Upcoming Events Events

Performed by David Payne

The year is 1963 and C.S. Lewis, the famous British author, is hosting a group of American writers at his home near Oxford. They are about to experience a captivating evening with a man whose engaging conversation and spontaneous humor made him one of the great raconteurs of his day.

Seated in his living room and he recalls the people and events that inspired his thought and shaped his life; of his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien; why he nearly abandoned the Narnia Chronicles; how he came to embrace Christianity and of the American woman who turned his life upside down.

Described by critics as ‘Extraordinary!’ ‘A Must See!’ ‘A Master Class!’ An Evening with C.S. Lewis has proved again and again to be an enthralling theatrical experience and one which has led many thousands to discover (or rediscover) the continuing impact of a man who died over 50 years ago and whose collected works made him one of the literary giants of the 20th Century.

By Ben Tissell and Emelia Corazza

“Nearly all that I loved I believed to be imaginary; nearly all that I believed to be real I thought grim and meaningless.” Such was the inner world of C.S. Lewis. But then, something changed. A chance encounter with a Victorian fairy tale “baptized” his imagination, setting him on a course toward Christian faith and a career as one of the greatest imaginative writers of the century. It was this baptism of imagination which allowed J.R.R. Tolkien, the great fantasy mythmaker, to invite a skeptical Lewis to consider Christian faith afresh. Perhaps, he encouraged, myths point to truth. Perhaps Christianity itself is a “true myth”. Perhaps, not all that is worth loving is unreal. 

“Lewis & Tolkien: The Baptized Imagination” is an inventive, fast-paced production packed with humor and insight. Built on a foundation of deep research, this show traces the development of faith and imagination in two of the greatest friends in literary history. Watch a small cast of actors transform into dozens of characters as they lead you on a journey through Middle Earth, Narnia, and countless other landscapes of the baptized imagination. 

This show is great for families and runs approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission.