Sunday, March 30, 2008
Youth come to understand Easter message
By the time you get to today's writings and ramblings, my joy for this Easter Sunday will have been made complete by many things.
I hope to have been at the old Salem Oak early this morning for the sunrise service with its singing of hymns, spiritual messages and fellowship shared with a wide cross-section of good Salem folk.
Later this morning I will have spent time at St. John's Episcopal Church. There, the message of Easter will have been beautifully illustrated by joyous hymns, a gay profusion of spring flowers, stained-glass windows and the special scriptural readings and prayers of Eastertide.
Our world is rich with the imagery of the special love story of Easter. We are offered many different venues, signs and symbols to help convey the message of Easter.
Michelangelo's Pieta, the world's most beautiful example of man sculpting marble, breaks our hearts as we behold Mary, the mother of Jesus, holding her dead son in her arms as she gazes tenderly into his face.
Many artists have painted scenes of the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Ascension. Many writers and poets and composers have told the story in verse and in music.
Faith is belief in things not seen and experienced first hand. All these words and images help us in our efforts to experience that which we did not see.
Through the skillful use of drama, music and literature, the biblical Gospels were conveyed to an illiterate society of farmers and town folk. The most famous Passion Play still in existence, has been re-enacted yearly since 1634 in the town of Oberammergau, Germany.
Closer to home, I experienced a Passion Play, of sorts, that could not have been portrayed any more movingly or spiritually than if it had been produced by New York's Metropolitan Opera Company.
The musical is set in a 1960's hippie genre, the stage alive with bright Day-Glo color. The cast is dressed in bell-bottoms, fringed vests, bandannas and an array of tie-dye apparel. Their costumes must have come from somewhere in the recesses of their parent's closet.
Jesus wears blue jeans and a Superman T-shirt, while John the Baptist is resplendent in sunglasses and a silver-sequined sports coat.
The teachings and parables of Jesus are portrayed in song and routines using about 35young people. Their sense of animation and character was fantastic. How obvious it was that the kid way in the back put as much effort into his facial and hand gestures as the kid on center stage.
This group played out the roles with so much happy conviction that you alternated between smiles, tears and goose bumps. These Penns Grove kids portrayed the final days of Jesus with as much feeling and sensitivity as your heart could hold. Each young person on that stage was necessary to create the whole. Each one added his own share of humor, pathos, anguish and celebration.
Two scenes I found profoundly moving were the Last Supper, and the scene when the followers of Jesus all come to say goodbye as he readies himself for the death that is to come.
These young people took a wonderful musical and turned it into their own expression, their own creative force. They brought to it a maturity of acting ability that was far beyond their years. They lived each word and each gesture.
Often as I lecture to young people about art, I tend to pause a moment to reflect on the kids seated before me. Regardless of the age, I find that they return my gaze and fill my heart with a deep sense of hope for the future theirs as well as my own.
Watching these great kids from Penns Grove doing this play offered a huge dose of hope and a promise of life to everyone fortunate enough to have seen their production.
To these fantastic young people, I'd just like to offer that everything I saw in you last week the love, the tenderness and the belief can leave the stage with you and be carried out into the world to color all your adventures, excitement and dreams.
On the stage of life there are no casting directors. The role you play is entirely up to you. Through all your weeks of hard work and practice I hope you realize just how much fun life can be if you remember a few basic truths and a code or two to live by.Thanks for allowing me to dream along and keep the faith with all of you on stage.
God loves you all, and so do we.
I hope to have been at the old Salem Oak early this morning for the sunrise service with its singing of hymns, spiritual messages and fellowship shared with a wide cross-section of good Salem folk.
Later this morning I will have spent time at St. John's Episcopal Church. There, the message of Easter will have been beautifully illustrated by joyous hymns, a gay profusion of spring flowers, stained-glass windows and the special scriptural readings and prayers of Eastertide.
Our world is rich with the imagery of the special love story of Easter. We are offered many different venues, signs and symbols to help convey the message of Easter.
Michelangelo's Pieta, the world's most beautiful example of man sculpting marble, breaks our hearts as we behold Mary, the mother of Jesus, holding her dead son in her arms as she gazes tenderly into his face.
Many artists have painted scenes of the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Ascension. Many writers and poets and composers have told the story in verse and in music.
Faith is belief in things not seen and experienced first hand. All these words and images help us in our efforts to experience that which we did not see.
Through the skillful use of drama, music and literature, the biblical Gospels were conveyed to an illiterate society of farmers and town folk. The most famous Passion Play still in existence, has been re-enacted yearly since 1634 in the town of Oberammergau, Germany.
Closer to home, I experienced a Passion Play, of sorts, that could not have been portrayed any more movingly or spiritually than if it had been produced by New York's Metropolitan Opera Company.
The musical is set in a 1960's hippie genre, the stage alive with bright Day-Glo color. The cast is dressed in bell-bottoms, fringed vests, bandannas and an array of tie-dye apparel. Their costumes must have come from somewhere in the recesses of their parent's closet.
Jesus wears blue jeans and a Superman T-shirt, while John the Baptist is resplendent in sunglasses and a silver-sequined sports coat.
The teachings and parables of Jesus are portrayed in song and routines using about 35young people. Their sense of animation and character was fantastic. How obvious it was that the kid way in the back put as much effort into his facial and hand gestures as the kid on center stage.
This group played out the roles with so much happy conviction that you alternated between smiles, tears and goose bumps. These Penns Grove kids portrayed the final days of Jesus with as much feeling and sensitivity as your heart could hold. Each young person on that stage was necessary to create the whole. Each one added his own share of humor, pathos, anguish and celebration.
Two scenes I found profoundly moving were the Last Supper, and the scene when the followers of Jesus all come to say goodbye as he readies himself for the death that is to come.
These young people took a wonderful musical and turned it into their own expression, their own creative force. They brought to it a maturity of acting ability that was far beyond their years. They lived each word and each gesture.
Often as I lecture to young people about art, I tend to pause a moment to reflect on the kids seated before me. Regardless of the age, I find that they return my gaze and fill my heart with a deep sense of hope for the future theirs as well as my own.
Watching these great kids from Penns Grove doing this play offered a huge dose of hope and a promise of life to everyone fortunate enough to have seen their production.
To these fantastic young people, I'd just like to offer that everything I saw in you last week the love, the tenderness and the belief can leave the stage with you and be carried out into the world to color all your adventures, excitement and dreams.
On the stage of life there are no casting directors. The role you play is entirely up to you. Through all your weeks of hard work and practice I hope you realize just how much fun life can be if you remember a few basic truths and a code or two to live by.Thanks for allowing me to dream along and keep the faith with all of you on stage.
God loves you all, and so do we.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Inspiring 'Passion'
Long-running play is annual local tradition
Now in its 93rd season, "The Passion Play" is set to open at the Park Performing Arts Center in Union City on March 15.
"It's the reason the Park Theater was built," said Park Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Executive Director John Lewis when asked about the significance of PPAC's most anticipated production, "The Passion Play."
Lewis added, "The play has become a tradition. It's a service to religion and the community. We've had one actor performing [annually] for 45 years."
PPAC performs an adapted version of the play that originated in Oberammergau, Germany during the 17th century, which documents the last days of Christ through his trial, suffering, and consequent crucifixion.
The tradition of performing the play in the village of Oberammergau began after the townspeople were devastated by the effects of the plague and pledged that they would perform Christ's passion every 10 years - a tradition that continues today.
Though the PPAC was erected in 1931 on 32nd Street, the play and its ties to Union City and the surrounding community date as far back as the early 20th century.
In 1915, in the midst of World War I, Pope Benedict XV issued a plea for world peace. It was during that year that Father Joseph N. Grieff, then pastor of Holy Family Church in Union Hill (presently Union City), answered the call.
Grieff envisioned a performance that would embrace the local community via a "living prayer" presentation. The performance chosen was "Passion," which had been performed in Germany since 1634.
The version that audiences can expect to see is a modern musical, which is suitable for the whole family. On opening night, PPAC plans to fill its 1,387 seats for the annual presentation of the play - just in time for Easter.
Not just any Passion
The PPAC prides itself on offering something attendees can't see everywhere else.
For example, in 1987, Passion featured an African-American Jesus, which "stimulated positive discussion all over the world," said producer at the time Father Kevin Ashe.
He added, as opposed to recent controversial films about the Passion, "Passion plays are open to interpretation. Ours isn't Oberammergau, nor is it intended to stir up bias."
Community Outreach Developer Yesenia Fernandez Selier said that this year's production will benefit from a "rejuvenated vision and [actor] execution."
She added, "Last year, the public noticed the [difficult] jobs of the actors and director. The community has a heightened level of awareness this year."
Last year's production was in English, yet they hope to entice more Spanish speaking people to the show, she said.
Previous productions have included a cast with as few as 27 to as many as 80. This year, approximately 27 actors will perform under the guidance of award-winning playwright and director Carl Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, who formerly taught at the Visual and Performing Arts Program in New Jersey City University, is also a member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), which also supports the play by supplying actors.
In the past, the play has attracted audience members from as far away as Canada, in addition to its local tri-state fan base.
"As the community changed, we [started getting] a lot of outsiders coming to see it," said Lewis, adding, "There's less of a local presence and a more regional one."
Future plans
Though seemingly distant, Lewis and the Board of Directors have already begun brainstorming ideas for the 100-year anniversary, which is slated for 2015.
They have discussed televising the play, performing it in English and Spanish, and casting a Spanish celebrity for the role of Jesus or Judas, among other ideas.
This plan is part of an ongoing effort to attract more locals and residents to the theater.
Said Lewis, "I think over the years there's been a perception that the [center] hasn't been here for the community, and we want to change that. We are here, and we want people to come back as audiences, students, renters, and volunteers. We want to welcome the entire community to the space."
Now in its 93rd season, "The Passion Play" is set to open at the Park Performing Arts Center in Union City on March 15.
"It's the reason the Park Theater was built," said Park Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Executive Director John Lewis when asked about the significance of PPAC's most anticipated production, "The Passion Play."
Lewis added, "The play has become a tradition. It's a service to religion and the community. We've had one actor performing [annually] for 45 years."
PPAC performs an adapted version of the play that originated in Oberammergau, Germany during the 17th century, which documents the last days of Christ through his trial, suffering, and consequent crucifixion.
The tradition of performing the play in the village of Oberammergau began after the townspeople were devastated by the effects of the plague and pledged that they would perform Christ's passion every 10 years - a tradition that continues today.
Though the PPAC was erected in 1931 on 32nd Street, the play and its ties to Union City and the surrounding community date as far back as the early 20th century.
In 1915, in the midst of World War I, Pope Benedict XV issued a plea for world peace. It was during that year that Father Joseph N. Grieff, then pastor of Holy Family Church in Union Hill (presently Union City), answered the call.
Grieff envisioned a performance that would embrace the local community via a "living prayer" presentation. The performance chosen was "Passion," which had been performed in Germany since 1634.
The version that audiences can expect to see is a modern musical, which is suitable for the whole family. On opening night, PPAC plans to fill its 1,387 seats for the annual presentation of the play - just in time for Easter.
Not just any Passion
The PPAC prides itself on offering something attendees can't see everywhere else.
For example, in 1987, Passion featured an African-American Jesus, which "stimulated positive discussion all over the world," said producer at the time Father Kevin Ashe.
He added, as opposed to recent controversial films about the Passion, "Passion plays are open to interpretation. Ours isn't Oberammergau, nor is it intended to stir up bias."
Community Outreach Developer Yesenia Fernandez Selier said that this year's production will benefit from a "rejuvenated vision and [actor] execution."
She added, "Last year, the public noticed the [difficult] jobs of the actors and director. The community has a heightened level of awareness this year."
Last year's production was in English, yet they hope to entice more Spanish speaking people to the show, she said.
Previous productions have included a cast with as few as 27 to as many as 80. This year, approximately 27 actors will perform under the guidance of award-winning playwright and director Carl Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, who formerly taught at the Visual and Performing Arts Program in New Jersey City University, is also a member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), which also supports the play by supplying actors.
In the past, the play has attracted audience members from as far away as Canada, in addition to its local tri-state fan base.
"As the community changed, we [started getting] a lot of outsiders coming to see it," said Lewis, adding, "There's less of a local presence and a more regional one."
Future plans
Though seemingly distant, Lewis and the Board of Directors have already begun brainstorming ideas for the 100-year anniversary, which is slated for 2015.
They have discussed televising the play, performing it in English and Spanish, and casting a Spanish celebrity for the role of Jesus or Judas, among other ideas.
This plan is part of an ongoing effort to attract more locals and residents to the theater.
Said Lewis, "I think over the years there's been a perception that the [center] hasn't been here for the community, and we want to change that. We are here, and we want people to come back as audiences, students, renters, and volunteers. We want to welcome the entire community to the space."
