What a Service!

Kyle and I had the amazing privilege to play a small part in an amazing service! Thanks to Dustin Maust for the great photos!

See you all Monday night at the meeting. Don't forget to bring your "observations" to share. See you at 7pm Monday night!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Special high fives to Steph and her two girls Amy and Aleyna for their great performances in a drama in the Penguin room this weekend! What a talented family! The interactive drama was a great illustration to help support a powerful lesson from Sheila Besson about worrying from Matthew 6:25-33. It was fun to see the five and six year olds get all the correct answers to show they really understood what Jesus meant, but it was also definitely a great reminder for me with Easter services coming up! Thanks, ladies! Great job!

Observation, Part 2

Once a year, the women on my mom's side of the family get together.in some remote cabin somewhere in the South, usually Georgia or Tennessee. My skills of observation are always on high alert during these three to five day trips of spiritual renewal and Titus 2. I observe these incredible women of faith because I crave their hand-me-down wisdom so I can to apply it to my life in order to be a better follower of Christ, wife, and mother. They have no idea how much some of the words they've said on these trips have been ingrained in my mind. I'll never forget a couple of years ago when my second cousin Beth who is a counselor in Nashville looked at me and said "Let's just do right now right now." What a novel thought! And it changed me for the better from that point on. These women help me once a year with a shot in the arm that moves me a little farther from Martha and a little closer to Mary.

As actors, we have an incredible opportunity to use our skills of observation to better our own lives as well as thousands of others but pointing them towards Christ! What a privilege!

Richie explains the benefits well:

"It helps a student of the theatre to notice everything unusual and out of the ordinary in every day life. It builds his memory, his storage memory, with all visible manifestations of the human spirit . . . It opens his eyes to the full extent in appreciation of different personalities and values in people and works of art . . . in the theatre, we have to re-create life . . . we are obliged to notice the material with which we work . . . We shop in life every day and choose the most suitable things for every night that we spend in the theatre . . . The actor who has his gift of observation dulled and inactive will appear in wornout dress on a gala occasion. As a rule, I believe that inspiration is the result of hard work, but the only thing which can stimulate inspiration in an actor is constant and keen observation of every day of his life. "p. 106-108

Questions:

What have you observed this week that could be material for a possible story or character?

Any ideas for elements to create for Youtube or sermon spice?

Let's Go See the Stars Among Us!

Here are some shows coming up that are starring our very own drama team members! Place a comment below if you're interested in attending any of these with Lauren and me! Click on any of the links for ticket info. And if any of you or your family members are in any shows that I don't know about, please let me know so I can add to the list!



This weekend Corey Atwell will play one of the lead roles in Elkhart Memorial High School's Two by Two a musical about Noah and his ark, especially created for Danny Kaye back in the day. Lauren and I will be attending this Friday night at 7pm. All are welcome to join us!




Every weekend in March Anita is in the production of Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers at Amish Acres. March 1 - March 30Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. I think Lauren and I will hit a Sunday Matinee that last week to give Anita some flowers for her last show. Again, all are welcome to join us!




The last weekend in March Diana is playing a role in my favorite operetta of all time, The Pirates of Penzance at Bethel! (If you haven't seen the film version with Kevine Kline, Linda Ronstadt, and Angela Lansberry, you're missing out!) Lauren and I will be attending friday night March 28th at 7:30pm.



Hoep you'll take advantage of seeing at least one of these shows. And musicals are always fun for dates or for the kiddos!

I See Drama People

Heir Force Room Drama: Jackie, Kasie, Johnny J, and John Mc. directed by Phil
Penguin Room Drama: Sherry, Janet, and Judy directed by Sherry
with Dalene multi-tasking at check-in and Paul greeting us at the door!
Congrats to Judy, Kasie, and Johnny for great performances on their first serve oppportunities with the OPA drama team!

What a great weekend! Awesome job, everyone!

Turning Point Dramas For Kids

The turning point dramas for kids have ended their run. Special thanks to the following volunteers for their great performances: Hannah Brooks, Brad Miller, Josh Hoeft, Janell Martin, Tom Templin, Larry Richey, and John Kabzinski. Great job, everyone! We heard some amazing stories about how this is really changing the lives of kids. Thanks for playing a part in bringing some up there down here to a great group of kids!

"Observation" part one

The slide show above is what I "observe" when my daughter has too much sugar . . . : )

p.97-106

So, we're moving forward and starting Ch. 5 on "observation". This is a fun skill to talk about. Basically, you are surrounded by real "characters" everywhere you go! This chapter talks about exercising your mind to be a little more observant of yourself and your surroundings so we can create more convincing characters on the stage. We are constantly trying to find new ways to express the same things. We are continually striving to create original moments on the stage that are unexpected but make sense. Observation is a great tool for this.

In the book, the student and Boleslavsky meet the student's aunt for tea. The aunt has some pretty strong feelings about drama and her neice's talent. To prove his point, Richie leads her in a game of observation, and she feels a little befuddled and tricked. Her neice models the excellence of observation as she re-enacts her aunts movements and mannerisms to a "tea" (pun intended).

What struck you about this scene?

What actions have you observed in others this week that surprised you but made sense?