Righteous Insanity

Best moments on stage at Christian Academy

Waiting for curtain tonight, thinking about some of my favorite memories of the past 5 years at Christian Academy as theater director. Here are some I'll never forget:

 

Straining to hear laughs when Robin Hood and his merry men entered to The A-Team theme as my first show there began. It was a small audience, but yes, they did laugh.

 

The day Cassie Bays brought in the painting of Elwood P. Dowd and Harvey. The painting is currently being re-used in place of the Mona Lisa in Annie.

 

The incredibly chiling graveyard scene from Our Town - best acting ever done on that stage under my direction.

 

The "Mr. Big" jingle composed by Jon Driver for our production of Get Smart.

 

The night someone said the name of the Scottish Play during production and a door that was supposed to open did not - causing someone to miss an entrance and creating a minor glitch in the show. Lesson learned, theater students??

 

Tormenting Ollie Ballew with the pink dress, the dress she wore and hated during her first show at CAI. The dress made many surprise appearances in successive plays.

 

Watching "Mr. Morton" during Schoolhouse Rock with my daughter. It was her favorite song in the show.

 

Nothing will top the most memorable moment of all. It was closing night for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Just before he went on stage to sing Canaan Days, I told Jon Driver I would bring him a water bottle and a bucket to rinse with and spit when he paused during the really long note near the end of the song. I ran out as planned, Jon took a swig and rinsed, and he spat right in my face. It was beautiful.

A Look Back

Tomorrow evening, April 15, I'll be opening my final show at Christian Academy of Indiana as theater director. Being the dad of a 2 and 3 year old, I've become increasingly home sick on rehearsal nights, and I'm ready to take a year or two off just to go home and be Daddy after work.  

We're doing Annie this spring, the 10th show and 3rd musical since I took over as drama director. As the end approaches, I've spent some time reflecting on the last 5 years. Thus far, we've had 2 outstanding plays, several good ones, a few good ones, and two stinkers. If I had to rank them, this is how they would shake out.

9. Pygmalion - A disaster all the way. Some good performances by a few cast members, held back by absences due to winter colds and flu and canceled rehearsals due to snow days. It also didn't help that no one had ever heard of Pygmalion. 

8. Harvey - My second show, produced in a mere six weeks. The core actors I've worked with were still pretty green - freshmen and sophomores - and the shortened schedule weakened the show as well. Could have been better with another two weeks of prep.

7. The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood - My first play. Sophomoric, amateur, but funny as could be. We milked every joke we could out of the already funny script. Some very talented seniors in that cast along with 8th and 9th graders who would shine in future years.

6. Get Smart - A fun and funny show that saw a lot of young talent getting their first crack at the stage. All in all a solid show. We even re-shot the opening credits from the TV show to play before curtain.

5. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Our first musical. Funny show with solid acting, but musically weak. It was a huge challenge for the students, and our largest audience to date.

4. A Midsummer Night's Dream - My second time directing Shakespeare's most beloved comedy. The students struggled with some of the language, and there were ad-libs and dropped lines all over the place. But the physical comedy and creative use of music carried the show.

 3. Schoolhouse Rock - Musical #2 and the first all middle school production. Kids who had been relegated to one line roles got their first real taste of playing leads, and they rose to the occasion. Blew Pygmalion off the stage.

2. The Cinderella Complex - I originally looked at this script as a possible middle school show, but after reading it, I gave it to the high school. This is a very funny twist on Cinderella, and it ended up being the swan song for this year's senior class, as only two seniors stuck around to do Annie. A seasoned cast turned in the best ensemble performance since the #1 show on this list.

1. Our Town - This is the only straight drama we did during my tenure, and the kids put on their best performance ever. Strong seniors in this show, with great supporting performances from the juniors on down to the sixth graders. The script demanded a lot of the actors, and the actors rose to the occasion. It's the proudest I've ever been of any school play.

I Rooster on Sermon Spice

It's two weeks until Easter. If you're headed for Sermon Spice to find an Easter weekend video, I have a suggestion you might enjoy. 

 

I, Rooster

Sermonspice.com

See Details Buy Now

 

Wrestlemania from a Theater Arts Perspective

A few observations on the show, mostly from a theater arts POV.

1. The Rock is electric. This was always evident watching on television, but live at Mania, I saw this one man hold 72,000 people on their feet for 10 minutes, completely captive and held in his sway. He is the most charismatic performer I have ever seen live, and he is all he has been hyped to be.

 

2. These guys are GOOD actors. Like any play, a wrestling match is supposed to tell a story, and to make it to this level, especially Wrestlemania, you have to be able to tell stories in the ring. Just as on stage, this is all about acting. On television you have the commentators to help in telling said story. But when you strip away the chatter, these guys can act, tell a story, and make you feel. Triple H was a prime example this year in his attempt to defeat the Undertaker's Wrestlemania winning streak. I'm not saying that a wrestler is ready to win an Oscar, but each one of these individuals is playing a character that, in some cases, they have developed and played for years. As that character, they can act, they can tell a story, and they can entertain you without having to say a single word.

 

3. For every man in the ring, there are 10 making him look good elsewhere. Like any play, the WWE live shows depend on dozens of techies. We had a close up view of the stage crew during Mania, and these guys worked as hard all night to keep the show running and make their superstars look good. It was impressive to watch how fast and efficient they were.

 

4. There's value in keeping the special stuff special. The Undertaker does his plancha move - a head first dive over the top rope - once a year at Mania. It's unusual to see a performer his size do such a move, and it makes his Mania performance special. Cody Rhodes had a special moment of his own, unveiling something he no doubt knew he could do on the grandest stage of them all with his superplex of Rey Mysterio. If you're wanting people to come back, to keep watching, don't throw out your best stuff at the start.

 

5. To get ahead, you have to push others ahead. I wrote a little about this a few days ago. If you want to get ahead in this business, you have to put other people over. When you make your opponents look good, you look good - and everyone wants to work with you. Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and the Undertaker in his prime were some of the best. They could make the worst guys look good in the ring. That's one good reason why they're legends.

 

6. Know your audience, and give them what they want. You can't please everyone, because not everyone likes the same guys, but you have to pay off your stories, give the bad guys their come uppance, and generally give us what we came to see. We want to see the Rock Bottom, the People's Elbow, the Pedigree, the 619, the Tombstone Piledriver, and Santino Marella's devastating maneuver, the Cobra. And when Stone Cold Steve Austin comes out, someone better get a Stone Cold Stunner. We got 3 the other night, including one to Booker T - right after he gave us a Spinerooni. Happy to say on every count, we got what we wanted.

Laura Goes to Sunday School

About 15 years ago, my friend Laura Gary and I formed a spin off from the Northside Dramamaniacs drama team called Craving Chaos. We only did a few gigs, but one of the plays that came out of that time is a short piece about a little girl and her clever Sunday School teacher, written for a teacher appreciation banquet. 

SONshine Theater in Indianapolis will soon be presenting a new production of Laura Goes to Sunday School. If you're in the area, you can learn more about SONshine and get information on performances at their website, www.sonshinetheater.net

The script is included as part of the kids skit collection available at The Righteous Insanity Web Store

Biblical Costumes

Got an email from what looks like a great source for authentic Biblical costumes. No bathrobes here, this is the good stuff, esp. if you're looking at a large church show or a film production. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out: 

http://bible.karolb.com/

Wrestling and Improv - Two analogies

To be a professional wrestler at the highest level, you have to have two things: athletic ability, and strong improvisational acting skills. Some are stronger in one area of another, but both are essential to making it to the top levels of the business. These days you could argue that the acting is more important than the athleticism, though that's certainly not going away.

 

In both professional wrestling and improv, the goal is to serve the story rather than the individuals. For wrestlers, it's all about the match; for actors, it's all about the scene. Just as improv actors have to work together, supporting one another, wrestlers have to put each other over as well.

 

When it works, it's a beautiful thing. Two actors feeding each other and feeding off of each in an attempt to make their partner look good other can make an audience howl with laughter. Two wrestlers who "sell" each other's moves and do their best to make the other guy look good can put on an epic match. (See any Wrestlemania match with Shaun Michaels.)

 

When a wrestler puts himself first, they won't sell their opponents moves. They glorify themselves, and they infuriate those they work with. They may burn bright and reach the top, but their downfall is just as fast. Ask the Ultimate Warrior.

 

When actors put themselves first, grand-standing and upstaging their co-stars, they may still get laughs. But they bury their acting partners which, in the long run, may hurt them. No one wants to work with a partner who doesn't give and take.

 

There's a spiritual application parallel to both of these. Do you see it? How would you apply it to life and share it with others? 

Finally... A New Skit/ Post "Consequence Free Evangelism"

For those regular readers, I apologize for the long gap. Kids were sick, then I was sick, then I was out of town, off to my first ever Wrestlemania after 25 years of dreaming about it. I'll write more on that in the future, I'm sure, but I will say this: for me, the WWE live is more fun than any sporting event, concert, or other live attraction than I have ever experienced. And yes, I have been to an NFL game - Cowboys and Eagles in the old Texas Stadium. This was more fun even than that! 

But you don't want to hear from me. You want a new script. This one was written with video in mind, but a little tweaking and you could put it on stage just as easily. Enjoy. 

Consequence-Free Evangelism

By John Cosper

www.righteousinsanity.com

 

CHARACTERS

Nathan, Meredith, and Alan – Shy believers resistant toward evangelism

Angela – A tract person

Ted – A bumper sticker guy

Dan – A tattoo guy

 

 

Nathan and Meredith are sitting at a conference table.

 

NATHAN: Pastor Rick's done it again. He wants us all to be "Ambassadors for Christ." How are we going to skirt around this one?

MEREDITH: I can't tell people about Jesus. That's just not who I am.

NATHAN: You? What about me? I'm up for re-election in the fall. You think this city wants to re-elect a Jesus Freak as their coroner?

 

Alan is standing by the window, looking out.

 

ALAN: Meredith, Dr. Baker, please calm down. No one in this room wants to tell anyone about Jesus. (he turns to them) And no one is going to tell anyone about Jesus either.

NATHAN: What do you mean? Pastor Rick said--

ALAN: I know what Pastor Rick said. But there are alternatives for those who are shy; those who have careers at stake; and those who simply don't want to.

MEREDITH: Well, you going to tell us?

ALAN: No. But I've invited three people here to tell us how they made a loophole in the system.

 

Alan walks to the door and opens it.

 

ALAN: Send the first one in, please.

 

Alan sits down as Angela enters.

 

MEREDITH: (whispering) What's going on?

ALAN: Just listen.

ANGELA: Hello, everyone. I'm Angela Kratz, and I'm with Secret Jesus.

NATHAN: Did you say, Secret Jesus?

ANGELA: That's right. Secret Jesus. We're the people who spread the life changing message of Jesus far and wide... without ever saying a word. 

MEREDITH: That's impossible.

ANGELA: Is it?

 

Meredith looks down. There's a tract in front of her.

 

MEREDITH: Hey, what's this?

ANGELA: It's called a tract, and it's our secret weapon. We buy these by the truckload, and then we deposit them everywhere we go. Bathrooms, gas stations, restaurants, any place public. And no one ever sees us.

NATHAN: But how can you possibly do that without anyone seeing you?

ANGELA: Look down.

 

Nathan looks down. All of a sudden, there's a tract in front of him too.

 

NATHAN: Wow, how did you do that?

ANGELA: (with a wink) That's Secret Jesus.

 

Scene changes. Ted is standing in front of the group with an open briefcase.

 

TED: I'm Ted the bumper sticker guy. There is no better time or place to share your faith than when your driving, and bumper stickers are the perfect vehicle - forgive the pun - for sharing the gospel. Choose from witty bumpers like "God is My Co-Pilot," fire and brimstone messages like "Turn or Burn," or something more abstract.

 

He holds up a sticker of an Ichthus fish.

 

MEREDITH: Looks simple and easy.

NATHAN: Yeah, but what if you get mad at someone in traffic?

 

Close up of Ted with an awkward, embarrassed expression. Sound effects of tires squealing, cars crashing, and garbled road rage yelling echo, as if he's remembering them. Ted gathers his bumper stickers and leaves.

 

Scene changes. Dan is standing in front of the group.

 

DAN: My name is Dan Buford Wainwright Hunter, founder of St. Peter's Drive-Thru Communion and Tattoo Station. We believe the best way to share God's word is not to tell it, but to wear it.

NATHAN: How?

DAN: Like this.

 

Dan takes his shirt off. His body is tattooed with the entire Bible. (Note: shoot him from the neck up from behind and you don't have to do anything to him - unless you have an actor with a lot of patience.) Alan gets up for a closer look.

 

ALAN: This is amazing! Is this the whole Bible?

DAN: This is just the New Testament. (he turns) Here's the Old Testament. The Catholic Books are down on my calves.

ALAN: Incredible. You can hide it any time you need just by putting your shirt on. What do you think, guys?

MEREDITH: I think it looks incredibly painful.

DAN: It was. But when you consider what Christ went through on the cross, is it so much to ask that we experience a little pain?

NATHAN: That's a good point. That's a very good point.

 

Nathan gets up to leave.

 

MEREDITH: Nate, where are you going?

NATHAN: I'm going to do what God wants me to do.

MEREDITH: You're not really going to go out there, are you?

 

Nathan walks out of the room.

 

MEREDITH: What about your re-election?

ALAN: (pointing) Does that verse really say you should not tattoo your body?

 

Fade Out.