Yes, that's right--Shakespeare said it differently, but I say that, "All of BHBC's a stage, and all the men, women, and children are merely players". Lately, it seems as though I barely finish writing one script before the pressure's on to write another. You wouldn't believe all the acting talent our church holds--talk about hiding candles under bushels! I'm surprised that some of these natural thespian's bushels didn't go up in flames long before this, metaphorically-speaking.
Our first production was for the homeschool recital early this month. Guess the subject? Exactly, what every homeschooler gravitates toward when considering skit topics--the Bubonic plague! Trust me, it was more entertaining and less gory than it sounds. We really wanted to emphasize the socioeconomic changes that the plague brought about; the economic changes as some landowners had to pay their serfs for their services, the social changes as the plague brought down barriers between the rich and poor, the religious changes as the common people noticed that the priests were helpless against the tide of the illness...Well, you get the picture. And there was nary a rat in sight, much to the relief of the recital attendees. There were some flying socks, however...
We treated the subject as if it were a movie, with costumed, period performers on stage, speaking their minds about these various subjects, with a medieval twist, of course; off-stage, my brother A.J. narrated the drama, pausing the performers with the 'aid' of a remote control. This required great muscle control from the girls onstage--it was a struggle for them not to burst out laughing during rehearsals. C'mon, you try saying to someone, "Keep off from us, plague-monger! Even your breath carries the disease! I pray heaven that none of the contagion from (you) has come near me!" You're smiling already. But, when the actual performance came around, their performance was word-perfect, and not a smile cracked their lips as they stood frozen on the platform while A.J. offered a modern commentary on the subject. As the director, I was overflowing with pride in their performance--what a troupe!
The second production is a bit different in theme and cast--it is an all-adult production, for one thing, and it's taking place on Christmas Eve. I'm not going to say too much about the content, but let's just say that it involves some unusual royalty, camel fur, and an authentic Japanese wiseman! It's very different directing a group of adults--for one thing, you don't find too many of them crying backstage. But it has it's own challenges. My Mom has been appointed Head of Costuming, and she's been sewing, ripping, and planning at a mind-boggling pace. It should definitely be a memorable Christmas Eve event!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Our first production was for the homeschool recital early this month. Guess the subject? Exactly, what every homeschooler gravitates toward when considering skit topics--the Bubonic plague! Trust me, it was more entertaining and less gory than it sounds. We really wanted to emphasize the socioeconomic changes that the plague brought about; the economic changes as some landowners had to pay their serfs for their services, the social changes as the plague brought down barriers between the rich and poor, the religious changes as the common people noticed that the priests were helpless against the tide of the illness...Well, you get the picture. And there was nary a rat in sight, much to the relief of the recital attendees. There were some flying socks, however...
We treated the subject as if it were a movie, with costumed, period performers on stage, speaking their minds about these various subjects, with a medieval twist, of course; off-stage, my brother A.J. narrated the drama, pausing the performers with the 'aid' of a remote control. This required great muscle control from the girls onstage--it was a struggle for them not to burst out laughing during rehearsals. C'mon, you try saying to someone, "Keep off from us, plague-monger! Even your breath carries the disease! I pray heaven that none of the contagion from (you) has come near me!" You're smiling already. But, when the actual performance came around, their performance was word-perfect, and not a smile cracked their lips as they stood frozen on the platform while A.J. offered a modern commentary on the subject. As the director, I was overflowing with pride in their performance--what a troupe!
The second production is a bit different in theme and cast--it is an all-adult production, for one thing, and it's taking place on Christmas Eve. I'm not going to say too much about the content, but let's just say that it involves some unusual royalty, camel fur, and an authentic Japanese wiseman! It's very different directing a group of adults--for one thing, you don't find too many of them crying backstage. But it has it's own challenges. My Mom has been appointed Head of Costuming, and she's been sewing, ripping, and planning at a mind-boggling pace. It should definitely be a memorable Christmas Eve event!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Our onstage performers for the Bubonic plague skit. As you can see, we didn't have a huge budget for costuming! Unfortunately, we didn't get many pictures of the skit, but we did get it all on film--if you're interested, ask for a viewing next time you drop by!
A sneak-preview of the Christmas Eve skit. Why does Mr. L. have a tablet as a prop? Come and find out!
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