Third Street Theatre and Hillhurst United Church are proud to present a special staged reading of oblivion by Jonathan Brower during this year’s Calgary Pride week. oblivion is a semi-autobiographical story that beautifully portrays the complexities and pain around faith and sexual orientation. The show is loosely based on playwright Brower’s experiences growing up as both an evangelical Christian and closeted gay man, who attended ex-gay therapy courses in Calgary. The reading is directed by Laurel Green and features Brett Dahl, Ayla Stephen, Simon Tottrup and Heather Pattengale. oblivion is a one-night-only staged reading and will be presented at Hillhurst United Church (1227 Kensington Close NW) on Saturday, September 5th at 7pm, with a post-show discussion to follow.
oblivion takes the audience into a pivotal moment in the life of Tim, a gay man who has left the conservative church and reparative therapy behind to try and reconcile his faith and his sexuality. Paralyzed by his past, Tim stands at a crossroads where he must decide the future of his faith before it destroys him.
Playwright Jonathan Brower sets the context for the show as he speaks about the relevance it has today; "it’s 2015 and to many it may seem like the most harm is behind us in the queer community. Yet, we’re still barely scraping the surface of the damage done and still inflicted by many religious communities, the ones who, instead of becoming more inclusive, are simply upholding their anti-gay convictions behind closed doors. In those communities, a war rages against being LGBTQ; there is no ‘gay Christian’ – they paint the two as irreconcilable. What do you do when the choice you have (to be Christian) and the choice you don’t (to be gay) are both a part of your identity? Do you stay and pray the gay away, do you leave your faith entirely, or do you reframe your belief system? No matter what choice, the road ahead is long and painful and every day in this city there are beautiful souls having to make these extremely difficult decisions. That’s where this story starts."
Pam Rocker, Affirming & Creative Coordinator at Hillhurst United Church, has experienced the depth of this struggle and made it out the other side and now works for an affirming church to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ faith issues and celebrate the diversity of all people, "The truth is that we don’t have to choose one part of our identity over the other, but that is not the story that most people get told. For many, living in integrity as a whole person and pursuing a life and relationships that are true to their nature, often results in the loss of the entire community that has been a part of their roots for years. How can we deal with this loss? Is there hope for believing in a faith that accepts us as we are? This play explores these questions and their ramifications in such an unexpected and passionate way that holds the attention of those who have been on the most intimate end of these situations, as well as those who have never had to face them. These are the kinds of stories that our church wants to help tell. Stories of courage that need to be told, over and over. This Pride Week, we welcome you to come and be part of the conversation."
Tickets are $10-15 and are on sale now. Visit www.thirdstreet.ca to purchase or buy them at the door on the night of the event.
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Third Street Theatre Society is a not-for-profit theatre company dedicated to the positive promotion of queer culture, stories, and voices, with a focus on production, mentorship, and the artistic development of queer and queer-minded talent. We are committed to work that engages and educates the community on relevant social issues pertaining to the often-marginalized queer community.
Hillhurst United Church is an Affirming Ministry – this means that we are fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ people, and welcome the ministry and participation of all persons regardless of age, gender identity, gender expression, health, race, sexual orientation, differing abilities, religious or ethnic background or economic circumstance. Whoever you are, wherever you’re at, join us on the journey.
