Filed under: Torn Page Archive
Ok, close your eyes and imagine that it’s December 21st and you’ve just opened your inbox to find this appropriately timed Christmas newsletter. Forget that its already January of 2008 and just when you think you’ve read your last “Peace-on-earth-reason-for-season-frozen-maple-leaf-adorned-christmas-card” your friends Paul and Christa get off their… donkey and ask if there’s any more room inn 2007 for them.
Give us a break! This season was way busier than either of us anticipated! Our friends at Joyco Multimedia asked Christa and I and Stella to help them on a video project they were doing for Awanas International. The three of us will be seen in a youth leader video resource available in July. Before that project was finished I was contacted by our friend Sanne MacCarthy who connected me to Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Lakewood, CO who wanted a nativity retelling from Joseph’s perspective. I worked with the pastor on writing an original piece and performed it at their Christmas Eve Service. However, before I began working on those two projects I was asked to step in as a guest worship leader with the church at “The Ridge” in Northglenn, CO. I’ve been asked to help develop a new vision for the worship arts there. Christa has finished her semester teaching theatre with the home-school co-op called the HOPE program and is gearing up for the second half of her first year there.
I’m excited to announce that the new Torn Curtain website will be online by end of the month. I’ve been looking forward to showing you all the fantastic work of Shawn Porter, the designer of the site (also a co-worker with a green apron), I’ve been so blessed to find another artist whose work can truly represent the style of Torn Curtain. The site will feature our most recent videos and two free scripts for ministries to use. Check it out at torncurtainarts.org.
In other news, I’m totally stoked to begin working on this year’s “Club Live” Event with my friends at “Outside the Box” ministries and Clint Bieri in Fairfield OH. This event is performed and produced by students. I also begin the very busy spring leg of the Dare 2 Share tour with our third stop in Columbus OH at the end of this month.
I think 2007 was easier than 2006. Although it seems like in many ways we’re still holding on to a thread, we’ve also seen the evidence of several people who are holding us and, dare I say it, things have gotten easier. So, after thinking about our journey so far and remembering who is responsible for bringing us here in the first place, I think we’re going to pull through. I love you guys.
The audience is separated from the actor by a curtain.
Theatres have curtains churches usually don’t.
Curtains open to reveal a story and they close when a story has been accomplished.
Theatre curtains are heavy and thick, made of black or dark red non-reflective material like velvet. Needless to say, you can’t see through a curtain, they are designed to cover the stage, the set, the actor and the light.
Temples also have curtains. From scripture we learn that the ancient Isrealites would use a curtain to separate the inner court of the temple from the place known as “the holy of holies.” There was a curtain because of a story. This story involved every person from every race and nationality and every other living thing in all creation. In particular, it involed an unblemished lamb that was killed for this story. Behind this curtain was the Actor who is the Director who is the Writer who is I AM and a stage; the only place on earth a God would inhabit. The curtain was designed to to hide all of this from us, the ones who have come to participate in the story. We could not go behind the curtain because Death guarded the proceenium. There were times when people would cross over but only when they had wrapped themselves in the death of an innocent lamb. This is the story and this was the story until there occured a eucatastrophe; a miracle.
The Actor who is the Director who is the Writer who is I AM moved. He came from behind the curtain and sat in the seat next to us. Even though this was a great honor, we were completely unaware of this presence, no one seemed to recognize him. However, he did not come to merely sit with us and watch. He came to open the curtain… for good.
He walked toward the proceenium without carrying a sacrifice. We watched. He reached for the curtain and Death struck him. We watched. He bled. We watched. He took a fist full of fabric and Death did the same. They pulled and we watched the thick, heavy, dark curtain tear from top to bottom. The force of it shook the earth. The glory of the stage covered in blood reflected a blinding light and the story both began and was accomplished in the same moment.
The story that ended was a tragedy where the characters struggled alone with their demons. The story that began is a comedy where estranged lovers finally reunite and all things are made new.
I’m beginning to see curtains more often now, those places designed to hide God and his story, some of them hang there because of me and I could easily let the guilt of it cripple me. However, I AM has called my name, He stands with his hand stretched toward me; inviting me to grab a handful of fabric…and pull.
Filed under: movement and property
Ok, first off, it’s important that you know that “stage” lights are different than “house” lights. When you walk into a theatre or church, house lights are usually already on. They might be recessed lights, track lights or in some cases lamps. After about fifteen minutes pass, these lights dim and instinctively you wrap up any conversations you may have been having about the carpet, or program or video screens and you find your seat. You may sit for a moment in the dark but then…something magical happens! New lights come on! Different than before because although several lights are on in the same room you are in, you can’t really see much of what is around you with any clarity. These are stage lights, they show you what is on stage. Each light is specifically designed to aim, focus, color or restrict light to fit a purpose. Not to show you what is around you, no, just to show you what is on stage. Ok? Can we move on?
Directors, playwrights, actors, musicians and pastors plan and organize words and movements to put under the stage lights to keep you interested and focused on what is on stage and not around you. Occasionally, you may hear a noise like a baby crying or even an adult crying but this is unintentional and ultimately distracting to what is on stage. In moments like that it’s a good thing the house lights are off so you won’t be distracted for long. After you have heard and seen all that the producers of the play or worship service have wanted you to see the house lights will come back on. After blinking your eyes a couple times you will look around, locate the exit, grab your coat, stand and join the line of people heading toward the door. If you came with someone, you will talk about how good or bad the show was regardless of it was a play or worship service. Almost certainly you will have an opinion on the music. You probably won’t think about how many other people there are at the same event until you are in your car in the parking lot trying to merge into the steady stream of vehicles moving to the street. You simply didn’t notice them before… because the stage lights were on. You were watching what was on stage.
So, I was thinking… what if the house lights were left on? What would happen? Would you still watch what was on stage? Or watch something else? How would you feel if you were the person on stage? Would you go on singing? Acting? Speaking?
I guess it’s obvious that everyone could see each other not just the people on stage. It would least be easier to see who was crying. And see how far it is from you to them. See how to help. Which might be good or bad…bad, I guess, if you’re at a play… but better, if you’re in a church.
