Lesson One: Concentration, Part 1

(on p. 3-4)

Lesson one is all about where to focus our concentration. A good place to start for us as a team, but it may not be exactly what Richy had in mind when he wrote this book . . . .

Richard Boleslavsky ("Richy") says that "Art cannot be taught. To possess an art means to possess talent. That is something on has or has not." I think it's safe to say after last week, we can be confident in the "art" and talent of this team!

So, let's be honest, Richie isn't most tender of mentors, but at least he agrees to teach the young girl whom he lovingly refers to as "The Creature" (ah, how sweet!-gag).

The thing I love about us going through this book together is that we can take it all in through the common lens of Christ. Do something fun with me, reread the following quote from the top of 18 where we replace the word theatre with Christ and think about that it means for us as artists in the church.

"Loving Christ is not enough. Who in the church does not love Him? To consecrate oneself to Christ, to devote one's entire life to Him, give Him all one's thought, all one's emotions, all one's art! For the sake of Christ to give up everything, to suffer everything! And more important than all, to be ready to give Christ everything--Your entire being--expecting Christ to give you anything in return beyond His own life, not the least grain of what seemed to you so beautiful in Him and so alluring."


Question #1: What are some unique ways you've found to renew your faith and carry out a daily walk with Christ?
Questions #2: Any concerns that we can pray for together?

**Extra Credit assignment? : )
Your stories and monologues were so well-written, well-performed and inspiring that we're thinking about doing a one-act play for a sermon in October during the heroes series, do you have any good stories about heroes from your life who volunteered in a church or taught you about faith in their actions and not just their words? Send me an e-mail and share your stories, so we can start compiling. Can't wait for more awesome tales from the team!

What a ride!

WOW! Well, I don't know about you but I'm still feeling the dizziness from our roller coaster tonight. We experienced funerals, first kisses, bathroom visits, white-knuckled parenting moments, text messages, and a starbucks visit we'll never forget. We traveled to India, Italy, a barber shop in Georgia, an elementary school in California, a beauty contest a the county fair, a doctor's office, and the 1920's. We held a nickel in our hands, got a sign from God, went up the down escalator, and discovered that even dogs have their day in ministry. We learned the value of friendship, authenticity, and empathy, even in the toughest of situations. I am in awe of your candor, your stories, and Christ at work in all of you. I am also incredibly humbled and grateful that God has led us to an honest church with honest people who aren't afraid to recognize His presence in the oddest of places and messiest times of life. Thanks, guys. You are awesome. What a ride!

Questions for You:
1.) Who/what surprised you the most?
2.) Unforgettable moments for you?

"The Monologue" (dun, dun, dun)

Many of you have been wondering the purpose of the first assignment and the specifics of expectation. Before we get to that, let me introduce you to the man of the year (of our training year anyway): Constantin Stanislavski or "Stan" as I like to call him.

As a young actor in Russia, this guy was completely frustrated at the lack of consistency in theater. He hated that actors were limited to one of three things: 1.) mimicing others in an exaggerated attempt to entertain the audience, or 2.) simply waiting around for what he called "heavenly gifts" of creative inspiration, or 3.) playing the role of slave puppet for the director and having no creative input whatsoever. So he sought to develop a system that would consistently produce the conditions for inspiration to appear and authenticity to occur. This is the system we will be studying. So, why begin with monologue about our lives? Let Stan tell you . . .

From "My Life in Art"

"For years, I copied naivete, but I was not naive; I moved my feet quickly but I did not perceive any inner hurry that might cause short quick steps. I had played more or less artfully, copying the outer appearances of experiencing my part and of inner action. From performance to performance I had merely made a mechanical habit of going through all these technical gymnastics, and muscular memory, which is so strong among actors, and had powerfully fixed my bad theatrical habit . . . What was I to do? How was I to save my roles from bad rebirths, from spiritual pertification, from the autocracy of evil habit and lack of truth? . . . There was nothing that I left undone in order to solve the mystery. I watched myself closely, I looked into my soul, so to say, on stage and off . . . I realized that the more an actor wishes to amuse his audience, the more the audience will sit in comfort waiting to be amused, and not even try to play its part in the play on the stage before it. But as soon as the actor stops being concerned with his audience, the latter begins to watch the actor . . . The actor must first of all believe in everything that takes place on the stage, and most of all he must believe in what he himself is doing."

So, to make his pretensious Russian verbage a bit simpler: Rather than focus on "looking angry" and on what the audience might be seeing, you ask yourself, what would I do in this situation and begin with the truth of who you are. Thus, the monologue as our starting point. . .

Sanford Meisner (a great American teacher of the system-we'll be studying his techniques, too) said "Acting is living truthfully in imaginary circumstances." So where better to begin acting truthfully than in the truth of our own lives? Plus, we get some bonus community building by getting to know eachother a little better! I can't wait to hear all the great stories of truth, especially in a group who has chosen to follow Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. See ya Monday in the Heir Force room at 7pm! Don't forget to smile pretty for your headshot! : )

Question#1: On the spectrum of Stan's ideas (10) and focusing on what the audience sees (1), where does your focus tend to go when you perform?

Question #2: Any concerns or questions about the assignment?

Excellence attracts exellence!

Please join me in welcoming two great additions to our core team, Anita Remier and Diana Morford. Anita (second pic) is the assistant Theater Professor at Bethel and has an MFA in Acting. Diana (first pic) is a junior at Bethel majoring in Theatre. Their knowledge, talent,experience, and skill will add greatly to our acting, directing, and training teams! We're blessed to have these ladies join our team!

Disciplined Artists: An Oxymoron?

"I had an interesting discussion once with a professional counselor who pointed out that his experience with people with artistic temperaments was that they were highly undisciplined. He referred to us as free spirits who are usually messy, highly unorganized, always late for appointments, and irresponsible with personal finances . . . the misconception surrounding discipline is that it's a lot of work for nothing and is never any fun. But I think we in the arts know better, don't we? Who understands the value of discipline more than an artist? For us, it's just common sense. If you want to become an accomplished artist, you have to have a fair mount of discipline. In fact, discipline reaps rewards. There is always a payoff for the hard work you put in, something enjoyable and completely wonderful waiting at the end." Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.To him he's always doing both." James Michener

"If I'm sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you've always stood up for me, I'm free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post."Psalm 63:4-6

Many of us are parents, and we know this concept of discipline is a challenge we face as we raise our kids. Why is it that taking the Barbie's out of the toy box is fun, but placing them back in is torture? It's almost the same act! : ) Who decides what's work and what's play? How do we as "begin with the end in mind" (7 Habits)? We will have to find a balance as we work hard and play hard toward our goal of excellence for the kingdom. I'm looking forward to both sides, knowing the rewards are far greater than we could imagine (but we certainly got a sneak peek as we saw over 600 people walked through a door!)

Question #1: (Getting to know each other) What do you consider "work", and what do you consider "play"?
For me, "work" would definitely involve math of some kind or a boring lecture by someone who doesn't care about what they are speaking about, and "play" would be anything surrounding words or stories. Lauren redefines the word "play" for me every day. That kid can make a game out of anything!

Question #2: Why do you think artists are often associated with being undisciplined? How would you argue either side of the debate?

Question #3: As we move forward with a more disciplined structure, what rewards do you anticipate for the team, the church, and the kingdom?

Great job, Lisa!

You go, girl. Get down with your baptized self! Let's all take some time to thank Lisa for tackling the meaningful monologue about baptism last weekend! And if you get a minute, e-mail Dan and tell him what a great job he did on the song! A great package to encourage people to take this awesome step!

If you missed the service, check it out online! www.gccwired.com

Hey, we've got a heap of great stuff coming up with the Office series, three feature medias and two live! If you're chomping at the bit to get in on the action, don't miss out on the shoot on the 20th. Log in to basecamp or click HERE and let me know if you're available!

Hungry for Feedback

Many of you have expressed an interest in honest feedback throughout the process. Solomon, one of the wisest men of all time, reiterated this:

"He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise." Proverbs 15:31

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted." Proverbs 27:5-6

I'm going to continue to keep it real this week. Throughout this new process, there will be lots of honest feedback. We'll be uncomfortable, a little frustrated perhaps, but always aware of the push towards excellence and the joy we caught a glimpse of as we saw people walk through the door this past weekend. I'm excited to see you eager for this honesty-- a far cry from my high school teaching days!

Let me just say how honored I am to be able to lead in the process. I'm scared, thrilled, and humbled at the thought a leading such a talented group of adults who are much wiser than I will ever be!

I'm soaking in the Leadership Summit this week as I prepare for this new phase of my life. Insane teenagers are one thing, but you are an intimidating crowd! But I'm trusting in the words of Carly Fiorina, a great female leader from the business world, who said "Many fears are stupid, but they're real. And everytime you overcome a fear, you get stronger. None of us can learn unless we're outside our comfort zones." ("Tough Choices" Interview 8/9/07) And if I could pick a group of people to venture out of my comfort zone with, it would be you guys!

There are many sides to being honest about where we are and where we are heading, and I saw them exemplified in three key speakers at the summit this week. Each one poses an interesting question for us to consider as a team. Let's problem-solve together:

1.) Marcus Buckingham reminds us to focus on our strengths because those are our biggest areas of potential growth. ("Now Discover Your Strengths"-great book)

Question #1: What are some of our areas of strength as a team and our effectivness in storytelling?


2.) Bill Hybels challenged us as leaders to create our vision as a team by addressing the issues honestly and openly, so we can own the vision together and continue to refine it in the years to come.("Vision to Die For" 8/9/07)

Question #2: What areas would you like to see improve in the next few years?


3.) Colin Powell said that a truly great leader always craves the knowledge of his team and is constantly open to challenge and discussion of ideas.

Question #3: What ideas do you have about the new structure? What's on your minds? Any issues you want to open up for discussion?

I'm waiting, listening, and eager. Feed me the feedback . . . .

Standing ovation from the team!

I don't know about you guys, but I was blown away by what Paul, David, Shelley, Deanna, and Dalene did this weekend! Also, thanks to Rebecca for helping in the writing process as well. An excellent, relevant, authentic arrow that pointed straight to the doorway of Christ. I even got to see one of my former students walk through the door!!! Take some time to give some online applause by leaving a comment below. Wow, they rocked!

Keepin' it Real

Hey guys!

Welcome to the GCC drama team hangout! Add this to your favorites or bookmarks so you can find it easily and come hang out with us. Be sure to browse the comments of other team members as you check in to add to the discussion. I will be posting weekly and looking forward to hearing some of your feedback as we take this journey together toward excellence, relevance and authenticity in our art.

Dual purpose of this blog:
1. Build Community
get to know, listen (well, read), support, encourage, lift each other up

2. Moving Forward
read and discuss some new and old ideas that will stretch our hearts,minds,and artistic skills so we can take steps together toward Christ and excellence in our artform

Question #1: What would you like add to the list of purposes?




Here are a few quotes to jump start our thinking:
"Authenticity is a powerful witness to the presence of God in our lives. It doesn't mean we're perfect. It means that we're real. It means we're honest about our imperfections and our struggles. We don't gloss over them and put on a happy Christian face to cover up our pain. We admit that we struggle . . . the arts excel at identifying with people's pain and ministering the truth of God's word with sensitivity . . .the arts speak to the heart. The arts make us more sensitive and tender to the voice of God . . . I believe God is trying to raise up a global community of Christian artists who are fully devoted to the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives. My friend, if that's the desire of your heart, forsake all else and follow Him. He's calling us to play a major role in the church. What an honor. What a privilege. Oh, that we may be found trustworthy (1 Cor. 4:2)!"
Rory Noland, The Heart of the Artist

"Day by day our lives are woven into a giant narrative, and every moment we become more and more the story of who we are. We are stories. And we only connect with other people when we know their stories. The more intimate we are, the more our stories intertwine . . . and each one of those stories, each one of those people, mattered so much to the Author of Life that he left heaven and began the dreadful trek to the cross . . . The storyteller entered the tale. The author stepped onto the page. The poet whose very words had written the cosmos became part of the text of this world." Steven James, Story


"The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood." John 1:14 (Msg)

I'm keepin' it real here guys, if we are truly going to come together as a team and bring some amazing art to the stage that points people to Christ, then we've got to have a place where we can be real and build eachother up. This blog is just a start.

Question #2: We all know Jesus was the king of keepin' it real. Do you have a favorite story from the Bible where Jesus modeled authenticity for us?




Our first meeting is coming up soon. We will be handing out books,taking headshots, and beginning our acting training.
ASSIGNMENT #1: Write a 1-2 minute monologue about a true story/experience from your life. It can be funny, meaningful, confusing, odd--anything goes, as long as it's real. These will be memorized and performed at our first meeting in August ( Monday the 27th 7-10pm). I will be performing one about my first kiss (try not to throw up) : ). Here are a few starter ideas:
-how I survived an embarrassing moment from childhood
-how I (or your child) learned an important life lesson the hard way
-why I think _________ should be ___________
-the truth about _____________
Please try to include some source of conflict (and don't feel like it has to be resolved. I'm a parent but that doesn't mean I've figured out how to be a great Mom yet.) You can use some small props like photos or knick knacks. For instance, Shelley could perform a monolgue about her love affair with coffee and hold a starbucks cup gingerly in her arms ... : )


If you have a personal blog, list it in the comments, and I'll add it to the links. Each of us has a beautiful story. Let's share our stories with eachother so we can tell better stories on stage to bring people to Christ. Thank you so much for committing your time and energy to this. God is already setting up the dominoes. We may not even know the scope of what our art will do in people's lives and for the kingdom this year, but I'm excited we get to do this together! See you the 27th!