’s Radio’s Ottawa Morning show (91.5 FM) at 8:30 tomorrow morning you’ll hear Hallie Cotnam interview Tom Sherwood and Eleanor Crowder about godVERBATIM.  It’ll be a great interview!

More info at: www.godverbatim.ca.

Tickets here.

Cast member Jessica Rousseau did a terrific interview about godVERBATIM in Ottawa Xtra.  Powerfully honest and very moving, as well as a great plug for the show.  Here are a few quotes to whet your appetite, and a link to the whole article.

“Our goal with this performance is really to present the idea that despite having different beliefs, or maybe no beliefs, you can still connect with another person on the basis that we’re all spiritually searching,” she says. “We definitely are being very tactful with the material because we want to present the positive side, the good that can come of this rather than the critical aspects of it, which has been done so many times.”

“Rousseau says having a safe, creative space to express being queer and being Christian has been cathartic. She was also able to share the experience with her fiancé and fellow cast member, Laura Lake, who is trans.” 

“What I like about [godVerbatim] is definitely how free and open Faith and Arts Ottawa has allowed us to be, in keeping with the Fringe mandate that anything goes,” she says. “Some of these experiences are very radical or harsh or strange, and we have a place to tell them here, which is really cool.” 

godVERBATIM is playing at St. Paul’s Eastern United Church on June 20, 21, 22, and 26, 27 & 28.

More information at godVERBATIM.ca.

Tickets at the Ottawa Fringe Festival box office.

Cracks Festival – November 7 & 8, 2014

“Everything has a crack in it. That’s where the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen

Cracks is for spiritually-inclined people who want to connect through informative workshops, inspiring art-making, out of this world music and exhibits that awaken you spiritually. Whether you want to roll up your sleeves to make art, take in a panel conversation about social justice, meet an author, put on your sacred dance shoes, or while away time in the chapel listening to local musicians – there is something for everyone.

Come for the Jully Black and LeE HARVey OsMOND concerts or take in the full day of workshops and the concerts – it’s up to you. To leave room for the Spirit to move, we have designed Cracks so that you can attend whatever workshops you like as your day unfolds.

a bit of background…

The Cracks festival emerged after David Sherwin, Trisha Elliott and James Murray experienced the Greenbelt festival in the UK. Struck by the energy of the event, the three decided to try a similar urban festival at home in Ottawa, Canada. A creative convergence of spirit, art and social justice began to emerge as the “Cracks Festival,” where, as Leonard Cohen says, “the light gets in.”

Cracks has benefited from a lot of volunteer support. Faith And Arts Ottawa, a nonprofit ministry that explores the intersection of art and spirituality is a driving force behind this project (it helps that David Sherwin is the Executive Director). The Christian Development committee of The Ottawa Presbytery (United Church Of Canada) came on board early on to offer seed money and volunteer support. Kim Vidal and Carla Van Delen jumped in to help. As a sponsor, Dominion Chalmers United Church generously donated the use of their space. George Hermanson secured LeE HARVey OsMOND and Jully Black for our first festival and here we are, hoping that you will join us for a great weekend event.

More details at www.cracksfestival.org

Buy tickets at http://cracksfestival.org/2014/04/15/box-office/

 

godVERBATIM

Here at Faith&Arts Ottawa we’re always looking for ways to deepen and develop our exploration of spirituality through the creative arts.  So we’re delighted to be sponsoring an original theatrical production for the 2104 Ottawa Fringe Theatre festival: godVERBATIM.

godVERBATIM is our second piece of original verbatim theatre, expanding on the success of last year’s The god Monologues.

Expect humour, awkward moments, and deep thoughts as our team of twenty-first-century social media users and intellectuals get tackled by questions humankind has been trying to answer for thousands of years.

Our cast of both young and old, straight and queer, long-time actors and neophytes, men and women will share our unanswered questions and strange divine experiences. Catholic, agnostic, and ‘spiritual but not religious’ are some of the philosophies the cast will carry to the stage. We created this performance over the last four months, and it will present our voices, stories, and thoughts. It will feature the work that sparked and inspired us – stories gathered by Carleton University’s Rev. Dr. Tom Sherwood. Tom interviewed over 600 young adults and asked their opinions on faith, spirituality, and religion.

Our co-directors Eleanor Crowder and Anna Lewis, professional actors, playwrights and directors, helped Faith and Arts Ottawa establish this performance format last year, and guided us again this year in the creation of our script and selection of theatre techniques.

This creative space isn’t just for us. We want to share the soapbox and incorporate your experiences with faith and spirituality via digital and social media and other new technologies.

Ladies and gentlemen, please turn on your phones.

Find more about the show and cast at www.godverbatim.ca

Buy tickets at http://ottawafringe.com/tickets/god-verbatim/