A Place for Us: A Lent course based on West Side Story

A Place for Us is an original Lent course based on the recent film production of West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring the songs of Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. Through study and discussion of key scenes from the movie, related to Lent passages from scripture, Lavinia Byrne and Jane McBride help us to reflect on fear, love, betrayal, death, and reconciliation.

The course is based on five weekly sessions exploring the following themes:

• Belonging
• Otherness and Difference
• The Gift of Love
• The Promise of a Place for Us
• The Tragedy of Betrayal

For each session, preparatory material including a Gospel reading is provided for the reader to reflect on the themes before meeting with a study group. Resources are then offered for the group, including a suggested film clip, discussion points and questions, exercises, a Psalm, and a poem by Phil Lane.