AGAP Archives
2008
Following the success of its pilot in 2007, there was a greater desire to make Lentfest accessible and appealing to the wider public. Stephen Callaghan met with graphic designer and musician, Erne Parkin who ran the Mugdock Park Music Festival, and worked on a marketing campaign that included 30,000 brochures distributed to arts and cultural venues as well as churches and schools across the Greater Glasgow area. The rich diverse festival programme included 16 different events performed across 24 venues that included church and non-church spaces, with popular and classical events, involving artists from across religious denominations.
The launch attracted the attention of both BBC and STV news as the Catholic Church launched a new addition to the Scottish Festival scene. It took place in Bella Napoli Italian Restaurant on Ash Wednesday and attendees were served a menu of bread and water, symbolising the day of fasting and abstinence observed by Catholics on this day. Supporters included Film Director, Norman Stone and composer, James MacMillan. A new play by Stephen Callaghan, entitled “Feet of Clay” premiered at the James Arnott Theatre in the University of Glasgow and toured several parishes
The programme included classical music events by James MacMillan, Clyde Consort, The Madrigirls, Schola Glasguensis, and concert pianist Aleksander Kudaczyk. Other musicians taking part included Australian hymn writer, Peter Kearney (“Fill My House Unto the Fullest”) and Christian pop performers John Wilson and Gary Brotherston, folk group The Cross Border Band, saxophonist Steve Nelson, singer-songwriter, Martin Stephen Jones and a special appearance by Eddi Reader. There were also several events involving schools from across the Archdiocese, an Art Exhibition on “The Beatitudes”, poetry, dance and a special screening of the film “Man Dancin’” with director Norman Stone and writer Sergio Casci.
The success of Lentfest gave rise to the desire for a smaller ‘sister’ festival, which took the shape of Arts in Autumn. The programme incorporated a variety concert at St Andrew’s Cathedral as part of the Merchant City Festival, a visiting Art Exhibition of work by Sr Mary Stephen CRSS, a concert by Aleksander Kudaczyk and a touring musical performance written and directed by Erne Parkin called “Life Up the Raw”, which told the story of the 19th Century Durham miners. AGAP theatre also staged the world premiere of “Francis: The Verdict”, a play by Alan Sage, the cast of which included his Bafta-winning daughter, Paula Sage, an actress with Downs Syndrome. The festival concluded with the inauguration of the first Mass for Artists, celebrated by Archbishop Mario Conti.
