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| Friday, August 08, 2003
Theatre Workshop > Healing by YWAM Perth with Sean Tobin Artist : YWAM PerthVenue : Church of Our Saviour, St Margaret's Drive Details : 2:30pm, 080703 Reviewer : Dawn Fung It struck me that though I had not experienced what she had gone through, I had received something through her offer of acting. Watched by an intimate audience of three, the performing arts group from YWAM Perth* staged Healing, a five-minute showcase of their 'experiences, thoughts and questions' of healing. This international group -- made up of Tracy (Australian), Amanda (New Zealander), Jialing (Taiwanese), Mericia and Erica (South African)-- related a testimony of God's unfailing love and faithfulness. Fresh from their trip to India, they stopped in Singapore for two weeks of training in performing arts at Church of Our Saviour (COOS). Besides the usual workshops on art and Christianity, the girls were given an opportunity to 'excavate their thoughts' on healing, a topic that had been agreeable with everyone. It was during these digging sessions that one would inevitably break down, or catch a breath before delving into painful and unforgettable experiences. Using the materials, Sean Tobin devised Healing for the YWAMers as a point of departure to explore new expressions of theatre and more pointedly, themselves. Healing can be chaotic. Five lined actors walk downstage, uttering words with healing innuendoes. Suddenly the formation breaks into simultaneous scenes of sounds and movement while thoughts like 'healing frees you and makes you lighter' pervades the space. Healing can be numbing. A tired bather sinks into a moment of solitude and silence, and a bathtub with four actors as a tub with one doubling as a dripping tap. It is not only the sick that need miracles, as a motley crew of hands and uncertain voices pray over a blind man. Healing does not always work out the way you want. A sick man rises from his position from paralysis to a graceful dance, while they still lay hands on his earthly body. Healing had moments where, if there were sufficient time, it could mature into independent stories. Bearing in mind that these girls only had two weeks to prepare something new and creative, Healing presented itself as a simple yet sincere performance. Perhaps it was made even more so by Jialing who shared her testimony with me after. 'I joined the YWAM last October. I intended to return to Taiwan when God told me to stay put in Perth. He then provided me with the visa, the money and time to do this. I never thought I could have a chance to do this [kind of] art.' She then held my arm briefly and reiterated, probably one of the most important things that God had provided, 'the visa'. It struck me that though I had not experienced what she had gone through, I had received something through her offer of acting. Thanks to the hard work put in by Sean and Serena Tobin and other members of the arts faculty at COOS, they will bring home another piece of treasure unearthed on a voyage well travelled. 100703 *See http://www.ywamperth.org.au/ for more information.
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