The playwright and director Peter Brook once stated: “The only thing that all forms of theatre have in common is the need for an audience.” When it comes to the role audiences play in theatrical performances, however, there are vast…
I think beauty is more theatrical and less theoretical than we might think, but allow me to explain this statement in connection with last week’s conference sponsored by the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts at the University of…
You may be familiar with Sufjan Stevens from his two creative albums devoted to US states, Illinoise and Greetings from Michigan. Or you may have heard his folksy, indie rock renditions of popular holiday tunes in Songs for Christmas. But…
Because I am researching theatrical improvisation as a model for Christian living, I often get questions about improv from people who are skeptical that it provides an apt model. In my experience, however, the issues people have with improv are…
Calvin Seerveld, professor Emeritus at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, thinks Christian art does have a particular slant. In his book A Christian Critique of Art and Literature (CCAL), Seerveld defines art as “the symbolical objectification of certain…
Why attach a normal gutter spout on a church when you can have one shaped like a dragon? Many Christians today would answer that question in pragmatic or financial terms. Because a ‘normal gutter spout’ works just as well…
WordPress keeps updates flowing, so there are two new ways to let us know that you like our posts. One way (if you have a Twitter account) is to click the Tweet button at the bottom of the post. In…
The word ‘performance’ has received a bad rap in Christian circles. On the one hand, pastors and theologians warn us that we cannot earn salvation by performance, because salvation is a gift. On the other hand, a preeminent virtue among…
In chapter 4 of For the Beauty of the Church, Eugene Peterson introduces us to three artists who shaped his pastoral integrity. The first artist painted a portrait of what he would look like if he let himself be swallowed…