NEWS ARCHIVE APRIL
1999
The
Mistress Directs
Fresh from her recent
performances as Mary Magdalene in This Rock (DIM’s Good Friday
offering) and Mistress Overdone / Elbow in Redwood Theatre’s Measure for Measure, Lyla
Moreland is set to direct DIM’s next show. The play, originally written
by Greg Wright in 1996 and rewritten in 1997, is a medieval parable
titled King to Knight’s
Pawn. Lyla
is excited to once again be working in the medieval milieu. Many of you will remember her costume work
for Dunois and others in Saint Joan; and, of course, the extensive work she contributed to
the costumes for last year’s Man for All
Seasons. Directing Pawn will provide Lyla the opportunity
to design not only the costumes, but to set the vision for the entire
production design. With a crusader-period
setting, some new concepts will be able to be brought to bear.
Lyla, of course, is no stranger to DIM
audiences. Since making her debut with
DIM as the Egyptian princess Asenath in the 1996
production Of Might and Men, Lyla has
not only been a mainstay of the acting corps, but has directed twice previously
as well: the 1997 Good Friday offering, Look No Further; and the 1997 Christmas
play, Mary Had a Little Lamb. Lyla followed 1997 with a string of memorable
performances in 1998: Bathsheba in The
Presence of Mine Enemies; Ma in Black
Bart; and Alice More in Man for All
Seasons.
Lyla will need to fill nine roles for Pawn; excellent roles for men and women
are available. Be on hand for the first
read-through April 18, if interested.
The Plowboy Reflects
(Guest column by Dave Stark)
Did I really know what I had gotten myself into? There were many times when I thought I had
made a big mistake. Would I be able to
memorize the many lines I had, let alone be able to convey them to an audience
in a meaningful manner? After all, this
was the first play I had ever been in, and I had the audacity to think I could
actually take on the lead role. (Who’ll Save the Plowboy?,
Puget Sound Christian College, March 19-21.)
Would I
have the energy necessary to display qualities and emotions that I did not have
much experience with in real life? I played an angry, bitter,
Godless, lying, wife-
slapping beer-drinker. In real life, I had never let my anger
escalate to the point where I had hit another person. Was I
blessed with a peaceful temperament, or did I bottle up my anger and
express it in other ways?
Displaying the necessary anger was the
most difficult part to learn, but through some soul-searching effort into the
meaning of anger in my own life, and help from a patient director, I tried to
make the most of it.
Playing the Plowboy was a very stressful experience, because as the lead I felt
a large responsibility for the success of the play. I did not want to let people down; I did want
to let myself down; and I did want to let God down. In our journey of becoming Christ-like, it is
difficult sometimes to believe that everything will work out for the best. We don’t see the good during the process of
change, but only after the change has taken place. It was
difficult for me to have faith during the preparation for 
the Plowboy that
everything would work out for the best, but I kept pressing on; and, of course,
things did work out. Was it worth
it? Absolutely.
I’m not clear just
how significant it was because I am not yet too far removed
from it, but I do know this: I’ve had a history of fear and nervousness
when speaking in front of groups; that fear has been all but eliminated. I know
that I want to serve God and I know that this experience can only
help make me an individual that God can use.
I believe God calls us to challenge
ourselves in areas of our lives where we have experienced stagnation or
fear. I
believe the Plowboy was God’s will for me to help me experience just
that sort of change, and I am very grateful for that
experience.
Improv
Connects
DIM has entertained the NCC
congregation at two recent potlucks with its own version of improvisational
theatre games. Inspired by the BBC show Whose Line is it Anyway?, aired on cable TV’s Comedy
Channel, DIM began working on improvisational exercises in 1996. As skills and rehearsal time allowed, the
range and complexity of exercises expanded.
With the (copy-cat) debut of Drew Carrey’s own
Line last summer, DIM enthusiasts
were finally persuaded to do this stuff in public. Our debut was last November.
The response has been
enthusiastic. It has provided an
excellent introduction to DIM for many theatre-wary congregation members.
Improv exercises will again be a standard feature of
our spring rehearsals (starting April 18) in preparation for a featured slot in
NCC’s annual Arts Festival.
The
Founder Accepts
An anonymous donor recently contributed $1000 to Normandy Christian
Church, earmarking the sum in support of DIM programs. DIM roundly thanks God for this
support, provided through this anonymous donor.
The funds will be allocated toward the
purchase of armaments and costumes for the coming Pawn and Murder in the
Cathedral.
Chi-Rho Gets Complex
July 9-12 has been set as the writing retreat weekend for
the Chi-Rho Files sequel. Set aside as
much of that Friday-Monday stretch as you can to help craft our next hour-long
episode. The retreat will be held at a
pool-side hideaway in Des
Moines. Contact
Greg Wright for more details (206-241-6149).
Copyright (c) 2002 Greg and Jenn
Wright | 