Stories this week at Wake Forest

Wake Forest to Hold Irish Festival

The “wearing of the green” will last a week at Wake Forest University’s Irish Festival featuring Irish poetry, dancing, film and music March 16-21. The celebration of Irish culture will feature several events, including a candlelight vigil for peace in Northern Ireland at 5:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day-Tuesday, March 17, on the steps of Wait Chapel. Wake Forest professors and students will read the writings of noted Irish poets and perform Irish music twice during the week. The first performance will be held at 11 a.m. March 17 in Reynolda Hall’s main lounge. The festival is supported by Wake Forest University Press, the major publisher of Irish poetry in North America. For a complete schedule, call the News Bureau. Arrangements can be made for a live shot at the candlelight vigil.

Hollywood Gets Religion

Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest University Divinity School, says Hollywood is again mirroring Americans’ growing interest in spirituality. Hollywood has produced an unprecedented number of films with religious themes, including Robert Duval’s “The Apostle”; “Wide Awake,” a soon-to-be-released film starring Rosie O’Donnell as a nun who helps a boy find God and meaning; and Steven Spielberg’s “The Prince of Egypt,” an animated portrayal of the life of Moses slated for release this November. Leonard believes the latest flicks are giving religion a deeper look than past works and can comment on the trend.”

Students Rehearse for Passion Play

On Palm Sunday, more than 80 members of the Wake Forest community will perform the Passion Play the way it would have been done in the Middle Ages-outdoors without a stage. The cast will be rehearsing for the next three weeks preparing for April 5, 6 and 7 performances. For the “promenade” production of the Passion Play, episodes in Christ’s life will be set at different campus locations. The audience, guided by a narrator, will move from place to place as the story of Christ’s baptism, teachings, miracles, betrayal, arrest, crucifixion and resurrection unfolds. The event is part of the 1997-98 Year of Religion in American Life.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Events, School of Divinity, Student