Roots Among The Rocks Tour 2010

Back on Stage - in Nova Scotia!

2010-10-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Two shows coming up, at St Margaret of Scotland in Halifax (Nov 13) and Christ Church, Dartmouth (Nov 14). Both shows at 7:30 and these will be the last chance to see Roots Among the Rocks in Canada.

We will also be facilitating workshops and plenary sessions at the Diocesan Youth Conference in the Diocese of Nova Scotia/PEI. Participants in that event will see scenes, monologues and excerpts from the show and engage with various themes and ideas that the show explores. They will also be part of a youtube rap video, which we think is pretty cool.

Not 'Church Drama'

2010-08-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the most frank feedback received to date on our show. This was spoken by a 4th year university student, after our show in Vancouver:

"So awesome. You know, honestly, I had low expectations. I've seen a lot of church drama. And most of the time, church drama really blows, you know? But this was so powerful. I bet a lot of people are surprised when they see it. There's so much in it. It's really, really good."

That's the gist of what he said. I hesitated to put this on the blog, given that I was not sure if I could get away with putting into print the quote "Church drama really blows, you know?"

So, maybe that's a word to the wider church, or youth ministry, that when we do 'church drama' we need to make it good.

HOW did I miss THIS???

2010-08-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

The company at...

THE BIG GOOSE - in Wawa, Ontario.

I mean, really, how could we have left out evidence of such milestones on the tour ! ? ?

Look What We Saw!

2010-07-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

This happens only occasionally on the BC Ferries, and we were really excited that we were right there on deck when this mum and her kids showed up off the port side! Especially cool for Magdalena, who has never been to BC or the Pacific Ocean before!

So, now we're on Vancouver Island for:

Sunday morning (excerpts) at St Dunstan's church - 10:00 am

Sunday evening at St Mary the Virgin, Oak Bay, 7:00 pm

Monday evening at Camp Columbia on Thetis Island, 6:30 pm

(so folks from the mainland can catch the last ferry at 9:15)

Tuesday evening at St Mary's Church, Nanoose Bay, 7:00 pm

Personal Pylons

2010-07-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Our own pylon?

ooooooohh, stardom!

COAST TO COAST ! !

2010-07-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

From the Atlantic to the Pacific....

June 11, 2010:

July 23, 2010

Remember this sign from Signal Hill in St John's ??

The one that says "Vancouver 5,031 km" ?

we made it.

Vancouver!

2010-07-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Lunch at a Japanese restaurant with the Dean of New Westminster AND the Diocesan Youth Coordinator...

....seeing downtown and the waterfront...

...technical runthrough...

.... and a fantastic show in an amazing space at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Vancouver - over 100 people in the audience, and an engaging 'talk back' with them afterwards

Rocking the house in the Central Interior of BC

2010-07-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Kamloops... July 20

Sorrento .... July 21

Two back-to-back shows, both of them well attended by FABULOUS audiences who were really excited to see the play. Hats off to Louise Peters, Melissa Green and Christopher Lind who organized these two venues and ensured that we were well-fed, well-housed and well-advertised.

Sorrento was our first outdoor show - in the Kekuli, which is a dome shaped covered space. Fantastic! It was really fun to feel like we were doing summer theatre; being outside on a warm, sunny July night surrounded by mountains, lake and trees. Because we were staying at the Sorrento Centre over a couple of days (thanks for your hospitality!) we had a chance to meet most of the people for whom we were performing, and it seemed the change the energy of the show, and the response of the audience. It was like performing for a group of many many friends, rather than strangers. After the show, the chaplain, Rev. Dan Hines commented "This was truth-telling at its best. It was a rare voice for the church; it's what we need to hear, but so seldom hear."

We've been joined by our producer Judy and her son William for the last leg of the journey. William is rapidly learning how to be 'crew' for a travelling theatre company.

And now, the recent photos:

A vibrant sign out on the road advertises our show in Kamloops:

Karyn and William discover the electronic drum kits at "Lee's Music" in Kamloops while Judy and Jenny get the rental of the lighting board and lights sorted out:

Jenny transforms from Director to Technical at each venue. In these two locations, she had a lighting board to play with too!

The Kamloops show, at the cathedral:

After the show we pose for a photo with the Dean, Louise Peters:

William our budding Roadie helps do the load after the show:

Next day, setting up for the show at the Sorrento Centre:

On Tuesday morning, we joined the community for Eucharist at the Sorrento Centre in their beautiful outdoor chapel overlooking the lake.

A packed and overflowing house! 135 people saw our show in Sorrento as we rap the house down in the final number:

The Big White Van hits the road through the lower Fraser Valley, on the way to Vancouver for Friday evening's show at the Cathedral. (We are currently travelling with the van and a rental car):

From Cranbrook

2010-07-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

After the Cranbrook show an older man came up to me and, without saying a word, gave me a big long hug. He whispered, "Thank you" and I said, "Thank you so much for coming!" He smiled and said quietly, "You're welcome". And then he left.

Stampeding to Calgary

2010-07-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Calgary show was last night - about 75 people came and we had a lot of great conversations with folks at the meet n' greet sesssion afterwards.

What an awesome welcome sign!

In every space, we need to re-create the layout of the show to fit into the space available. In the large movement piece, such as the reflection on St Augustine's Confessions, it's always good to rehearse this at the tech runthrough.

After checking sound, setting up props and set, and running through a couple of scenes, we often have supper with members of the host congregation.

After that it's warm up, costumes, make up and - we're on!

Tomorrow morning we're off to Cranbrook for our Sunday performance there: an excerpt of the show in the morning during worship, then the show at 2:00 pm. Monday we head up to the Central Interior and a show Tuesday night in Kamloops at the cathedral, then Wednesday night at the Sorrento Centre.

Vancouver and Victoria are coming up next weekend!

Getting Educated in Saskatchewan

2010-07-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

While in Regina some of us took the opportunity to explore another science centre.

And when we were in Saskatoon, we visited 1910 Boom Town.

A genuine steam powered engine!

Regina and Beyond

2010-07-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hello There!

In Regina we stayed in a lovely home owned by a lady who wasn't there, and so we had a whole home to ourselves. The house was filled with really good books, travel magazines, and small statues of birds, and had a piano, a large television, and a beautiful, sun-lit kitchen. What more can you need?
We found we had landed ourselves in the middle of a film set, with the CBC filming a new TV series called "InSecurity" in the house right across the road. We couldn't park on our street and had to constantly tiptoe in and out of the house while the lights and cameras were rolling. We were welcomed very heartily to Regina by all sorts of people, including the bishop, who had us out to dinner not once, but twice! The space in the church was beautiful, with lots of lights and plenty of room. We had a great audience come out, as well! We met a very nice lady named Erika who complimented us on our German and wished us well for the rest of our trip.
We spent our time off roaming the streets of Regina, going to a Fringe play produced many of Melissa's acquaintances, shopping the cute boutiques along 13 Avenue, watching Serenity and FIFA soccer matches, and amusing ourselves with the TV shows Extras, The IT Crowd, and Doctor Who.
Ah, what leisure! HA!
On the road out of Regina we stopped in Craik, Saskatchewan, for their Farmer's Market. There were three vendors, one of which had sold out, and so we bought spinach and cinnamon rolls from the other two.

And off we were to Saskatoon.

Saskatoon times

2010-07-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

The schedule didn't have the right times for the shows in Saskatoon this coming weekend. Times are:
Saturday, 8:00 pm
and
Sunday, 2:00 pm

If you told someone the other times, please let them know the correct ones (sorry for that error!)

Winnipeg

2010-07-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had our show in Winnipeg, now we're just kicking around for an extra day or so until we move on to Russell Manitoba.

Overall I would say Winnipeg has been fairly good to us, despite the intense heat and mutant mosquitoes, I've really enjoyed my time here. Seeing old friends, making new ones, and getting to see a lot of the city, especially when we take our "scenic routes".

On the day of our nation's birth, several of the cast drove out to Lower Fort Gary, explored the grounds and saw how people once lived. I think working at a fort like that, in costume as a character from the time would be a fun summer job, but of course, it can't compare to my summer job right now! After a lovely dinner with friends, we took in the fireworks, although some of us got absolutely eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Our show yesterday was at an awesome theatre, with a nice big stage where we had lots of room, something we're not quite used to anymore, but we made the most of it. The audience was phenomenal and I felt a bit like royalty at the end, as we all got flowers from the same man who made the Queen's bouquets!

Keeping our flowers cool in the fridge so they don't wilt in the heat!

IGNACE OR BUST

2010-07-01T08:24:00.001-07:00

Ignace or Bust?

This was a phrase that wascoined early on, way back in Cronyn house. We also thought of doing the Ignaceshow naked and adding our inside jokes we came up with during rehearsal. Wedecided to forgo the nakedness and just do the show the same way we did it inMarathon and St. John’s, to name a few.

After our wonderful Ignace show, we haddessert with some members of the audience and got to chat with them overdelicious macaroons and brownies and kool-aid, which I haven’t had for yearsbut I digress. After dessert, we were treated to an amazing homemade dinner bythe ladies of Ignace. These women were so good to us and their kindness andhospitality is something I will not forget for a long time. Every city or townwe go to, there are always people willing to help us in any which way, fromfeeding us to giving us a house to ourselves, I was unaware that kind peoplestill existed but this tour has shown me otherwise.

The support from everyonemakes me love this process more and more each day. I also had the pleasure ofmeeting two younger people in Ignace and one of them was involved in every typeof performing art there is and she was thrilled to meet us. We also bonded overour love of Adam Lambert and our giggles were heard throughout the church hall.I feel so blessed that we were able to do this show and young people came andsaw it and liked it. I willremember Ignace for a long time and all the fond memories I have so thank youIgnace!

Northern Ontario

2010-06-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Magdalena, JD and Carolyn at the mouth of the Pic River. We did three shows in Northern Ontario - Sault Ste Marie, Marathon and Ignace, with truly AMAZING billets all the way! These folks have all redefined hospitality. Winnipeg is up next over the Canada Day weekend - our first show in a professional theatre space at the Park Theatre on Saturday night.

A story from Sault Ste Marie

2010-06-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

We had an audience of twelve - a lovely, intimate, warm, interactive audience. After the show, I met a 94-year-old man, a retired vicar, in a wheelchair, who had come to our show. He sang along with the music he recognized and after the show I went down to meet him.

He said he liked it very much, only he didn't understand the singing and the dancing. Not the he disliked it, only that he couldn't quite understand what was happening. I told him that it was alright that he didn't understand it, that confusion was a valid response to some of our scenes, and that some, especially the movement piece, weren't meant to be understood in a certain way but simply received as one does individually. He nodded and smiled, and gave me the impression, in a very friendly way, that there was something about the world that he understood and that I hadn't quite. But he liked me, and asked me to help him with his coat and hat.

Later my billets told me that he had come on his own to our show - arranged for the parabus to bring him and pick him up, had organized his trip entirely on his own. I marvelled at this independent spirit, this 94-year-old man, to whom coming to our show was so important that he arranged for himself to be brought there, alone.

I wish now that I had asked for his name.

Science North

2010-06-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

While we were in Sudbury, some of the cast took the opportunity to venture to Science North. There we saw animatronic dinosaurs, lay on a bed of nails, tested our fitness and much more!

SSJD and Toronto

2010-06-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Since our drive from Ottawa we have stayed with the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine in Toronto. They opened their doors, their hearts, and their hands, and let us in to their lifestyle and community. We have been deliciously fed, and allowed (deliciously) to sleep in, to wander labyrinths, to attend services, and come and go at all hours... We feel rejuvenated, I think, ready to go on with the tour after a much needed rest. A most sincere thank you to the sisters for their love and care.

Yesterday was our day off and we first wandered in the distillery district (beautiful and quaint and very expensive), then went to the beach and enjoyed the sun. Last night the ladies went to Tryst for a bra party (exactly what it sounds like) and learned a lot about ladies' underwear. For example, did you know that it takes 25 hand sewn parts to make a bra? That's why the good ones are so expensive. While we tried on lingerie, JD and Melissa went to see Robin Hood. It got a good review!

At the Distillery District in Toronto

Today we are off to Sudbury. It is raining again. It has rained absolutely every travelling day since the beginning of this tour. We arrive somewhere in sun, get sun for the days we are there, and it begins to rain the morning we leave the place. By the time we reach our destination, we are out of the rain, until we leave again.

Westward Bound!

2010-06-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Props? Check. Sound system? Check. Suitcases? Check. Full tank? Check. Carolyn? Check!

Okay we’re good to go!

Barring any unforeseen delays, such as, pointless traffic jams, excessive rain, or car accidents, and rushing through those few foreseen ones, including but not limited to, the diminutive size of Karyn’s bladder, we should be in Toronto by 17:00 tonight.

During our second stay in Ontario’s capital, we will be performing at St. Ansgard’s, enjoying silent meals with the Sisters of St. John the Divine, having a night out on the town, going to the beach, and going to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame! No? Anyone? *sigh*

At any rate, it will be a fun filled, if slightly busy, few days before we ship off to Sudbury on Tuesday morning continuing our westward trek. There will be some sadness as we leave the East farther and farther behind. We’ve created here, premiered here, half of us live here, and the reception we’ve had has been great! Parades, parties, penthouse suites... okay, okay, it hasn’t been quite so extravagant, but the people we’ve met here have been wonderfully kind, extremely hospitable, and lots of fun to be with. We had the most amazing time, and we thank you all profusely!

I guess what I’m trying to say, is that there’s this woman on youtube, and you should come see our Toronto show, and you should come see our Sudbury show, and hockey is awesome, and if you are receiving us out west, the bar has been set pretty high, but no pressure!

On the road again...

Jenny? JENNY? WAKE UP! WAKE UP!

On The Road!

2010-06-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

We worked hard last night and this morning, sorting out tour responsibilities, packing lists, assigning roles and tasks. We finally have a full tour schedule too - link is on the left column.

It was fun tracing it out across a big map of Canada and thinking - 'that's where we're going!' (or, 'that's how FAR we are going???')

Look for this Big White Van - coming soon to a city/town near you! Thursday night, June 17 is our performance in Montreal at St James downtown, followed by Ottawa on Friday night, and Toronto on Sunday June 20. Look for details and addresses of the different venues in the tour schedule.

Destination - Vankleek Hill. We wonder if we will be THIS excited to be in the van in 5 weeks time?

Story from a Tim Horton's at St Mary's University in Halifax

2010-06-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

- Magdalena Jennings

This happened a few days ago, but I thought I'd share it with you;

Before our performance at Synod, I spent an afternoon in the cafeteria replying to emails concerning my “normal life” and typing up a monologue that I just couldn’t put my finger on quite yet. I believe, in fact, that it was the day before our performance, and here I was, desperately sorting out potential roommates for my apartment in September and trying to feign some semblance of organization concerning an event at my university in October, while trying to figure out why it was that I couldn’t memorize, or even fully understand the monologue I had written, and which I had to perform the next day. In short, I was getting very, very stressed. Father Elliot Siteman was just returning from the afternoon service, and caught sight of my distressed visage.

Father Elliot: Magdalena, are you okay?
Me: Yes.
FE: You look stressed.
Me: Well, I am, a bit. I mean, I am stressed, but I am okay.
FE: gestures to his bag. I’ve got Jesus in my bag.
Me: What?
FE takes out a bottle of wine, a silver chalice, and some wafers
Me: Oh.
FE: Would you like to take communion?
Me: What, now?
FE: Yep.
Me: Okay... well.... let me close my laptop.
FE performs communion, with all the proper prayers. People in the cafeteria alternately stare and ignore. Me is at first very amused (perhaps too amused) but forces a straight face.
FE: There. Didn’t that make you feel better?

Basically, it did. And at first I thought it was silly (who ever heard of communion in a cafeteria?, and besides, it was the first time anyone had served me communion privately), but when I thought about it – this is what communion is about, right? It is about bringing love to those who are in need, who feel they are drowning, who need a hand, no matter how petty the matter is. We are there for each other because we belong together, and we all need to stay healthy and happy. Taking communion in the cafeteria was for me a symbol that someone cared, and that brought a calm within me. Thank you, Elliot. The monologue sorted itself out quite easily afterwards.

This is Elliott. He doesn't always carry around consecrated communion elements in a bag, but when he does, he'll share it with you anywhere!

Last look at Newfoundland

2010-06-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Quidi Vidi, Jenny holds a sea star for the first time EVERRR, Feet in the Atlantic Ocean (we expect another similar photo at the end of the tour and....

The last one cries out for a caption contest. The winner gets a Roots Among the Rocks TShirt!!

Cape Spear

2010-06-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

On the Easternmost point in North America! With our lovely billets who are having a great time showing us why they love to call this place home.

Roots on "The Rock"

2010-06-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

We're in Newfoundland!

Our show last night at the Parish of the Ascension in Mount Pearl was great, despite a fire alarm going off at one point but we were really well received by the audience.

For those of us (uh, almost ALL of us?) who have never been to Newfoundland before, the HIGHLIGHT of our day was the visit to Signal Hill and a tour of the city. Awesome! Melissa has not stopped smiling. Our billets are lovely and providing us with wonderful Newfoundland hospitality.

Tonight, a performance at St Mark's Church in St John's, then we will be leading part of the morning service back at Ascension tomorrow morning; performing the part of the show where we explore 1 Corinth. 12 ('the body has many members...').

Monday is a day off to be tourists, and then we leave super early on Tuesday morning to fly back to Ontario to begin the cross country tour. We get our van on Tuesday - the home away from home vehicle that is going to take us from Montreal to Victoria!

Jenny waits, at Halifax airport

Melissa basks - on the rocks in Newfoundland

JD and the ATLANTIC

Windy Signal Hill!

Carolyn looks out

Cast. Ashore. On a Rock.

Peter, JD, Jenny and Karyn make a scene.

We are exactly one thousand six hundred and nineteen kilometres away from our show this coming Thursday - at St James the Apostle in Montreal...

...And five thousand and thirty one kilometres from our performance on July 23 in Vancouver...

...But so far, the journey along the way is absolutely fantastic.

Did they like it?

2010-06-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Pictures tell the story!

Today the cast had the day off to sleep, do laundry, fill in a university application, see friends in town, go out, ride the Harbour Hopper, catch up on emails, visit a bookstore, a health store and - did I leave anything out? Tomorrow we leave for St John's Newfoundland and we are just a little excited. See the tour schedule link on the left to find out when and where our shows are 'on the rock'.

Is a Video version of Roots Among the Rocks available?

2010-06-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yes! We will have a video version available by the fall. There are production and copyright things to sort out, but yes, it will be available for purchase. We will put the information on the blog as it becomes available.

Opening!

2010-06-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

"I loved it!"

"I have never cried at a theatre performance before."

"SO amazing."

"It was extremely professional."

"To go from madrigal to rap was incredible."

"If you sear my soul any more, I think I will disintegrate."

"That was challenging and disturbing - I really liked it!"

"Did they REALLY write that in one month?"

"Everyone will see something of themselves in this play: rural/urban, anglo-catholic, evangelical - everyone will see their story somewhere in this play."

"That is the most profound theology I have heard in a very long time."

"There are so many parts that are SO funny!"

"Simple and moving - that was great."

"Absolutely BRILLIANT. Well done, the entire audience was mesmerized. So very many thanks to you all."

"I was incredibly impressed by the performance of the group at GS 2010. I had to watch it through internet streaming so I can imagine it must have been mind-blowing in person!"

"There are no words."

These are just some of the comments received by the cast and production team in the hours after the play. A number of new locations (some tentative, as folks here check on details back home) have been added to the schedule and some further details included about specific times and dates.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos of today's performance:

Judy and Jenny introduce the show.

The opening jazz riff, written by Magdalena

Having our faces on the big screens at the front of the room was a little disconcerting at first, but we just focused on the show ignored the screens. But, we heard that the webcast coverage was great, so the slight awkwardness was worth it.

In a segment called "God is love", a young woman describes how she came back to the church after a long time away, and lots of unanswered questions.

In a powerful scene about St Augustine's third conversion, Karyn is wrapped in a lycra cloth as St Augustine symbolically wrestles - trapped by inner demons.

Today's the day...

2010-06-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's our premiere today!!

The dress rehearsal yesterday felt great, and we are SO pumped about this morning. Dennis Hayes said to us "It's not a premiere, it's your work. It is God's work" And with that grounding, (and with a special message from the Primate for the company) we go into this morning's performance really excited to show everyone what we have created and what we will be bringing to their communities.

Photos later today!

Poetry reviews? Wow!

2010-06-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

Dennis Hayes and his wife Dinny came to the preview show in Toronto on Thursday. (Dennis was with us for a day back in early May to help us consider the stories we were working with). Yesterday, Dinny wrote and sent us a reflection/poem that she had written about the show.

  Performance

    on the chancel steps
the players speak their text
     voices raised in doubt
       sorrow or discovery
            litany of quest
               and trial

    people's stories told
   with compassion whole
    breath for panting heart
body freed by touch and dance
             to connect
              and heal

      ancient words of faith
       insinuate their truth
     joining voices weighed
with all the freight of separate selves
               in harmony
                 with all

         broken healers meld
       embracing self and world
  with open hands and arms flung wide
           Christ is all in all
              the Body one
                 we dwell

                           Dinny Hayes

Thank you Dinny - this inspires us so much for our premiere which, we admit, we are both excited and nervous about.

Early Reviews...

2010-06-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of "dress rehearsal with an audience" performances over the past days - Guelph on Wednesday and Toronto on Thursday. Here are a couple of audience comments to whet your appetite:

"Thanks for the blessing of being there for the rehearsal last night! I think the play is a blast, it knocked my socks clear into next week!"

"What am I taking away? That there is a God-shaped hole in our church which is filled when the totality of who we are is welcomed in. Wow."

"My wife would tell you that I have a low threshold for boredom in plays and theatre. But this? I was hooked, riveted and totally drawn in, right from the start until the end. It was over way too fast. I loved it."

"It is awesome"

Learning to Rap

2010-05-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

- Jenny Salisbury

There is so much to say about the creation process of Roots Among the Rocks. I could tell you about our improvisation sessions, the guest artists and theologians who have come and spent time with us, the big discussions around who is God and what is the kingdom, and what can the church be. But I want to tell you about one moment. It happened yesterday.

Peter Reinhardt, my co-director, is an extraordinary rap artist. He can make me, a bookish girl with a love for Shakespeare, ballet and guitars get REALLY EXCITED about rap. He has lead the company to write a rap where each member of the cast has a verse of their own, speaking to their own faith story and their dream for the church. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is a great piece, and one of the highlights of our show. Some of my favourite lines include:

‘Stop trying to spread the word simply through skits,
with no questions, inspirations, or space to struggle with it’

‘Grounded in tradition and rhythm of prayer so we can be
hearts and hands working for the good of all humanity’

‘There ain’t no stupid church club for winners of the lottery,
Jesus said ‘Everybody come and get a piece of me’.

‘Doesn’t matter where it happens, or if it’s in a designated spot,
It’s right here, right now, ‘cause church is what we’ve got!’

The best thing about this piece is that it’s one of the few moments when the whole company is together doing the same thing, and rocking it! We blocked and rehearsed it yesterday, and the company just lights up with energy and passion.

We did a run yesterday, and it was 22 minutes over our time limit, so today I’m editing. I don’t want to cut a thing – but trimming is healthy for the tree, right? (There’s a roots joke to be made, if you can figure it out, send it my way).

i cannot wait to get on tour!

2010-05-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

- Melissa Glover

rehearsing one of my monologues

It has been a busy month. It seems like just yesterday I arrived, only to be packing on this coming Tuesday evening and heading out on tour. The creation process has been very rewarding and bunches of fun. We also have a great time outside of rehearsal and I have enjoyed living with the cast, we all offer something unique and are all learning from one another. There is a great sense of community with this group, something I haven’t always felt in other theatre projects. I have learnt so much about myself as an actor and more so as a person. Everything in our show will, I believe, speak to everyone but in different ways. There have been so many funny moments I wish I could recall, also some of them may not be appropriate for a blog…we also have great guidance from Judy, Jenny, and Peter and the eight of us have created something fresh that I think will make audiences think. I cannot wait to get on tour!

what it's like to create together in community

2010-05-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

- Karyn Guenther

the night of the nerf gun war

Gah what a process. What a large task we are undertaking. The last month or so has been very inspiring for me as a theatre artist, a member of the church, and, well, as a human, desperately trying to connect with other humans because that’s what we do.

The most joyous occasions this month have occurred during moments of struggle and challenge, both in rehearsal and in our home. It would not be truthful to say that we feel happy and loving towards each other all day, every day. There are moments of frustration, anger, awkwardness, tiredness and I think what makes our company so healthy is that I see us leaning into those moments instead of shying away from them. Because we are in a creative process almost all the time, the stuff of our lives has and is coming out and it has been most rewarding for me to be able to feel comfortable enough to share the parts of our lives that we don’t share in everyday conversation and know that I am with people who accept those parts of me and who support the struggle. I am also very fond of our kitchen parties, which are frequent and full of laughter. I don’t think I’ve laughed nearly as hard or as much as I have this last month. It is good.

on the blackboard

2010-05-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

So, I walked into the rehearsal space and saw this on the blackboard...

I liked it!

But really, what is it ABOUT?

2010-05-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Under the heading of "Frequently Asked Questions"... lots of people are wondering "But, what is the play ABOUT anyway? What is the story?" Well, until earlier this week, that was a hard question to answer given that the process over the past three-and-a-half weeks has been to firgure out what it is about and to write it.

But now - it's written! We have a script in our hands that we have put together out of the stories, ideas, people, places and themes that have emerged through our work. Here's the gist:

Roots Among the Rocks seeks to share stories from the people who make up the church in Canada. Based on interviews with Christians from coast to coast, the show brings the Body of Christ home to itself, and asks the question: Who is Church? Characters tell their stories around a kitchen table, friends whisper is church pews, some choose to leave and others choose to stay. Music, poetry, dance and drama combine to explore just what it is that brings us together. Journeying through the themes of Sunday Morning, Identity Crisis, Resilience and Grace, Confession and Absolution, and Finding Home, come hear the stories and meet the characters that make up the church we call home.

Warning: Roots Among the Rocks is a show written for the whole church. In it, the cast confronts issues of identity, community, trust, and forgiveness.
It does not contain: violence, swearing, nudity, smoke effects, reality TV hosts, strobe lighting, an obligatory kiss scene, or robots.
It does contain: confession, dance, poetry, drug addiction, humour, cancer, biblical stories, St. Augustine, an irreverent tribute to Sunday morning worship, human sexuality, rocks, prayers, hopes, dreams and rap.
We think anyone age 12 and over will enjoy it.

Our play does not have a linear plot. It is a series of moments, connected through prayer, music and movement. There are two major components to our show: monologues, based on interviews, and scenes, based on big questions we want to ask of the church.

(editorial aside from the producer - I saw the first full run through yesterday and, well, it's freaking awesome! If you love church, if you hate church, if you are weary of or inspired by church...come see this play!!)

After running through Act 3 - Notes from the Director!

Carolyn rehearses a monologue

inspiration

2010-05-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

We had a night off recently, and went to see singer songwriter Martyn Joseph and poet Stewart Henderson playing at the London Music Club. He was on a tour to support world vision. Andrew, one of the mentors at Ask & Imagine told us about him and we were hugely inspired. Go visit his website and listen to some of his music.

After the show, he came over and spent some time sharing stories with us, talking about his tour, why he does what he does, and listening to us share what we are doing this summer. His advice?

"Be Real. Whatever you do, be real. There are a lot of liars out there, including in the church..."

Thanks Martyn and Stewart, for an amazing evening that made us think, gave us perspective and a little music and friendship.

We have begun!

2010-05-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

We have just finished the first week of our production month and the energy and creativity is AMAZING!!

There has been lots to learn and do; everything from setting up the kitchen, planning meals and menus, working out a cleaning schedule ("did they teach me this is theatre school/theological college??") to improv, drumming circles, establishing group covenants, exploring characters, sharing the stories we gathered from interviews and more! Dennis Hayes from Toronto spent a fantastic afternoon with us as we shared stories and told many of his own to help us begin the process of distilling all of this into a 75 minute show.

Meanwhile, we're learning to live and create together, feeding off each other's energy, learning about boundaries and grace and (as can be expected) laughing a LOT!

One piece of sad news - on the weekend we had to say goodbye to one of our cast members. For personal reasons, Michael made the tough decision to return home for the summer. We're thinking of him and look forward to seeing him when the tour swings through Saskatoon in July. Blessings Michael! Thanks for your love and energy.

Photos:

1. 'Look Mom, we ARE eating our vegetables!' Life at Cronyn House, our home at Huron University College
2. Concentration through Big Booty
3. Peter inspires JD and Melissa to great creativity in an improv game called "Duck Duck WHAT?"
4. Every margarine tub needs a face
5. Jenny's opening session - 'what IS theatre?'

" W.W.J.P.? "

2010-04-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

- Judy Steers

This blog is going to be written throughout the summer by all the members of the cast and the production team. Today, I'm musing on the learning curve of being a producer.

It's hard to believe that this crazy adventure started as a 'let's dream big' conversation between me and Jenny while making gingerbread cookies in December, 2008. It began as a 'what would we do if we could do anything?' That dream took shape over the following 12 months and here we are, a few days before beginning production month and a summer of...well, who knows. Something wonderful, something life changing, something based in a good solid story - sounds a bit like Good News.

Meanwhile...

During the last 12 months my role in all this has been emerging as 'producer'. There's lots of things that a producer does in a typical production - arranging food and transportation, sorting out rehearsal space, hiring, contracts, insurance, airline reservations, and did you know how HARD it is to find an 11 passenger van for two months?? But there are other parts of my 'producer' role unique to this production: Exploring theological reflection with the cast. Keeping the company supplied with homemade bread. Praying together. Singing together. Learning how to 'con-spire', that is, to breathe together. Living and working together to become not just co-workers and colleagues, but to be a prophetic community.

One of the things that I thought was going to be hard was to NOT accompany the troupe on the tour. I will see some of the performances, especially the premiere, but I'm not going across Canada (I have other ministries to focus on, and two adolescents at home!). Somehow I'm really ok with that. I didn't expect to be - I thought after all this preparation and planning and dreaming, I would really lament not being able to go with them. But I like the feeling of empowerment. Sending forth. Hearing the stories. Waving the troupe goodbye as they leave and then watching them on this blog along with everyone else. Empowering (or producing) is about providing the tools and the space to create and to become, then letting go and watching it unfold.

Ascension-tide is well timed. I wonder how Jesus felt at that moment of saying "I've given you what I can, you have all you need, go and do it.... and, tell me from time to time how you're getting on !" I wonder if we really know how much he believed (believes) in us?

Westminster Woot

2010-04-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Westminster College Foundation for helping fund our production. We just heard from them yesterday that our application was successful and they have made a sizeable grant to help us meet the costs of the tour.

Here's what they do:

Westminster College Foundation provides grants to charitable organizations whose programs advance and assist with education, health and/or spiritual care, focusing on youth and/or seniors. Programs or projects that demonstrate creative new initiatives are favoured.

We'd like to think that we are a 'creative new initiative' and apparently, they think so too! Thanks Westminster College Foundation!

Production Month starts in a week!

2010-04-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Cast is chosen, the house is booked, the van is rented, the rehearsal space found and we are ready to begin our production month on May 4th in London, Ontario.

Introducing: (L to R) Michael, Melissa, Karyn, Magdalena, John-Daniel and Carolyn! (and below, our directors Jenny and Peter)

We have started to make bookings at venues across Canada. Hats off to St. James and the Refinery in Saskatoon who have not only been super helpful, but have suggested many things to us to help in our planning - we're new at this!

We welcome to the team Beth Baskin who is our tour coordinator and will be getting in touch with everyone who wants to book us to come and perform in their space. If you want to talk to Beth about a performance, write to her at beth(at)kapn.net.

Tour locations so far:
Halifax - General Synod on June 8th
St. John's, NL - Parish of the Ascension and St Mark's
Montreal
Ottawa
Kingston
Toronto
Hamilton
Sault Ste. Marie
Thunder Bay
Winnipeg - St Stephen's Church
Saskatoon - St James and the Refinery
Calgary
Sorrento
Vancouver
Victoria

Want to add your town to our tour? Write to Beth! Watch the blog for a detailed tour schedule as it becomes available in the next few weeks.