From the Inside Out

Gary and I wrote a play last year for the ALC Drama Players. And Then There Was One is a “whodunit” murder mystery. Ten strangers are snowed in, out of power, and no one can escape. One by one people start dying until there’s only one person left.

The play was a big hit at ALC, and I was approached earlier this year by a church in Denison that wanted to use it for a dinner theater production this summer. We made a few arrangements and voila! It was done.

Tonight we went to see the show. They made us feel very special from the moment we arrived. We got the best seats in the house and were recognized by the organizers of the show. I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers at the end along with a gift card for dinner. It was such a nice treat!

We had a fabulous evening. The food was great, and the cast did an outstanding job with the production. I really enjoyed watching what the directors and actors did with the characters. That’s the great thing about a play. It’s a living entity. Each actor brings a bit of their own personality to a character, so it’s always a little different depending on who is playing the part. In addition, the cast threw in a few surprises which had me laughing out loud. Below is a picture I snapped during Act One.

Watching the show was a neat experience although it’s difficult to explain exactly how I felt as others performed my work. I’m having trouble putting it into words. I guess I’d have to say that it was a mixture of joy, excitement and pride coupled with a sense of accomplishment. I’m so thankful that God has used us to reach out to people and convey His message through drama evangelism. Now that message is extending beyond the walls of ALC. Isn’t that amazing?

Rehearsals for ALC’s Saturday Night Life began three weeks ago. We meet weekly on Monday evenings to practice the comedy sketches and get ready for the show in October. Things are moving along nicely. I’m feeling much better about it than I normally do at this stage. Maybe it’s because we’ve already got one SNL under our belt. It’s not a total unknown ,and maybe that’s why it feels easier this time around. Compared to Pirates of Patmos, this show seems downright easy. That may change as we get closer to the performance date, but for now, I’m happy.

I’m really excited about the show. We have a great cast and an outstanding line-up of sketches. Even the few “controversial” sketches have turned out well. I don’t think they’ll get banned, so that’s a good thing.

We will be practicing the video sketches next week since they must be filmed on the 30th. Newt McNewsy will be back with more interesting character interviews, and we have some new videos that are sure to entertain the crowd. Now if we can make sure we don’t injure any cheerleaders this year, we’ll be in good shape. Wish us luck!

By the way, DVDs of Pirates of Patmos are now available. You can order copies at ALC. Also, And Then There Was One is being performed by Truth Tabernacle Church in Denison this weekend. It’s a dinner theater show. Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights. If you don’t have anything to do (and you don’t mind the drive), check it out.

Saturday Night Life is off to a running start!

We held auditions tonight. It was a closed casting call since we didn’t have a huge number of parts to cast. Also, we have an abbreviated rehearsal schedule this time so we felt it was important to cast skilled actors who can develop characters quickly with minimal supervision.

Most of our main drama players from Pirates are returning. We have a great group of talented people so not only will it be a fabulous production, it will also be lots of fun!

I’ll be reprising my role as Arianna (the cheerleader) and the Weekend Update news anchor. I’ll also be involved in a couple of new sketches. Rehearsals start next week so here we go…again.

“I love acting. It is so much more real than life.” Oscar Wilde

The cast and crew from Pirates of Patmos reconvened tonight for one last event, the cast party. Now that it’s over, we can officially close the door on Pirates. It was a fun ride and part of me will miss it, but I have some great memories that will follow me forever.

One of the great things about our cast parties is that we hold a special advance screening of the DVD. It allows us to re-live some of our most enjoyable moments from the play, and it’s the first time that the actors get to see their performances. Watching the DVD with the cast is lots of fun, but there’s a bit of humiliation mingled in there too as we poke fun at ourselves. I especially liked the fact that Amy said it was the only time she saw me act girly. I’m still not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult. The “non-girly” side of me is taking it as a compliment.

Now that the final act is over, we can focus completely on the next show, Saturday Night Life. The creative team has been writing for a few weeks now. We have our final list of sketches in place (although a couple are still pending approval…gotta make sure they aren’t too controversial). Casting requirements are almost complete, and auditions will be held next Monday night. Rehearsals begin the first week of August.

I’m sad to see Pirates go, but I’m already looking forward to SNL. We’ve got a great line-up of sketches, and it’s going to be a blast. I can’t wait!

Pirates of Patmos is featured in an article on the Ninetyandnine Webizine this week.  It includes a Q&A format interview with “yours truly” and also showcases a few pictures of the play. 

Thanks to Josh Lewis for making it happen. 

Check out the full article here.