How
to Take it
From the Page to the Stage
by
Carmel G. Hearn
Article Listing:
How to Take it From the Page to the Stage
What to do When the Unexpected Happens on Stage
Do You Know Where You're Coming From?
What Your Kids Get From Drama Ministry
What to do When Your Drama Team Doesn't Care Anymore!10 Things to do Before Your Performance
Extraordinary Lessons from Peculiar People
Tech Talk: Costumes
Jeni Fabian's costume book recommendations
You’ve read the
plays, gotten the inside scoop from the authors, and taken notes on the
tips and techniques from the editors. But now it’s time to hear from a
subscriber! Let me tell you about our recent production of Drama Ministry
script #60866, HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE.
For our 2002 Advent/Christmas services,
we wanted something more poignant to use in conjunction with the Advent
Wreath lighting in the Worship service. HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE was the
perfect fit. There are a few laugh lines but, for the most part, this
series of monologues has just the right dramatic tone.
On Casting
It is often a matter of serious thought and prayer to connect the right
people with the characters they should be playing. Sometimes it’s easy.
We have a lady in our church who was just the right age and personality
to play Elizabeth.
What is even better, her husband, who says he’ll do anything except speak
in front of the church, was perfect for the role of Zechariah (who does
not speak). Of course, he mugged appropriately for the congregation during
Elizabeth’s adorable monologue. (Casting tidbit #1: our praise band trumpet
player played the role of the angel Gabriel…get it?) But sometimes casting
decisions are not so obvious. When it came to filling the roles of Anna
and Simeon, we had the perfect Simeon, but could not think of anyone old
enough (that we could approach) to play the elderly Anna. Casting in this
age range can be awkward. The solution? We asked a teenager to play the
role. It’s easy to “age” a young girl. Just draw some wrinkles on her
face, dress her in biblical attire, have her hunch over, walk slowly,
use a cane, and speak in an “old lady “ voice. 
On Stage Directions
Stage directions are simply suggestions. When we blocked the scenes for
HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE, several of the actors expressed concerns about
carrying the lit candles that the stage directions indicated. When I told
them we were going to do things a little differently, some had a difficult
time understanding that it is okay to make changes in the stage directions,
as long as the end result is the same. So at the precise moment the Advent
candle was to be lit, the actor picked up a short candle lighter (like
the acolytes use), which he then lit from another previously lit candle,
then lit the specified Advent candle.
On Dialogue
Sometimes dialogue doesn’t fit a particular situation, and may have to
be modified as well. For example, Elizabeth refers to the pink candle,
comparing it to the blush she felt when she found out she was having a
child. However, we did not have a pink candle in our Advent Wreath (they
were all blue, except for the Christ Candle). We simply ended the line
with “today I light the candle of joy,” deleting the reference to “pink”
and “blushing.”
Our congregation loved this script. It had the perfect tone and message,
and was well cast. When those elements are right, my life as a director
is good. The credit goes to God, and a little to
Drama Ministry, too. I have learned to depend on Drama Ministry for scripts
that “fit”, as well as for useful tips and techniques that help get the
play from the page to the stage.
This article was contributed by Carmel G. Hearn. Photos
in this article are from the production of “HOPE, FAITH, JOY, LOVE” by
Rene Gutteridge, presented during the 2002 Advent/Christmas season at
Sixes United Methodist Church in Canton, Georgia. The cast members were:
Art Kurz, Todd Cantrell, Millie McCue, Mac McCue, Carmel Hearn, Bob Tiedeman,
and Rochelle Tiedeman. The series was directed by Carmel Garvin Hearn.
|
|
