Experience the new co-production by Royal Shakespeare Co and 2021's City of Culture in person and online
Beyond the spires of Coventry’s medieval cathedral lies a rich tapestry of faiths and cultures. Designated the UK's City of Culture this year (until 2025), the Midlands hot spot is made up of Jews, Humanists, Hindus, Muslims, Quakers, Buddhists, Sikhs, Methodists, Catholics and countless other faiths, as well as those of no faith at all – something that is being marked by a new festival called Faith.
Illustration of the Ceremony of Lights in Millennium Place under the Whittle Arches © Tom Piper
Directed by the Royal Shakespeare Company's Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman, the two-day event invites audiences both in person and online to experience the diversity of Coventry through music, theatre, art installations, discussion and dialogue. Running mostly on Saturday 11 September (the Friday given over to a meal with faith and community leaders in Swanswell Park), Faith will explore what keeps each of us going in tough times, and how people of faith and of non-religious world views both view life, especially in the age of Covid.
Cast of Faith co-production by Coventry City of Culture Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company © FiveSix Photography
Kicking off from 10.30am will be a series of Promenade Performances inspired by conversations with faith leaders and young people across the city. These feature Chris O’Connell's The Messenger (10.30am & 3.30pm, Stoney Stanton Road) and The Return (12.30pm & 5.30pm, Cathedral steps), plus Chinonyerem Odimba's The Arrival (10.30am & 3.30pm, Broadgate) and Generation (12.30pm & 5.30pm, north Coventry). Also see an art installation by Tom Piper, the theatre designer responsible for the breathtaking poppy memorial at the Tower of London in 2014. This time he presents an evocative weave of blue ribbons that join together places of worship and represent the city's silk industry. Local composer Sayan Kent has created an original score to accompany the project.
Those wishing to explore the various faiths Coventry has to offer can do so at the many Open Houses on Saturday morning and in the evening gather for the Ceremony of Lights. This culmination of the festival will take place at dusk (7.30pm) in Millennium Place, where members of the audience will be asked to light one of the 500 candles to mark the meaning of light in various faiths.
Further details about Faith Coventry can be found at coventry2021.co.uk/what-s-on.