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Riding Lights Theatre Company/World Vision - £9.99
| So what is it about? | This is a 35-minute video containing four extracts from the recent stage play, The Fun of the Fair, by the Riding Lights Theatre Company. It highlights the issue of poverty, as well as promotes the work of World Vision. |
| Who is it for? | This isn't something for an individual to rent out from their local video shop and then sit back and watch with some popcorn. Rather, it has been designed for use in groups - maybe house groups, or small discussion groups, especially those who want to be challenged about what they can do about third world poverty. |
| Does it do what it says on the label? | Well, the label - in this case, the blurb at the bottom of the front cover - says: "A fresh way for small groups to encounter the issues of poverty"; "fast, provocative, moving, fun". The only word I would disagree with here is "fun" - some of the material here is quite bleak, dealing with child abuse and young people dying of starvation and AIDS. Maybe the stage play itself had some lighter sketches to justify the word "fun", although the acting and scriptwriting is of a consistently high quality. Each clip last about 6 or 7 minutes, and needs to be followed by discussion questions and study material contained in the accompanying workbook. The intention is for just one clip to be studied in each session, meaning this video could be used over four weeks. |
| Enjoy or endure? | Enjoy, if that's the right word - challenged might be a better world. This is a very minimalistic production, shot on a bare, black stage with just four actors, and what at times looks like a hand-held camera. But some of the stories are extremely powerful and deserve to be heard. Also, I was quite taken with the unique, pedal-powered revolving stage. This video should come with a government health warning: "Do not watch this unless you want to be moved and challenged to action". It also stresses that giving handouts to poor people may not necessarily be the best approach, and that there are other ways of helping to fight poverty. |
| Any other comments? | Thoroughly recommended as a four-session
study for your church or small group, especially as at the time of
writing this review, the issues of Band Aid and Live Aid are back in
the news. You can order the video here:
http://www.worldvision.org.uk/churchaction/ridinglights-funofthefair.asp |
