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“’Padre’” Inspires Hope, Faith, and Love”

As a tribute to the resilient spirit of the Canadians who persevered against the odds, and to those who fell, Jeff Forst presents “Padre”, a one-man play based on his great-grandfather Honourary Captain Uriah Laite’s writings from a WWII Hong Kong POW camp.  

Recipient of an Osprey Community Foundation 2006 Literary Grant, “Padre” premieres March 30th & 31st in Nelson’s United Church (602 Silica St.).  Tickets are $11 and are available at the door.  10% of all proceeds will go the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association’s Memorial Wall.  Show-time is 8:00pm, with the doors opening at 7:30pm.  Signed chap-book copies of the script will be on sale.  For more information and/or group, discount, and advance bookings, please contact  www.forstmedia & jeff@forstmedia.ca. 

Told through Padre Laite’s own words, “Padre” is the story of a church minister’s four years as a prisoner overseas.  A loving peaceful family man of two, the military chaplain and non-combatant dedicates himself to the overall well-being of the camp, while praying for the “dearest of wives and children” back home.  This hopeful living dream, along with the inherent spiritual journey, enables him to survive systemic malnutrition, rampant disease, pest-ridden quarters, & an uncertain future, with faith to spare.

Relevant today as they were then, the recollections in his diary, and the sermons in his notebooks, paint a picture of a world on the edge in both matters of war and spirit.  Now, at a time when our country is again at war, and the words ‘holy’ and ‘war’ grow ever closer, we can learn from the plight of a fore-father as he grapples with the same traditional challenges.

His great-grandson Jeff Forst is a multi-tasking artist who writes, directs, produces, and acts.  A veteran of over a dozen high-end productions in Vancouver and Nelson, Jeff’s acting highlights include Silver King Theatre’s “The Melville Boys”, TNT’s “Deathtrap”, “Nothing Fails” for Cedar Street Productions, “Lysistrata” with the United Players, and Gastown Actors Studio’s “Rattle in the Dash”.

Currently working on “Mugsy Balone” with the Kootenay Youth Drama School (KYDS), Jeff has directed several plays with the Homelinks Theatre Company and is excited about their upcoming “Scarlet Pimpernel”.  He is fresh off the seasonal hit “Scrooge’s Christmas Carol”, and counts “Dangerous Liaisons”, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” and “Romeo & Juliet” among his many directing highlights.

Grateful of the Osprey Community Foundation’s support, and the project sponsorship of the Capitol Theatre Restoration Society, Jeff invites all locals and visitors to attend this event and re-visit the era in which the Kootenays won renown for exemplifying the best standards of community honour and collective care during a global crisis.    Hear the message of one man’s faith, as expressed in trying conditions like no other.  Feel the power of love and it’s ability to cheer resolute spirits halfway round the world.