LEWES CHRISTIAN ARTS
lewespassionplay.org
lewespassionplay.org
Lewes Christian Arts is a fresh, inclusive organisation formed by members of churches in Lewes and environs, dedicated to creating, presenting and supporting local arts events with a spiritual ethos. This may include art exhibitions, dramatic performances, musical recitals and other art forms.
The charity has emerged from the Lewes Passion Play which lapsed in 2020. The refreshed Lewes Christian Arts, launched in March 2025, will initiate arts events which will happen throughout the year. We are always seeking new organisers for our core group who will help to make things happen, with our mission of promoting arts events created by our ecumenical Christian community, and anyone else who would like to support us or contribute ideas. If you are interested in finding out more, or if you have an idea for an event, please contact the trustees on [email protected]
Those involved will make connections and develop relationships, fostering a cohesive community and strengthening social bonds that both nurture the town and result in self-sustaining arts projects. Previously, Lewes Passion Play has been appreciative of all support received from local councils, youth groups, churches and arts organisations. We retain the logo of Lewes Passion Play, from which the group has evolved.
The charity has emerged from the Lewes Passion Play which lapsed in 2020. The refreshed Lewes Christian Arts, launched in March 2025, will initiate arts events which will happen throughout the year. We are always seeking new organisers for our core group who will help to make things happen, with our mission of promoting arts events created by our ecumenical Christian community, and anyone else who would like to support us or contribute ideas. If you are interested in finding out more, or if you have an idea for an event, please contact the trustees on [email protected]
Those involved will make connections and develop relationships, fostering a cohesive community and strengthening social bonds that both nurture the town and result in self-sustaining arts projects. Previously, Lewes Passion Play has been appreciative of all support received from local councils, youth groups, churches and arts organisations. We retain the logo of Lewes Passion Play, from which the group has evolved.
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Review of 'Ways of Light', November 2025 in the Sussex Express:
Fab- u - lous! Ways of Light brings joy to Lewes If you ventured along Southover High Street last Saturday instead of staying in for Strictly you would have seen the trees and the sky illuminated with colour and beams of light. Lewes Christian Arts launch event ‘Ways of Light’ brought joy and light to the town. The afternoon workshop saw families come to make lanterns, have fun and process in the rain. Lots of amazing art work: paintings, photographs, and sculpture was contributed by local artists to create an inspiring art gallery conveying a wide range of perspectives on light including a 2 x3 metre mural showing the starlit sky of Lewes on bonfire night. The evening created joy for all with an impressive choir singing inspired music described by an audience member as ‘a virtual oratorio’. A talented Christian youth band performed an arrangement of Hillsong’s ‘So Will I’, and spoken highlights included poets interpreting in their own personal ways the meaning of ‘light’. A stunningly effective light show inside and outside the church, produced by professional lighting and sound company Soundfangled, set the scene spectacularly, providing a diverse audience of over a hundred with an experience which was ‘beautiful and engaging’. ‘It was creative and original and we were blown away by it all...’ was one response to the evening’s blend of light, music, dance, poetry and spiritually purposed reflection. |
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Anyone may comeLewes Christian Arts seeks to promote quality arts events in the community. We welcome artists, organisers, communicators and ideas people, whether they be skilled professionals or willing amateurs. There is something for everyone to do, from local celebrities to those who may otherwise feel unheard, unseen and marginalised, from the employed to the unemployed, from the home owner to the homeless. Anyone may contribute.
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Churches TogetherLewes Christian Arts encourages churches of different denominations to mix and collaborate, inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Doubters and seekers are also welcome. You don't have to be a certified 'Christian' to get involved.
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UK Passion Play Trust
Passion Plays have been in existence for hundreds of years. They are a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ. The plays, were highly popular in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The longest running currently-performed Passion play is the Oberammergau Passion Play, which has been performed since 1634, every 10 years, by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany. Churches Together in Lewes in 2000 wanted to mark Christian unity through a Millennium project and together it was agreed to bring the story of Christ's Passion to the people. Each church re-enacted a section of the Holy Week story in the town and from this the united, five yearly ecumenical Lewes Passion Play evolved.The UK Passion Trust keeps the movement alive by offering financial, logistical and artistic support to local groups. Lewes Passion Play Group is an affiliated organisation.
For more information about Passion Plays visit: http://passiontrust.org/
Our artistic director speaking in January 2015 at the UK Passion Play Conference held in Liverpool.