May GOD Bless you and yours!
May GOD Bless you and yours!
"Bringing Character and Characters to LIFE"
"Bringing Character and Characters to LIFE"
SYNOPSIS:
Bethlehem Inn is abuzz with excitement. The "No Vacancy" sign has been displayed for the first time in years, due to the census. The Innkeeper's family is not accustomed to having so many guests, and the stress upon the family becomes quite comical in the first scene.
The family will serve the guests their different courses of dinner (as they stay in character), making the guests a part of the action. In addition to "The Family", servers made up from the volunteer base will provide the bulk of the patron food service.
The guests will "sow" into the evening's entertainment upon arrival as they conduct the business of ticket transaction. Each guest will receive a gold coin token that they deposit into the Innkeepers burlap cash bag upon entering the Inn.
The CONFLICT begins when the Bag 0' Money disappears, not only making each patron a suspect but revealing the THEME of the show..."Where is your Treasure?" This begins the exposure of each major character's "Treasure" and their relationship to each other, which defines the PLOT.
During this time family stress heightens as problems with the cook and other servants puts the Innkeeper in a most disagreeable mood. As the Innkeeper, almost heartlessly, denies Joseph & Mary, (who are never seen or heard) entry into the Inn, he is in conflict with himself and ultimately permits them the use of the stable.
Sprinkled in and among the main plot, a PARALLEL PLOT develops with the three kings, aka, "The Wise Guys", that not only provide the COMEDY RELIEF but also converge with and redirect the MAIN PLOT to the manger, and hence, the MORAL of the STORY; "...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...". (Matthew 6:21)
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
THE FAMILY
Sol the Innkeeper Jewish, “Tevya” type
Leah Sol’s Wife typical Jewish Mother type
Adara eldest teenage Daughter. overly dramatic, lovelorn teen
Bara younger teen Daughter a little bossy middle child
Chava youngest Daughter a little whiny
Benjamin 10 year old Son full of mischief, typical boy
Aya Leah’s Sister town “gossip” Jewish, “Yenta” type
THE HEAD SERVANTS
Reuben young servant apprentice bright, faithful, curious
Obadiah old head servant Cook crusty and cantankerous
THE WISEGUYS
Balthazar wiseman the leader and adventurer, a Show-off
Melchior wiseman nerdy, inquisitive, nervous, funny
Kaspar wiseman. "absent-minded professor" type
ROMAN EMPIRE
Roman Security Guard takes account of the audience
Traveler ...he...travels. small role, encounter with “Wiseguys”
THE TOWNSPEOPLE
Rabbi the town “clergyman" says the Dinner Blessing in Hebrew
Traveler ...he...travels. small role, encounter with “Wiseguys”
Asher Shepherd #1 non-speaking role
Zeke Shepherd #2. non-speaking role
Boaz Shepherd #3. non-speaking role
Servants various occupations
These are unscripted townspeople characters that are helping Sol handle the overwhelmed Inn. These actors will be made up of the volunteer base of the organization that adopt, develop, maintain and improvise a particular fictitious Biblical character, in period costume, while serving the patrons. The servants MUST NOT break characters for the ENTIRE performance.
TICKETS will be available for sale very soon! Just keep looking at wwwTheatrixProductions.com to get your tickets.
Our menu is simply the right elements for a Three-Course Meal:
Delicious roasted chicken
These sweet potatoes are served with sour cream & Mediterranean toppings
The seasoned green beans are perfectly flavored
We have the BEST Hand-Made Rolls in Tidewater
We know what is important...Raisins On-The-Vine are shipped from Mojave Gold
A salad that prevails!
An wonderful sort of Mid-Eastern Appetizers with Leah's Dipping Olive Oil
This is the BEST Baklava that is drenched with honey
The Pen Inside the Inkwell Rests
The story is not over.
The novel is not done.The race has not been finished.
There is no setting sun.
The chapter is a blessed one
Filled with love and life
But like all chapters, it must end
For the next one to begin.
This book as many pages and many left to write
With your pen and your experience
Where you bring the script to life
So celebrate the chapter and close it with a smile
It's part of your story that shall go on for miles
The gifts that you have given in this chapter now complete
Is more than anyone can know;
is more than anyone can show
Embedded in the Victor's throne
invaluable gems, precious stones.
There is no time to sit and wait
Looking back upon a swinging gate
The harvest will come back to you
From the seeds you planted when
You gave the timid child his voice
When he thought he had no choice
But to stand alone in the unsung wings
Until you coaxed that voice to sing
And sing he did out brave and strong
Until he knew that he belonged
To something bigger than himself
Something he placed upon the shelf
Of every room inside his heart
He knew that he had played his part
A part that he could only do
Because of you.
The parchment is waiting on the desk
The pen inside the inkwell rests
For you with blue stain hands to hold ...
The next script waiting to be told.
Steve Hammond
Dedicated to Rocco and Kathi-lee Wilson in recognition for their transformative work in the lives of young actors at Saint Patrick Catholic School, Norfolk, Virginia
Here is a great writing by Trey Clarkson that includes an interview with Rocco & Kathi-Lee.
“Seven Reasons Live Theatre is Best in Person”
By Matthew Calhoun
Although live theatre is no longer a quintessential mode of entertainment, it still has its merits. It offers us a unique experience where we get to come together as a community and see a live performance. If you’re still wondering whether live theatre is best experienced in person, here are seven reasons why you should go see your next play in a live setting.
Live theatre lives and dies the night that it is performed. The show that played on Monday can be slightly different on Thursday. Why? Because it is all happening live. There are no redoes, no second chances. If a mistake is made, an actor must roll with it. If a prop is missing, a showrunner must improvise. The circumstances making it a live performance help the show be different from night to night. An audience can change the effectiveness of the play drastically. Moreover, actors can find new ways to express a character or more effective emotions for an audience. Unlike film, live theater requires that actors adapt on the fly because they never know what could go right or wrong. This makes a show authentic, even after multiple views. It’s one of many reasons live theatre can be better than movies.
One of the best parts about live theatre is the ability of an actor to use the crowd’s energy. This can make an otherwise dull character truly come alive. When an audience and an actor get in sync, comedic timing and dramatic effect work very well to sell a scene. In the end, it’s just an actor standing on stage, but the emotion, laughter, and ambiance are palpable. Whether it’s Peter Pan or Waiting for Godot, an audience’s actions can make or break a play.
Even though you’re not acting on stage, live theatre holds an incredible opportunity to make you part of the show. The actors get to feed off your energy and in turn, the show becomes better for it. Sometimes live theatre has intentionally interactive moments with the audience. This is why it is so important to go to live theater at least once. It’s an experience unlike any other that you can’t get in a movie theater. It feels as if a community is coming together under one roof.
Unlike movies, live theatre can’t hide things with a green screen. Practical sets, props, and effects are built from scratch. There is no CGI to compensate for a character not existing in real life. If you’re a fan of practical effects then you need to see live theatre. More importantly, if you’re a fan of practical makeup artistry then you should definitely go see a show. People are always surprised when they seek makeup artists to flaunt their skills in a creative way. If you are looking for creative stagecraft, shows like The Lion King is revolutionary in set and stage design.
If you want to test your skills as an actor, you don’t go to Hollywood, you go to live theatre. Live theatre gives you only one take to get the emotion and scene structure correct. You don’t have multiple takes to work up your emotions as you do in a film. It’s one shot to get it correct or nothing at all. If you want to see some truly amazing performers who can consistently evoke emotion then look to live theatre.
Live theatre has been innovating since its inception. The stage has stayed the same, but incorporating technology has vastly improved the theatre-going experience. People are making stages move, having people disappear, and creating magic, all with simple tools. You don’t have to go see the biggest blockbuster to see something that makes you go “Wow!”
Live theatre spans back thousands of years. It has always been used as a tool to contemplate society and our role within it. Theatre has a lot to offer because of that personal touch and being in the moment with that story. By going to a night of theatre, you’re doing the same thing people did thousands of years ago. There is a lot of history connected to those stages. Why not be a part of that history?
Article originally published at docklinemagazine.com on July 17 2020.
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