2001 VERITAS FORUM at UC SANTA BARBARA

"SEARCHING FOR TRUTH THROUGH THE ARTS"
FALL QUARTER, 2001

"TALES OF TOLSTOY"
BRUCE KUHN, actor
Tuesday, October 23, 2001, 7:30 pm
Campbell Hall, UCSB

Two of Tolstoy’s stories, "What Men Live By" and "Two Old Men," will be featured and told in context of an actual incident in Tolstoy’s life, a night when he had to deal with his own sin and weakness in the face of his ethical ideals.

Bruce Kuhn was on Broadway in Les Miserables as Montparnasse until he joined the National Tour of the Broadway musical Chess. He also toured with the Off-Broadway hit, The Cotton Patch Gospel, Chapin’s one-man musical. Mr. Kuhn received his classical training and MFA from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program where he also taught fencing and stage combat for two years.

"GOSPEL OF LUKE"
BRUCE KUHN, actor
Wednesday, October 24, 2001, 7:30 pm
Campbell Hall, UCSB

In this one-man show, Bruce Kuhn dramatizes the ancient story of Christ, telling it word for word from the book of Luke, King James translation. In a compelling ninety minutes, wearing modern casual clothing, without props, sets, or special effects, Kuhn dramatizes the tale of the most influential man in human history, the story that changed the world, telling it as an eyewitness might have told it almost 2000 years ago.

"JAZZ VESPERS FOR THE SOUL"
NORMAN FREEMAN, Episcopal priest and professional musician
Sunday, October 28, 2001, 6:30 pm
Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, UCSB

Vespers, one of the two main hours of the Church’s Daily Office, has roots extending into the evening prayers of ancient Israel. Jazz Vespers emerges as a synthesis of traditions, a blending of an age-old liturgy with the unique musical language we call jazz. With a freshness that is open to God’s Spirit, this musical tradition sounds the hopes, dreams, joys, frustrations, and pain that express human experience, while exploring a musical vocabulary that transcends the limits of the written or spoken word.

The Reverend Norm Freeman has earned Bachelors and Masters of Music Degrees from the Julliard School. His musical career includes performances with the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, Barbra Streisand’s 1994 Concert Tour, The Moody Blues, Lionel Richie, and Rosemary Clooney. Norm is a Grammy Award winning percussionist, and for the last ten years has been Percussion Dept. Chair at the Mannes College of Music. At present he is the Episcopal Chaplain to the UCSB and Vicar of St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church in Isla Vista.

"TRUTH IN ART?"
DAN CALLIS, Biola faculty, artist
Sunday, October 28, 2001, 8:00 pm
Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, UCSB

What is assumed in the question, "truth in art?" Does it refer to truth in a rationalist or empirical sense? What is the relationship between the art object/image and the idea of truth? How is this relationship informed by a biblical worldview?

Artist Dan Callis is Professor of Drawing and Painting at Biola University. As an artist he has been professionally active in the art community since 1983 and exhibits regionally as well as nationally on an ongoing basis. He received his MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 1986.

"IMPACT OF FILMS ON OUR VALUES"
HAL CONKLIN/DENNY WAYMAN
Santa Barbara News-Press film critics
Monday, October 29, 2001, 7:30 pm
Isla Vista Theater 1, 960 Embarcadero del Norte

Good cinema is not just entertaining, but often shows people struggling with the deeper issues of life. Movies today impact the values throughout the world in a way never before possible. A presentation of several film clips explores the values portrayed in contemporary films and how they impact our own values.

Dr. Denny Wayman is Senior Pastor of the Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara. A Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling, Rev. Wayman brings the training of both theology and psychology to the cinematic experience. During his graduate education at both Asbury Seminary (Mdiv) and Fuller Seminary (Dmin) Dr. Wayman studied film and its impact on a culture.

Hal Conklin is the President of the California Center for Civic Renewal. He served in local government office for 18 years, including Mayor of the City of Santa Barbara. In his business career, he serves as the Director of Public Affairs for the Southern California Edison Co.

"CONCERT IN MIME"
TODD FARLEY, mime
Tuesday, October 30, 2001, 7:00 PM
UCen Hub, UCSB

A series of vignettes performed in mime becomes a "concert"
Todd Farley’s mime performance repertoire includes numerous pieces exploring Biblical passages, personages, and spiritual truths such as Moses, Watch the Lamb, The Champion, Lazarus, and My Father’s Chair.

Farley is recognized internationally as a Master in mime, having graduated from Marcel Marceau’s prestigious school in Paris. He is an ordained minister, and, together with his wife, Marilyn, directs MIMEistry, a non-profit religious arts organization based in the Los Angeles area.

"CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS"
SCOTT YOUNG, Chair, City of Angels Film Festival
Tuesday, November 6, 2001, 7:00 PM
Chemistry 1179, UCSB

Director Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors is a thriller about the dark nights of the soul. It is also a comedy in which irony subverts traditional moral pieties. It is a dramatic inquiry into art, professional life, relationships, religion, and ethical horror. Crimes and Misdemeanors is a mirror in which we can all see the truth of ruthless selfishness reflected in the actors and the viewers.

Rev. Scott Young is the 2001 Chair and Co-Founder of the City of the Angels Film Festival. He is the director of Faculty Ministry for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the Southern California region. Rev. Young is an instructor at Fuller Theological Seminary and the Art Center: College of Design in Pasadena. He is the director of the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture Photographic Exhibit, The Soul of L.A.

"BACH, A PREACHER?
I THOUGHT HE WAS A COMPOSER?"
ROBIN LEAVER, Professor of Sacred Music
Wednesday, November 7, 2001, 7:30 pm
Corwin Pavilion, UCSB

Theology is verbal, and therefore, the basic assumption is that any proclamation of the Gospel must always be verbal. But the composer Johann Sebastian Bach—together with a good many other composers—frustrates this pervasive view, because in his music he demonstrates again and again that it is possible to preach through music. Indeed, Bach was able to express theological concepts in his music in a way that would be totally impossible with words alone. This presentation will explore some notable examples of this musical preaching in Bach’s music.

Robin A. Leaver is Professor of Sacred Music, Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Dr. Leaver, who initially studied in England then received his doctorate from the Rijksuniversteit, Groningen, the Netherlands, is an internationally recognized hymnologist, musicologist, liturgiologist, Bach scholar, and Reformation specialist. He has written or edited four books on Bach and is currently the president of the American Bach Society.