My twenty cents keeps moving!

Apr. 23, 2008

Magician's Nephew

My family is deeply involved in the play Magician's Nephew at Family Theatre this month. Jason is directing, I am the stage manager, Spenser is doing lights, and the three girls are acting in it. it is double cast, and the girls are in the Saturday night cast. Here are some pics from the show:

This is one of the Aslans instructing Digory to go get an apple.

Digory being tempted by Jadis

Queen Jadis in the world of Charn.

Polly and Digory (Friday cast)

Aunt Letty

Promo Pic

The Creatures of Narnia (Saturday cast, missing the bear and the beaver). Sydney is the purple unicorn, Macy is the little leopard.

Polly from the Friday cast getting a ring from Uncle Andrew

Reed as Polly, shushing Digory as he tries to tell her not to accept the ring

Uncle Andrew (he is the same actor both nights)

Digory and Polly

Temptation

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Jan. 8, 2008

The Mousetrap

Posted in Family Theatre

Here's a picture from tonight's dress rehearsal of The Mousetrap. This is Giles and Molly Ralston, owners of the guest house where a murder is committed.

If you're in the area, the show runs Friday and Saturday at 7:30 at Family Theatre, at the theater annex of Rose Hill Baptist Church.

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Sep. 25, 2007

Stuart Little pics

Posted in Family Theatre

I have one from the first day of school and some from Stuart Little:

First day of school

Spenser as the dentist in Stuart Little

Macy as "Babette" the French Kitty

Reed as the narrator

Reed as the storekeeper

Mom gave them roses (Spenser got candy)

Spenser as the dog

Sydney asthe school girl

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Jun. 12, 2007

LHOTP Drama Camp

Posted in Family Theatre

Last week I taught at Family Theatre's Drama Camp. We had 39 kids from 10-4 Mon-Thurs and all day Friday. Friday night we performed Little House on the Prairie. We divided the kidsinto 4 classes and rotated them throughout the day-- blocking/drama, crafts, square dance, interpretive movement, games and then of course snacks and lunch and (structured) free time. It went really well, and the performance was great. Each class did 2 or 3 scenes, a square dance and an interpretive movement praise and worship song.

Spenser was the assistant for the youngest group. They had 9 kids, mostly between the ages of 3 and 6. One teenager with Downs was in their group-- she was Mrs. Oleson and she was terrific. Spenser was Pa. Sydney was Nellie and Macy was "Lucy" a friend at Nellie's party. (We had to rewrite a little to include all the kids.) I was very proud of the level of maturity Spenser displayed-- he was a great help to Mrs. Anne and cleaned and worked hard every day.

My group was ages 7-10, and they were great. We had a really good time. Reed helped me a couple of days, but she also got to go camping and swimming with a friend of mine. She was excited about that. And at the end of next month, we are all doing Box Car Children, which is Reed's favorite!

Sydney and a friend in costume

Macy on stage (in red)

Older group doing the scene where Nellie rides in the carriage between Laura and Almonzo

My little Nellie

Pa and Laura

Laura and Mary go to school

Spenser as Pa, playing the "fiddle" (We did have a real one for the performance)

Macy

Reed

Group picture!

I am submitting this as my Pass the Torch post for this week. I am so proud of all of these kids for the hard work they did and the great attitudes they displayed. We didn't really have any major discipline problems, and the days were really long and intense.

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Apr. 3, 2007

The Hiding Place

Posted in Family Theatre

My husband and I were just involved in a production of The Hiding Place (a musical version!) I have been trying to figure out a way to explain to you how powerful it was. If you've read the book or seen the movie, you already know how compelling the story is. Here in our community theatre, it is the play that almost wasn't. We faced so many obstacles and adversities to put on this production, that we knew it was a significant story that needed to be told. It was obvious that the enemy didn't want this message out there. This is the 3rd time our director has tried to cast this show, and this time she refused to give up. I have no idea how many people quit the show in the process-- I can think of at least 7 and I wasn't involved from the beginning. Also, the ones who stayed in the show faced challenges-- my father had a stroke and I had to go to Virginia; the man who played Casper ten Boom had to go to New Mexico to see about his daughter who had sudden kidney failure; one of the musicians lost her father. But I think the obstacles only served to strengthen us and our resolve to make it happen. The director had people doing 2 and 3 parts; she cut some parts that we simply could not pull off without more people; I'm told that one cast member who quit paid a teenager $50 to take his place. In the end, it was worth it. The cast was comprised of 4 really strong actors with vast experience and a handful of newbies like myself who were in their first role. We struggled with lines and blocking and timing. The veterans were unbelievably good, and the rest of us had mercifully little stage time. I was the prison guard and I had about 10 lines-- I would go onstage, yell, and slam the door. Lather rinse repeat. I said things like

Prisoners are to remain silent.
Solitary prisoners are not allowed to talk.
Quiet-- just take it.
Eat it.
Solitary prisoners are to remain silent.
What's all the comootion in there? (my favorite)

The prison scene was very moving. You hear Betsy telling Corrie to give thanks in all things-- even the fleas. Then you hear the story of how the prison guards leave them alone for Bible study because they don't want to come in the barracks because of-- you guessed it-- the fleas. They sing a song that says
hank you, Lord,
for the trials that come my way.
In that way I can grow each day
as I let you lead,
And thank you, Lord,
for the patience those trials bring.
In that process of growing,
I can learn to care.

But it goes against the way
I am to put my human nature down
and let the Spirit take control of all I do.

'Cause when those trials come,
my human nature shouts the thing to do;
and God's soft prompting
can be easily ignored.

The last scene takes after Betsie dies-- it's just a simple monologue spoken by Corrie in the middle of the stage with one spotlight on her. The lady who played her was so talented (she was also the director). When she spoke, you believed she was Corrie. When she cried, you felt her pain and cried with her. And she ended with the story of her release-- a week before all prisoners her age were executed. She said that it was a "clerical error? No, it was the grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Betsy and Corrie

Jason as Lt Rahms

In prison, Corrie, Betsy and prisoner

Praying at the Ten Boom table (Jason is the Jewish cantor in the brown wig)


The Ten Booms praying at the table (before Corrie got her wig)

cast pic-- that's me in the back looking like a nun (it was the period costume, but it made me want to burst into "Climb Every Mountain" which didn't fit my character at all!)

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Jan. 19, 2007

Pictures from Reed's play

Posted in Family Theatre

Tonight was opening night for My Mother's Doll, which is an original script written by the theater director's son-in-law. It went really well. Spenser is at a Boy Scout campout, freezing I am sure. It is cold here. Sydney and Macy watched a little Gilligan's Island before bed and were thrilled that season 2 is in color and has the Professor and Mary Ann added to the song, LOL. (Sydney's the one who told the kids that The Wizard of Oz must have been made thousands of years ago, before God invented color. LOL)

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Nov. 20, 2006

More American Girl pictures

Posted in Family Theatre

Samantha and Nellie

Molly Linda and Susan

Molly and Ricky (spenser)

Ricky and Mom

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Nov. 20, 2006

Pictures from our Play

Posted in Family Theatre

Felicity Elizabeth Annabelle and Miss Manderly:

Felicity's father and the angry man in his store:

Kirsten and Marta (Reed is Marta)

Death Scene

Sydney as Anna

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Oct. 21, 2006

Going to a play

Posted in Family Theatre

Tonight we went to see the Taffetas which is a 50's musical review. Macy's Halloween costume is a poodle skirt cause she wanted to be a Taffeta LOL. So Sydney wept when she realized she didn't have one, and this is what I came up with. Reed wore Spenser's shirt and some rolled up jeans.

The Taffetas

My Girls

The Taffetas in their evening gowns, plus the waitresses for the show, plus other dressed up kids

When we got to the play and sat down, Macy said "Am I in this play?" Apparently she was ok with being in it (at the 11th hour) she just needed to know. LOL~!

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Aug. 29, 2006

Stressful!

Posted in Family Theatre

OK so I am directing my first play at Family Theatre. (I have done church plays but that's it.) And this one is a class, not a mainstage production.

We are doing 4 American Girl plays: Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha and Molly. (They are short, so we are dong all 4 together.) Today we cast them, and it was so stressful. I know there were some disappointed girls, but I did the best I could. Everyone got a part, but not everyone got the part they wanted, I feel sure. Blech, I don't like that part. Other than that, I think it is going to be so much fun.

In other news, I am wearing perfume and it is giving me a headache. I think I'll go change my shirt, LOL.

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