Back on Campus with Theatre and Film
C.S. Lewis on Stage played to a sold-out house at the University of Michigan on Feb. 15, 2022.
Palm Beach Atlantic University students rushed through the doors when the house opened for Convert on April 12, 2022.
Fellowship for Performing Arts’ Campus Initiative restarted this winter with three live performances of C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert and a film showing of The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis.
“The Campus Initiative remains a key part of our strategy to share Christian worldview art with this important age group,” said FPA Founder and Artistic Director Max McLean.
It doesn’t get much better than the opportunity to perform at such major public universities as the University of Michigan – 45,000 students – and the University of Florida – 54,000 students. Each performance drew over 1,000 students, faculty and community members and was followed by an engaging Q&A.
“We were so well received by the students at both universities,” said Courtney Menking, FPA’s University Tour Manager. “One Florida student, Michael, told us:
‘The event was amazing! I’m a major fan of anyone who has the talent to captivate an audience. Max’s performance was really good. Also, the deeper dive into the life of C.S. Lewis was very refreshing for my faith.’”
Max will again take to the road as Lewis this fall as Convert plays on campus at Ohio State University and Virginia Tech.
Not every campus has the technical resources to present our play. So our new film gives us a wonderful opportunity to expand our reach. This happened at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Students lined up well in advance and pushed through the doors when the house opened to fill the on-campus auditorium!
We expect that campus life will begin to return to normal this fall. With that, we can ramp the College Initiative back up to pre-pandemic levels. Since we make student tickets available for a $5 fee (and sometimes free), it is only the Fellowship Circle’s visionary generosity that allows us to reach these bright young minds.