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"The
Heart of Grace"
A
Report to the Congregation:
Dinner Theater 2005
By:
Becky Spencer
There have
been many comments that the dinner theater was so great that we should
have made the ticket prices higher. The cast and crew thank you for
the compliments, but I feel that I need to respond, so everyone
understands why The Dinner Theater Small Group made the decision to
lower the price to $12 per ticket (plus reductions for children). It's
simple: the dinner theater is not a fund raiser, it is a self funded
outreach program. We only want to try to cover our expenses, or have a
few dollars to fund the next project.
Here are the
facts: we had 321 individuals attend the show. We generated $3075 in
ticket sales. Our expenses were high this year which included the
construction of two elaborate sets and the incredible costumes. Even
with the expenses, we had a surplus of $379 for future outreach
programs of the Dinner Theater Small Group.
There were
60 individuals who volunteered on various small groups to make the
Dinner Theater a success. A list of the volunteers is included on this
page. Thank you to all for your support!!
Here are
a few fun facts about the play:
There were
100 more tickets sold and 20 more volunteers involved than in 2004.
The small group structure is working for the dinner theater program.
Cast member
Wes Sistrunk (Gualt) had perfect attendance for rehearsals!! (We
noticed - good job!)
Our Forrest
Nymphs, Tierney McClure and Mckenzie Limes-Brooks, did not start
attending rehearsals until about three weeks before the opening and
they both had their scripts memorized before all of the other cast
members. (Does that say something for a young brain?)
Dick Weaver
stepped in for me as narrator after I contracted a terrible case of
laryngitis. Thank you Dick!
It took
Scott Weaver, our playwright, between 6 and 7 hours to write each page
of the script. It usually takes about 1˝ hours per page, but the
rhyming made this one a little trickier.
Our
playwright used an extensive vocabulary for the play. Scott
intentionally gave us "words" to learn. Alex (Fellmore) and
Danielle Suffron (Angelique) had to use the word "marauder."
I only got the word "malevolence" pronounced correctly (the
first time) at one performance. (Say that fast three times in a row!)
Who uses the word "stealthily?' We do, at First Baptist Dinner
Theaters!!!
Question:
How many "Schneckels" makes up one dollar? (Schneckels,
another Weaver Word - he made that one up.)
Someone put
heavy books inside the bags that Isabel (Lauren Clarke) was carrying
during the travails. (Travail, another Weaver Word.) Did those of you
who attended the encore performance notice how heavy the bags were for
her to carry? That wasn't acting, that was real!! There is a reward to
find out who did that to poor Isabel!
Ralph
Pearsall (Trumpeter) never knew what song was going to come out of his
trumpet each performance. The fanfares varied each night so no
one knew what was coming next!
Alex Suffron
(Fellmore) has been suffering from growing pains. He has grown over a
foot since he was a "Cushenberry" in Sea Loves Me Naut."
Scott Weaver
has a new nickname - it's "DASH."
Cast members
are very grateful for the support of their families for the hours
spent away from home.
I (The
Narrator) wore a pin on my lapel that belonged to Gigi Mawer's (Queen
Mum) mother.
Pictures of
Ralph as the Trumpeter (as requested by many congregation members) are
posted here (hee-hee, we love you Ralph).
Nancy
Pearsall learned to juggle for her part as the Jester.
At the cast
party, Mark Suffron (King Snorkis) presented each cast member with a
picture collage with photos from each of their FBC Dinner Theater
Productions. (Sweet, really sweet - thank you!)
You do not
need to be fearful of Shannon Spencer who played the part of Rowena.
She was just acting in the play - she is really a nice person and she
is really tired of eating apples.
Jackie
Zurich, our Grace, had several tricky costume changes. During one of
the performances, she barely made it back on stage intact - did you
notice her holding her costume together with her hands? Jackie was
also blessed with a Weaver Word - "Beneficence" in her
lines. Thank you Scott…..I mean Dash.
We had a few
close calls this year, Bob Quigley (Pilfering Bob) had a nasty
backwards trip after a hard push from Isabel and stepping on his wig
one night - that was not intentional, and it looked real! Oops! The
secret is out!
Bob deserves
a FBCOGT Tony Award for dressing in a pink dress and wearing a blonde
wig. Oh, I am sorry, maybe some of you that saw the show didn't
realize that was Bob at the "Julrey" Store scene. I hope
that I didn't ruin the story line for you!
That
beautiful child who played the Forrest Nymph on the 16th and the 22nd
is Tierney McClure. Tierney my niece, she is cousin to Shannon Spencer
and daughter of Andy and Lisa McClure. I noticed that many of you in
the audience went to look at your programs when she appeared on stage.
So now you know who she is and to look for her to be in future
productions at FBC!
Mckenzie
(the other Forrest Nymph) was so sad about the end of the production
that when the encore performance was over, she hid in the trees on the
set so she wouldn't need to leave. "Parting is such sweet
sorrow" must be a theater quote. Most of the cast members go
through a period of sadness when the play is over. (Notice that I said
"most")
Gigi Mawer
(Queen Mum) had one of her ties come undone one performance and the
top part of her costume was about to fall off. I do believe that our
Jester-ette saved the day and got her restrung and double knotted!
Judy Bryson,
who played Queen Schnelda, had one of the best lines in the play when
she reminded Rowena that "we try not to draw attention to the
differences in others, we are equal in God's sight, all sisters and
brothers." This was in response to Rowena getting upset because
Gault couldn't rhyme like the rest of the citizens of Castle Nord.
Word at work
is that Judy Bryson's (Queen Schnelda) staff are happy that the play
is over. They got tired of bowing every time she walked into the
office. (Yes, it's true, during play season some of us become our
characters, and sometimes overdo it - just ask my husband and
co-workers!)
One of my
favorite memories of the play will be the night that Lady Glastonberry,
played by Laura McKelvey, caught the giggles towards the end of Act
II. She caught the giggles from the audience laughing from her
"toe fungus" line. Laughing is good for all of us - it felt
good. Thank you Laura!!! Thank you audience!!!
We were also
grateful when Lady finally discovered what a "gem" her
daughter was pretending to be!!
It was not
acting, one performance, when Fellmore accidentally poked Angelique in
the face with his plastic sword. We all held our breath to see if
Angelique was crying or laughing under the clasped hands that covered
her face. She was laughing. Boy did that scene seem realistic.
Another
highlight of the play is when Angelique (Danielle Suffron) realized
that her sister (The Prodigal Child) was back home and her father was
elated and was going to throw her a party. Angelique said "So, to
throw a party for me I have to be bad? I have done all you ordered and
yet here it ends? You never threw a party so I could feast with my
friends. But then Grace comes along and wastes your possessions and
she's welcomed back without making concessions?"
A final
"Heart of Grace" thought: Do you have any friends or family
members who need your unconditional love and forgiveness? Think about
it - love them, forgive them and you will have found the "true
heart of Grace."
Any
comments, suggestions concerning the dinner theater can be directed to
Becky Spencer, Scott Weaver, Mark Suffron or Patti Logan who are all
leaders of the Dinner Theater Small Group.
Thank you
and farewell……..until the next time.
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