by David Williams
The Courtyard Studio
Until 19 May
Reviewed by Samara Purnell
Red carpet, smooth, curved bench seats (pews) and a “halo”
of light suspended above the audience set the scene for “Quiet Faith”. A pleasant
surprise was the offering of cushions to sustain one’s posterior comfort for
the duration of the show – perhaps an indication that the “Church” we were
entering wasn’t of the Catholic denomination! The sleek, attractive set design
by Jonathon Oxlade saw Rose Maher and writer/actor David Williams move through
and sit amongst the audience throughout the performance.
Rose Maher and David Williams, photo by Samara Purnell
The premise of “Quiet Faith” was to delve into the
thoughts and experiences of today’s Christians, specifically, about their
journey of faith, how it manifests in daily life and their views on the
relationship between religion and politics. The project was created by
Williams, through interviews and conversations with Christians from varying
denominations.
The actors recite, verbatim, accounts of attending Church as
children, marriage proposals by ministers who had been “spoken to by God”, the
loss of the social aspect within religious groups and a school chaplain who had
become an alcoholic after counselling his students following a public student suicide.
There were recollections of struggle and rebellion, as well as humour and the
mundane, but each recount is only given a minute or two. There was some physical
embodiment of different “characters”, but overall not a large amount of
delineation between each vocalisation, giving a slightly generic outlook,
unspecific to gender or age.
Those belonging to a Christian faith and community, or
those who may have reflected on the topics of religion and modern life in any
depth, have likely heard similar stories, encountered these things themselves
or at the very least, considered these viewpoints. Most theatre goers will
likely not be challenged by the material presented here, with nothing overtly
thought-provoking thematically.
“Quiet Faith” does not seek to persuade or moralise,
however it does, inadvertently perhaps, encourage a gentle reflection of our
own thoughts and experiences on the questions posed and subjects raised, regardless
of what faith we may or may not have. How do we attune political issues with
our moral compass? If Jesus preached love and compassion for all people, how do
we align our proclamation of Christianity with our stance on refugees, or gay
marriage, for example, when it can feel like “Love versus the rules” or “Compassion
versus logistics”.
There were recorded interludes of soft choral music,
church bells, conversations and prayer, with the audience joining in, upon
invitation, on a couple of occasions. There is nothing here though to dissuade non-Christians
from seeing “Quiet Faith” and on opening night everyone seemed to respond intuitively
and keenly. A genuine sense of reverence and calm pervaded, and when the lights
were dimmed it felt somewhat like a vigil.
“Quiet Faith” had a subdued ending, and seemed an apt name
for this gentle and well-presented production.
