SevenPassages
03-01-2007, 09:57 AM
Hello, Everybody!
My name is David, and I can currently be found living and working in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I graduated from Calvin College in 2003 with a degree in Communications (with a Theatre emphasis). I'm new to this whole forum experience, but I thought it might be a great outlet for me to get the word out about a project I've been working on for three years with a good friend of mine, Stephanie (who happens to be a Communications professor).
It's an ethnographic play entitled SEVEN PASSAGES, which refers to the seven Biblical passages often used to condemn homosexuals (or their "practice"). Many of you are probably already familiar with the ethnographic structure if you are familiar with THE LARAMIE PROJECT -- but in case you aren't familiar, an ethnography (in theatrical terms) is a play that is composed of text that has been directly transcribed from real people. In the case of SEVEN PASSAGES, we've interviewed close to 100 people who are gay and Christian (some have fallen away from Christianity) about their life experiences and their relationship to the Christian faith. We are currently in the process of creating the script -- a truly lengthy process, indeed.
I'm pleased to say, too, that SEVEN PASSAGES has been "greenlit" by Actor's Theatre in downtown Grand Rapids, and it will be performed there in late September.
Our mission is to craft a piece of theatre that is able to bring together the Scriptures (and the Scriptural traditions) and the personal testimonials of gay people in such a way that we will be able to foster dialogue without ostracizing or browbeating anyone. We will not shy away from the grave injustices done by many churches to countless homosexual persons, but we are also not out to paint the church as a villain to be destroyed. It is our sincere hope that we will be able to break through the polarized hotbed extremes of these issues and bring to light some nuances, some new points of discussion -- and, in doing so, encourage a renewed (or new) sense of empathy for all involved.
We recently started a blog for SEVEN PASSAGES: www.7passages.blogspot.com. Please feel free to comment or question anything that has been written there (or here, for that matter). We would love to hear from you! We have a number of people, colleges, and organizations interested in our project, but we are always looking to spread the word and get more voices to help us shape our journey.
We feel very strongly that the time has come for a project like this, and we would love to hear whatever comments, questions, suggestions, or words of encouragement you may have to share with us.
Thank you for reading.
David
My name is David, and I can currently be found living and working in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I graduated from Calvin College in 2003 with a degree in Communications (with a Theatre emphasis). I'm new to this whole forum experience, but I thought it might be a great outlet for me to get the word out about a project I've been working on for three years with a good friend of mine, Stephanie (who happens to be a Communications professor).
It's an ethnographic play entitled SEVEN PASSAGES, which refers to the seven Biblical passages often used to condemn homosexuals (or their "practice"). Many of you are probably already familiar with the ethnographic structure if you are familiar with THE LARAMIE PROJECT -- but in case you aren't familiar, an ethnography (in theatrical terms) is a play that is composed of text that has been directly transcribed from real people. In the case of SEVEN PASSAGES, we've interviewed close to 100 people who are gay and Christian (some have fallen away from Christianity) about their life experiences and their relationship to the Christian faith. We are currently in the process of creating the script -- a truly lengthy process, indeed.
I'm pleased to say, too, that SEVEN PASSAGES has been "greenlit" by Actor's Theatre in downtown Grand Rapids, and it will be performed there in late September.
Our mission is to craft a piece of theatre that is able to bring together the Scriptures (and the Scriptural traditions) and the personal testimonials of gay people in such a way that we will be able to foster dialogue without ostracizing or browbeating anyone. We will not shy away from the grave injustices done by many churches to countless homosexual persons, but we are also not out to paint the church as a villain to be destroyed. It is our sincere hope that we will be able to break through the polarized hotbed extremes of these issues and bring to light some nuances, some new points of discussion -- and, in doing so, encourage a renewed (or new) sense of empathy for all involved.
We recently started a blog for SEVEN PASSAGES: www.7passages.blogspot.com. Please feel free to comment or question anything that has been written there (or here, for that matter). We would love to hear from you! We have a number of people, colleges, and organizations interested in our project, but we are always looking to spread the word and get more voices to help us shape our journey.
We feel very strongly that the time has come for a project like this, and we would love to hear whatever comments, questions, suggestions, or words of encouragement you may have to share with us.
Thank you for reading.
David