NEWS ARCHIVE FEBRUARY
1999 This
Rock Redux
“The play that started the
whole thing” gets revisited by DIM as Mike Brunk prepares to direct
This Rock for the Easter
season. The play is a
true Good Friday script, and concerns the struggles the Disciples of
Christ experience the day following His crucifixion. DIM
founder Greg Wright was asked to play the part of Peter in a 1990 Star-Crossed
Productions (Edmonds) staging of the British gut-wrencher. In the play, Peter struggles with his guilt
over abandoning his master, and contemplates suicide.
“While the script is obviously
speculative, it does an amazing job of confronting the issue of forgiveness in
a very personal manner,” says Greg. “At
the conclusion of our performance, the entire cast was completely wrecked,
emotionally. I tried to tell the Normandy choir about it the next day, and
broke down again. It was weeks before I
could really talk about the experience.”
And so the seeds of the idea for DIM
was born: how to provide an environment for others to use the dramatic arts to bring
them to a life-changing encounter with their Savior? After four years of existence, DIM’s
productions are now having the same effect on others (see “What Do You Do For A
Sequel?,” in the next column).
Mike Brunk played Peter in DIM’s
inaugural production of This Rock in
1995, which also featured Jenn Cram as Mary Magdelene. Jenn also appeared as John in another staging
of the play at Normandy in a pre-DIM production in 1993.
Rehearsals for This Rock begin February 7.
If you’ve been thinking about joining DIM, this is an excellent
opportunity to whet your appetite. Join
us!
Overdone, or Done Just Well
Enough?
 Lyla
Moreland once more will appear onstage as Mistress Overdone in Shakespeare’s  Measure for Measure. Lyla (at left) won the role at open auditions
with Redmond’s Redwood Theatre in December.
Lyla also was asked to perform as Elbow, a simple constable who provides
the comic relief in the first act of Redwood’s Western adaptation of the Bard’s
examination of grace and justice (see press photo, below).
It was a daring move for Lyla, who was
already in rehearsals for DIM’s Chi-Rho
Files at the time. Not only has
there been the expected difficulties of keeping the various characters
straight, and keeping the lines from getting garbled, there’s also the
interesting question: how does a
Christian actor maintain a positive witness for Christ in a secular production
while portraying a prostitute? The
answer, of course, is to allow the cast to see Christ shining through the
actor, while the world sullies the character being played.
Measure
for Measure examines
the nature of corrupt leadership (a timely topic) and Man’s need for grace and
mercy, and does so by providing a rather noticeable contrast between lewdness
and integrity. (Still, the script is
less vulgar than Ken Starr’s report to Congress!)
Support Lyla, and check out her
hilarious work at Redwood. Measure for Measure plays February
5-20. Call 206-525-3493 for more
information.
What Do You Do For A Sequel?
The Chi-Rho Files, directed for DIM by Jenn Cram, was met with
outstanding feedback from its audience.
The Normandy attendance was over 70, best ever for
a DIM production. Highlights of the
production included:
·
Return
visits, and by more than one family.
Jack Drake said he came to “see entertainment” the first night, and
returned the next night “to really listen to the message.”
·
Lorraine
Drake was moved enough to supply refreshments for our second and third
nights. Now that’s impact!
·
More
than one audience member asked whether a sequel was planned. Everyone wants to know what happens with Nico!
·
One
audience member breathlessly exclaimed, “I couldn’t believe it was over. I wanted to see more! I was totally wrapped up in it; I
was there!”
 In
addition to audience reaction, several troupe members attest to the impact the
script, and its development, has had on their personal lives. Once again, the power of the Word of God is
demonstrated. “It will not return
void. It will accomplish the purpose for
which it is sent.” (Isaiah 55:11,
paraphrased.)
The Divine Director
It
is said that “Life is a stage and we are but the players.” For Christians this may be more true than one
would expect. We have a Divine Director
who guides our movements on this stage of life.
He has given us the script of His Holy Word as a message to the audience
of the world. If we are players, willing
to accept His divine direction, we can give a performance such that when our
final performance is over and the curtain falls on this stage that is called
life, we will hear our Divine Director call out, “Bravo! Well done, good and faithful servant!” — Lyla Moreland
The Plowboy of
the Western World
DIM had a new guy behind the light
controls for Chi-Rho. And he wants you to know, he’s a real
plowboy.
Now, ladies, make sure you read that
right. Plowboy.
Dave Stark is not trying to bring
attention to his status as bachelor. My
no. But he isn’t bashful, either,
choosing as his stage debut the lead role of Albert in Puget Sound Christian
College’s production of Frank D. Gilroy’s Who’ll
Save the Plowboy?.
The play concerns Albert, the
“plowboy” of the title, and the meeting he has with his buddy Larry, who saved
his life in battle 15 years earlier.
Like the recent Saving Private
Ryan, Larry poses the question, was it worth it? The play poses the question, “What does
‘worth it’ mean?”
Dave became eligible for the part by
recently enrolling in PSCC’s Excel program.
Support Dave by checking out Plowboy,
which runs March 19-21 at the college.
Call 425-775-8686 for more info.
Copyright (c) 2002 Greg and Jenn
Wright | 