Quote du jour: The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. ~ Oscar Wilde
Do you remember (and lest you think I'm THAT old - on cable classic movie channels in RERUNS) those Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies where the kids put on a 'show' to save the day, raise the money, bring the community together, forge understanding and sing and dance? Those ones? I do. I remember singing with my sisters as a child, performing for family and friends and church. I remember the magic of harmonizing, or making after dinner clean up a scene from a musical. I remember my teen years of aspiration, although I never got out of the chorus until my big break as a witch in the Wizard of Oz. (Not THE witch, rather a lesser light in the stage production. Looking back, I'm sure I got the role for my funky sock wardrobe rather than my star qualities. It saved on costuming expenses.) I remember recapturing the sweetness of our childhoods, as my sisters and I sang at each others weddings.
And then years later, I found myself bringing my own children into the magic of making music together. I no longer craved the spotlight, but what I had been longing for; an opportunity to come together with others and create something with very little more than our bodies and voices. To make magic that transcends speech, to sing, to tell a story to and with each other. In short, to put on a show. I was fortunate enough to live in a town where one of the churches put on an interfaith/intergenerational musical production every year. The musicals had some uplifting message, were (so rare these days) engaging for the whole family, and were an extension of the ministry of that church - to bring people together in fellowship.
We are doing that this spring at UUCGL. Bringing people of all beliefs, all generations, and diverse talents together in fellowship. Putting on a show. For no other reasons than our desire to tell a story to and with each other. The story (The musical is called 'Children of Eden') is an old one, as old as Adam and Eve - and coincidentally ABOUT Adam and Eve, and the generations until Noah and the Ark. It's a lot of story to tell, and a fair amount of work, but an extraordinarily rich opportunity to be with each other in ways that are not quite work and not quite play. Productions are like that - a little village that comes together with the tasks of singing and dancing and acting and painting sets and devising costumes and putting out publicity and where everyone from the production divas to the littlest 'animals' on the ark is an integral and indespensible part of the whole.
We are inviting you to think about moving into our springtime village. And bring the kids. Auditions are still open for leads, or you may join the chorus without auditioning. If you don't want to sing, you can be part of the village in other ways, with artistic talent, marketing savvy, or instrumental contributions. It's an opportunity for the staff to work together across program areas, and I hope it will be an opportunity for you, your families or for others you do not yet know; to connect with the song in each heart and to the longing for community.
And then years later, I found myself bringing my own children into the magic of making music together. I no longer craved the spotlight, but what I had been longing for; an opportunity to come together with others and create something with very little more than our bodies and voices. To make magic that transcends speech, to sing, to tell a story to and with each other. In short, to put on a show. I was fortunate enough to live in a town where one of the churches put on an interfaith/intergenerational musical production every year. The musicals had some uplifting message, were (so rare these days) engaging for the whole family, and were an extension of the ministry of that church - to bring people together in fellowship.
We are doing that this spring at UUCGL. Bringing people of all beliefs, all generations, and diverse talents together in fellowship. Putting on a show. For no other reasons than our desire to tell a story to and with each other. The story (The musical is called 'Children of Eden') is an old one, as old as Adam and Eve - and coincidentally ABOUT Adam and Eve, and the generations until Noah and the Ark. It's a lot of story to tell, and a fair amount of work, but an extraordinarily rich opportunity to be with each other in ways that are not quite work and not quite play. Productions are like that - a little village that comes together with the tasks of singing and dancing and acting and painting sets and devising costumes and putting out publicity and where everyone from the production divas to the littlest 'animals' on the ark is an integral and indespensible part of the whole.
We are inviting you to think about moving into our springtime village. And bring the kids. Auditions are still open for leads, or you may join the chorus without auditioning. If you don't want to sing, you can be part of the village in other ways, with artistic talent, marketing savvy, or instrumental contributions. It's an opportunity for the staff to work together across program areas, and I hope it will be an opportunity for you, your families or for others you do not yet know; to connect with the song in each heart and to the longing for community.
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