Faith shines at the Fringe
WINNIPEG, MB—More than 150 theatre companies will take the stage for the 25th annual Winnipeg Fringe Festival this July, including a handful of Christian performers.
For Greg Wood, who describes himself as a "magissionary"—a combination of the words "magician" and "missionary"—the Winnipeg Fringe Festival is an opportunity to create fun for audiences and perhaps introduce them to church for the first time.
"It's fantastic family fun," Wood says of the magic and comedy show he will present at Calvary Temple as part of this year's Fringe Festival. "Really, that's the whole idea behind it—it's supposed to just be fun."
While he says he doesn't get too deep when it comes to sharing his faith from the stage, Wood does tell the audience that it's okay to have fun in a church.
"For some people when they come see the show, it's the first time they've been in a church building," says Wood, who has performed shows at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival for the past five years. "I do like to share the fact that church is supposed to be fun and … it's not just a [building with a] bunch of people sitting around, moaning and groaning."
Wood sees his work as a ministry, and donates the funds he raises to Children's Camps International, an evangelical, non-denominational organization that promotes children's camping ministry around the world.
Like Wood, Marc Moir is excited to debut his latest work at this year's festival. The 27-year-old youth pastor is performing The Man Who Wasn't There, a murder mystery presented in the style of a 1940s radio play, at the Ellice Theatre July 18 to July 29.
Moir says his approach to theatre is to tell a good story, rather than preach to the audience about his beliefs.
"Drama is a gripping reflection of life in all its pain and joy, and people should be able to see and identify with what you're doing on stage," he says. "That's what resonates with people. You present them with some ideas and allow them to draw their own conclusions."
In 2010, Moir performed Padre X at the festival, a play he wrote about the life of John Weir Foote, a chaplain in the Second World War and the only Canadian chaplain to win the Victoria Cross.
After receiving glowing reviews from the Winnipeg Free Press and the CBC, Padre X sold out each night it was performed.
"The play really strikes a chord with people," Moir says. "I think it's partially due to the fact that it is a Canadian story and it tells the story about the war in a time [today] when veterans are treated with apathy. On the other hand, I think it resonates with people because it has a message of hope."
Many people who attend the Fringe Festival aren't Christian, but Moir believes his play was well-received simply because he was trying to tell a good story.
"When I talked about the love of God or said the Lord's Prayer, you could hear a pin drop. Because that's who the character was, people could identify with it, they could accept it."
Moir has performed at two other Fringe festivals in Canada, and points out that Winnipeg's is one of the largest and most popular in the entire world.
"There's no comparison," he says. "Winnipeg's the place to be."
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