theater email 1

30 DAY THEATER

Challenge

Daily Emails
from your mentor Heidi Olson

Welcome

This is the first ever STORYTELLERS theatre challenge!!! My name is Heidi Olson, and I work as the director here at Storytellers. Which basically means I get to write cool emails, talk to people, and work on stories! And I am jumping for joy to welcome you to this theatre challenge month!

Okay, I’ll set aside exclamation points for a couple sentencesand actually explain why I’m writing to you:

Run through quick recap of details
Explain the emails
Introduce myself and meet you!

1. Recap

So let’s run through a quick recap of the challenge details just so we’re all on the same page. The goal of this challenge is to create and perform an original staged story and submit it to us by

April 30 at 11:59 PM EST.

HELP
At any point in the month, if you have questions or tech trouble or just need help understanding something better, you can reach out to me or Christopher Stewart.

Heidi Olson
Phone: (417) 241-2357
Email: heidi_olson@sctreehouse.com

Christopher Stewart
Phone: (423) 715-4694
Email: christopher_stewart@sctreehouse.com

(Heads up, your tech questions are probably better directed to Christopher…)

GOAL
Your original staged story can be a play, skit, musical, concert, dance, or any type of performance that can be done onstage. There cannot be any sex, nudity, or taking the Lord’s name in vain in your finished performance since the foremost goal of Storytellers is to glorify God. Your final script, choreography, and/or music must be submitted along with a film of your performance by April 30 at 11:59 PM EST. That way, if you win, others can perform your creation, too!

Any questions on that? Visit https://storytellers.sctreehouse.com/30-day-theater.html to read through the FAQ’s or contact one of us.

2. Emails

On to the emails! Our goal in this challenge is not only to provide an opportunity for you to create something amazing (although, that’s definitely part of the goal). The other side of the goal is equip and train you so that as you create, you learn. And as you learn, you create with even more excellence.

So, every day, Sunday-Friday in April, you will receive an email. In these emails I will be sharing not only the lessons I’ve learned through personal experience in theatre but also the lessons others have shared with me. I encourage you to read them because:

I hope they’re actually helpful to your storytelling journey.
You can give me feedback on what was helpful and what wasn’t so that next year, this challenge gets even better.

That being said, if there is particular topic you would like some insight on, please contact me at the email address above and let me know! I want to cover ground that is helpful to you.

Keep in mind that emails are not meant to be your exact outline of how the challenge should go. My goal in writing to you is to offer insight that can help you along the way, but you are the leader of your challenge.

3. Introduction

Now, I should probably introduce myself now so that you actually know who this Heidi Olson person is.

I am a daughter of the King of Kings. It’s because of His guidance and calling that I work in the storytelling field today. I’m also a sister to four wonderful, crazy brothers and daughter of two of the most self-sacrificing, loving people you’ll ever meet. I love stories, challenges, adventures, and people.

My mom and dad raised their kids with a love of storytelling. Bursting into 3-part harmony in the car, spontaneously performing skits for people’s events, and dancing instead of walking were pretty normal occurrences while I was growing up. All throughout middle and high school, I was heavily involved in performing and working behind the scenes.

And then came the dreaded question.

*Piano plays - Duh duhduhhhhhh*

“Heidi, what are you going to do with your life?”

By the time I graduated high school, I’d been in 10 plays and musicals, attended the Lamplighter Guild, and studied under Broadway pros. I really wanted to continue working in theatre, but I wasn’t clear on what the Lord’s path for me was. So, I started working as a janitor, applying for jobs in the theatre field, and praying like crazy that God would show me the way forward.

Honestly though, I didn’t really know if you could successfully work in theatre and not compromise on God’s standards. After a lot of questioning, I finally decided to trust Him that whether I ever got to be an actor or not, following Him was the only truly fulfilling choice I could make. And it was the best decision I made.

In 2014, I went to work for Sight and Sound Theatres as an usher. After a year, I moved into the shipping/receiving department. After a year there, I moved back home and started up my own voice acting business. Of those three jobs, which one do you think was most in line with my calling?

Yep, all of them.

You see, even when I wasn’t working as close to the actual storyside of storytelling, the Lord was always equipping me with what I needed for the next season. The more I realized that, the more I began to think,

“I’ve got to share this! More people need to know they can trust His plans for them.”

And the more I actually got to work as a storyteller without compromising God’s standards, the more I thought,

“I want to help other storytellers live out God’s calling for them!”

And that is what got me here. I work at Storytellers today because I want to open up opportunities for people to glorify God through storytelling and because the One who gave me that dream is faithful to open the doors of opportunity in His perfect timing. I have gotten to work as an actor, director, choreographer, and so many other things, too.

So there’s my story in a nutshell. I’ve been working in theatre, film, and radio for over 10 years, and I love storytelling now more than ever! It’s a powerful way to connect with people and to reflect our heavenly Father’s heart to them. After all, we are the image-bearers of the Master Storyteller.

What’s your story? I’m excited to meet and walk with you on this journey! Go ahead and introduce yourself in the comments below, get to know the other people in this challenge, and get ready for the adventure. It’s time to tell a story!

Day 1

Day 1 | Seek God’s Story

Welcome to Day 1! Are you excited for a month of theatre? I am! To begin, I’m going to share a story with you. Because, what better way is there to kick off a Storytellers challenge?

“I want people to stop praying over their stories like they pray over food.”

“Um, okay.” I glanced over at my brother Ben, but his faced looked just as confused as mine.

“Instead of saying ‘Here’s my story, God; please bless it now,’ shouldn’t we storytellers ask God for the inspiration? We should be falling on our knees before Him to ask what He wants told through us.”

Christopher Stewart was getting excited. Ben, he, and I had just finished teaching a film class for that day, and we were all sitting around the kitchen table talking about…you guessed it, stories.

“Think about how much more powerful stories could be if they were surrendered to God in the beginning!” he continued. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do with everything in our lives?”

Of course it was, but the question made me stop and think. Was I actually living that type of surrender out? Or, was I just creating stuff and asking Him to bless it when it was finished? I was going to have to think about that one.

One of the most powerful musicals I’ve ever seen is Mary Poppins. I’m not talking about the movie version; the stage version, though similar, is much more powerful. At first glance, the story looks like it’s about two children learning to be kids, visiting imaginary places, and singing crazy songs. The deeper you look, though, you’ll find that, at its heart, the story is actually about the children’s father. Although on the outside Mr. Banks is an orderly, respectable man, you’ll see that his relationships are suffering, his job is stifling, and he’s just trying to keep it all from falling apart. Mary Poppins is actually the story of a man who relearns what is important in life, and his family is restored because of that lesson.

The Story, a musical journey through Scripture, is also a powerful show. Each character, from Adam to Job, points to the Messiah, and the end of the musical shows how beautiful His redemptive love is for us. I cried almost every night when I was performing in that show. I saw people’s lives affected by it. And you know what? I saw people’s lives transformed by watching Mary Poppins too.

Stories can be super fun to tell, but if you go a little deeper, you’ll find that stories were designed to reflect the heart of the Master Storyteller. I Cor. 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If our stories have the potential to transform lives for the glory of God, don’t you think we better start off by asking Him what story is that He wants us to tell? No matter what kind of show it is - comedy, drama, play, dance, etc. - you never know how God will use it to change lives.

Application

Seek God’s story. Take time to pray today and ask Him for His guidance over everything you do with this theatre story. From the script to the actors to the music, there is no piece too small for His notice.

Want to watch some clips from the musicals I mentioned? Here’s one of my favorite moments in Mary Poppins: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5aI269ymzA. The Story musical isn’t currently on YouTube, but here is one of the songs used in it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iZvZWUZFevI. Two very different styles, both impactful stories.

Day 2

Day 2 | Build Your Team

You’ve made it to Day 2! Every day in the emails I send out, I’m going to build off the info I gave you last time. That means keep seeking God’s story. His story might turn out to be a little bigger and slightly more outside your control than you were originally thinking. Sound scary? Let’s talk about the next puzzle piece in this theatre picture: the team.

Last year when my brother Ben and I participated in one of these Storytellers challenges, we were determined to take on only 3 roles max. We had seen too many plays, films, and other stories built by one person which, although it’s sometimes well done, usually meant that the story was never anything more than that person’s limited perspective. So, for the 1-week film challenge in 2018, we decided to take on no more than 3 roles each.

It worked! Mostly.

Before the challenge started, Ben and I were contacting people and inviting them to join our team. You know the part that blew me away? People actually signed up! It wasn’t a huge team, but it was the largest we’d ever led for a film. In the end, Ben and I did fill a handful of smaller roles outside of our 3 main ones, but the load was far lighter because we asked for help.

Here’s what I’m NOT saying: “You need *specific number* people on your team to make this story excellent.” Every story will require a different amount of people. Here’s what I am saying: “This story is bigger than you.”

No matter what kind of stage story you’re telling. No matter how many years, weeks, or hours of experience you have in theatre. Great stories are always bigger than one person. If you haven’t already, it’s time to seek help and advice. Not everyone will have the time to physically accomplish something for your challenge (build a set, sew costumes, etc.), but there are probably more people who would be excited to join you than you realize.

Evaluate yourself and your skill set honestly. What are the gaps that need to be filled in order for this story to be told excellently? Seek out teammates. If someone doesn’t have the time to work with you right now, they may still be able to act as a consultant. Ask questions. The wisdom-givers are essential teammates.

Building your team is about more than having a certain number of people. It’s about you learning to humble yourself, admit what you don’t know, and ask for help. It’s about the Lord working through you to open up opportunities for other people to work in their giftings, too. It’s about you being able to focus where you should and bring excellence to that role.

Application

Okay, so if I was reading the above email, I would be annoyed. Actually, I would start off by nodding my head and saying, “Wow, those are great points that all storytellers should follow.” Then, I would reach the end of the email and say, “But how on earth am I supposed to practically apply all of that, Heidi?!?! I’m so happy that you found teammates for your film challenge, but where on earth do I find people who actually have time and want to help me with my challenge?”

In the hope of saving you from those frustrations, let’s talk practical steps. And by the way, if I don’t cover enough practical steps here, comment below with your questions, and I will respond.

STEPS:

Personal contacts – Who do you know who knows more about theatre than you do or a part of theater? Who do you know who’s interested in stories? Email, call, or send them a message, asking for their help and/or advice.
Facebook – Post a call for other storytellers to come join your adventure, on your wall and in theatre groups. (Quick marketing tip: Be real. No snazzy lingo, just express your genuine excitement for the project you’re doing and invite people to come alongside you in the journey.)
Storytellers Creators – This is a platform built solely for story creators. Don’t know anyone who writes music or designs lights? Post a call on the general feed and search for specific skill sets among the members. - https://storytellers-creators.mn.co/share/XSv8oViSOMyrZtMx?utm_source=manual
Google forms – Ben and I created an online form for people to get more info about our film and sign up for the team. You can create your own here: https://www.google.com/forms/about/

Want to see the result of Ben’s and my film challenge? You can watch the whole film, “The Real Champ”, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTrKxhG3zrA

Go build your team. And prepare to be amazed by a story that’s greater than what you imagined.

Day 3

Day 3 | Throw Ideas on the Table

It’s Day 3! Time to get some ideas on the table.

Have you ever heard the tale of Mr. Writer?

One day, Mr. Writer was doing what he does best, writing. His imagination was bursting with bright colors, knights, swords, fair maidens, and dragons. He scribbled his pen furiously across the page as he tried to capture everything inside his head. This story was going to be his best yet!

While Mr. Writer was engrossed in his work, the door to the room opened softly behind him. Two feet tiptoed across the floor, and a head peered over Mr. Writer’s shoulder. Mr. Writer heard nothing but the sounds of the battle raging in his imagination. The newcomer remained silent, but his eyes scanned the pages under the writer’s hands. A frown began to form between the person’s brows, and finally, when he could bear it no longer, he snatched the papers away from Mr. Writer.

“No, no, no!” cried the person. “This just won’t do!”

A startled Mr. Writer looked up in bewilderment. It took a moment for the story in his head to dissipate before his eyes could clear enough to recognize the man.

“You call this a good story?” asked the man. “Look! The comma’s out of place here, the dialogue drags there, and why on earth does this character have a bow and arrow instead of a lance?”

Mr. Writer’s head sank into his empty hands.

“Oh, hello Mr. Editor,” he sighed. “Yes, I know it needs some work.”

Before you accuse me of criminalizing all editors, let me explain. If Mr. Writer completed his work with no editor, he would end up with a fluffy, verbose story. If Mr. Editor tried to work with no writer, well, he’d have no story to trim the fluff off of. Both writing and editing are essential to telling a great story. To get off the ground, though, you first have to let Mr. Writer do his job unhindered by the naggings of Mr. Editor.

John Fornof, a writer for Adventures in Odyssey, taught me to mentally lock the door on Mr. Editor while Mr. Writer is doing his work. Then, when the writing is finished, open the door, escort Mr. Writer out, and invite Mr. Editor to do what he does best. You do have to lock the door on Mr. Writer for the second stage because otherwise he may send up a squall about his magnum opus being tampered with.

At this stage in the journey, focus on just getting your ideas on the table. Organizing and editing will come as you weave the story’s components together. For now, sit Mr. Writer down at his table, encourage him to dream, and let him do what he loves. Write!

Application

Today, have a brainstorming session.

Put a piece of paper and a pen in front of you and whoever on your team is working on the writing.
Jot down all the characters, plot points, settings, themes of music - anything you already have an idea for - in bullet points, sentences, or short paragraphs. Don’t necessarily launch into writing the entire script or score without a plan. That could waste a lot of time.
Start talking your ideas out. Your finished story will have to communicate a clear idea to an audience so work on communicating your vision to someone else right now.
Begin organizing. Yes, you can let Mr. Editor in for a little while now to fit some of Mr. Writer’s ideas into a story format. Create an outline, script treatment, organized sticky notes, etc. – something that keeps you on target for the story you’re telling.
Write. Take the outline from Mr. Editor and let Mr. Writer write a script, score, choreography, or whatever it is you’re creating. And remember, it won’t be perfect yet.

Questions on any of this? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun writing!

day 4

Day 4 | Go Big

Today, I’m writing to you about mindset. Before we jump into that, though, I want to note something important about these emails. Theatre, like life, is a whole kaleidoscope of pieces that work together to form a picture. Just like Mr. Writer and Mr. Editor, every piece balances the others out. Each email zooms in on one piece of what makes the whole story work so keep that in mind as we talk about going big.

Have you heard of the YouTubers called Dude Perfect? If so, you may recognize the title of this email as referencing Cory Cotton’s book. Go Big: Make Your Shot Count in the Connected World breaks down the principles underlying what helped these 5 guys make their online platform a huge success. In today’s world, we often refer to people like them as sensations or overnight successes. What if “going big” is more than sensationalism or a lucky chance, though? What does it mean to go big?

Make This Your Best –Going big doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be staging the next Newsies, New World Symphony, or Riverdance. Cory Cotton talks about stepping up to the “next level” in his book (2011, pg. 5), but there will always be next levels you can step up to. For this challenge, make it your goal, not to reach the pinnacle of success, but to step up to your next level.
Get Excited! – “This is critical for one simple reason: if you don’t love your work, neither will anyone else” (Cotton, 2011, pg. xii). You joined the theatre challenge so I’m already assuming you love some aspect of theatre. Keep that love in front of you so that no matter what difficulties or triumphs come, your team and your audience are excited because you’re excited!
Make Mistakes – Be willing to go bigger than what you feel ready for. Be ready to admit where you’re wrong, and be flexible. Situations will arise that you weren’t looking for, and your initial vision will almost definitely have to change as you understand the whole picture of this story better. Making mistakes is crucial to learning, though, and learning is crucial to excellence.

Application

Name some of your greatest accomplishments in theatre, storytelling, or life in general. How can you step up to your next level in this challenge? Write down some ideas and goals.
Watch a Dude Perfect episode. Yep, that’s a real assignment. Note how their genuine excitement is an essential part of the video, one that made them such a huge success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muzeGsrYpnQ
I bet you thought I was going to tell you to make a mistake. Actually, running away from this email and intentionally doing something stupid is not really the point. Instead, pray, prepare to step outside your comfort zone, and trust the Lord that as you make mistakes, He’ll use those for your good, the good of those around you, and His glory (Romans 8:28).

Going big is an intentional process, but there are also a lot of surprises along the way. Be faithful to God’s call for you in this journey. Also, keep an eye out for open doors you weren’t expecting. I’m certain the Master Storyteller has some plot twists in store!

Reference
Cotton, Cory. (2011). Go Big: Make Your Shot Count in the Connected World. Carol Stream, IL:
Tyndale.

Day 5

Day 5 | Serve the Story

You’ve almost completed the first week of the theatre challenge. Well done!

Imagine you’re sitting in a concert hall. The orchestra is playing the Star Wars music and doing a beautiful job of it. Each member is dressed in formal outfits, the instruments are singing on-key in perfect harmony, and the energy swells and fades with emotion. Your eyes are sparkling as the story of Star War unfolds in your mind.

Suddenly, one of the violinists stands up and begins playing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. You shake your head to clear what must be some illusion, but when you look again, nope. There she is, playing a completely different song than the rest of the orchestra. It’s still perfectly on-key and filled with emotion, though.

After a couple minutes, she finally sits down and rejoins the Star Wars story. You, however, are still gripping the arms of your chair and trying to settle your mind. What just happened?! Finally, your hands relax a little and you begin to settle into the music again. But as you’re going home after the concert, the thought of the solo violinist sticks out in your mind.

Are you rolling your eyes at this scene and thinking this would never happen? While they might not be this painfully obvious every time, a lot of stories have moments like this one. It’s any element that distracts your audience members by telling a different story.

Both the How to Train Your Dragon “Flying Theme” and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe “The Battle” are epic, sweeping songs. However, if you try listening to the latter music while watching the dragon scene, it doesn’t fit. The Narnian song is setting up a battle, giving you a heroic yet uncertain feeling. The flying song gives you a sense of freedom, happiness, and soaring through the air. Both are beautifully written, but they’re not interchangeable because they serve different stories.

As you build your script, music, dance, sets, or any piece of your story, ask yourself if it actually tells the right story. We’ll dig deeper into specific topics in future emails, but you already have a sense of what colors, words, and attitudes convey certain emotions. As you develop the vision of your story, strive not just to create incredible elements but to serve the same story through each element.

Application

In 2018, I choreographed a dance to the song “Glorious Day”. It was a testing ground for applying the same principle I just shared with you in this email. I had to serve the story of the event where the dance was performed by picking a fitting song, choreographing a complementary dance, and creating costumes and props that told the same story as the song.

Before you watch the dance, just listen to the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gklJ2XZwDHc. What emotions do you hear in the song? What colors come to mind for portraying those emotions? How many dancers would you ideally want for this dance? What would your blocking look like? Think over these questions while you listen to start getting a picture in your mind of what a good serve-the-story dance would look like.
Watch this dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d1bG0VB6Q&t=205s. Did the intensity of the dancing ebb and flow with the music? Did the props fit? What did you think served the story well or distracted you from the story (besides the little boy who tried to join the dancers J)?

Consider your story. Does each theme of music, piece of dialogue, or step of choreography tell the same story? As you develop it more, you’ll be able to work more on the vision for how the overall story flows. Then, you’ll be able to better direct the other pieces of the story as you work them in throughout the challenge.

That’s it for Week 1’s emails! I hope you’re learning and having fun so far. May you be blessed by how you grow and bless others through this challenge. As always, if you have questions, leave a comment below or reach out to me personally. Each one of you is in my prayers as you learn to reflect the heart of the Master Storyteller through theatre. Talk to you next week!

Day 7

Day 7 - The Vision

Application

Here are those practical steps I talked about! When casting the vision for your team:

Describe the message, goal, and big picture plans of your story.
Invite your team to start experiencing the story. Whatever you have ready - script, score, music, etc. - have your team read, play, or practice through it so that they can understand the flow of the story.
Be confident, honest, and excited. You may not feel very confident about where you have the overall story yet, but have confidence in your team that they will take what you give them and make something even better than your vision would be alone.

Then, cast the vision for your audience too:

Start sharing about your story in conversations, on social media, and/or through emails. Remember, people will usually get excited when they see you excited.
Use your tools. Storytellers Fans was created to give you a platform to share and promote your story. Build interest now so that your audience makes plans to attend your performance. Share your story’s journey so that your audience feels invested in the story and excited to see where it goes. For an example of a Fans page, check out the one I worked on for Ben’s and my project, “The Real Champ”: https://storytellers-fans.mn.co/share/ogs4PExulX_rywAN?utm_source=manual

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the balance of vision-casting: listening to your team. For now, have fun sharing your vision and moving forward on your story!

Day 8

Day 8 | Listen to Your Team

“What if we made the story about a businessman who lost his job?”

“Oh! There could be a single mom who’s wondering how to pay her bills.”

“Or, a guy could be walking along, jump off a cliff, and then a crane catches his belt loop. It’s symbolic.”

Ideas were flying through the air, some very fitting, some slightly less realistic. My brother Ben and I were teaching a music video class at a conference in Illinois. To start off, we decided to ask for people’s ideas on stories we could portray for the song Ben and I had chosen. We were having a brainstorming session with about 20-30 people sitting in a lounge, throwing ideas on the table.

That was one of the best learning moments for me in my storytelling journey. We had all different types of personalities with vastly different amounts of experience in that room, but there was something important happening regardless of who was speaking or what film background they had: Everyone was being listened to.

Okay, confession. I struggle with consistently listening to people. Sometimes, my ideas seem like the best so, I reason, when someone else is talking, it’s the perfect time to work out the best ideas in my brain. That’s terrible, I know. Hence, the reason why that moment in the brainstorming session was so important. Here are a few things I learned about listening to your team when it comes to creating a story:

People feel valued when you listen. – Think of any time you’ve offered an opinion, and the person you were talking to actually looked you in the eye, processed what you said, and responded. People who feel valued operate a lot better in creativity than those who feel like you don’t care about their thoughts.
You’ll discover the best ideas when you listen. Even in the off-the-wall ideas, you may find something profound to incorporate in your story. I’ve seen it happen.
Safety is required for sharing ideas. When people contribute their ideas or effort, they’re usually sharing a part of themselves. That’s being vulnerable, and vulnerability is scary for a lot of people. It’s up to the people in the room to make it a safe environment for sharing which means no rolling your eyes, no treating people unkindly, and yes, no mocking laughter.
You need a decision-maker. 20 people won’t always be able to come to a creative consensus. Therefore, you do need someone to guide brainstorming sessions and make final decisions on how the ideas will be applied.

“But what about when an idea is straight up ridiculous?” you may ask. Let’s be real. All people are equally valuable, but the same isn’t true for all ideas. No matter what, make sure you uplift people in the way you respond to them, but also, be honest. As a leader in your team, help people understand that there is a good time and place to offer ideas, and there are times when you just need to get to work. As in everything, there’s a balance.

Application

In every meeting you have with your team:

Create a safe environment. Ask people to contribute ideas, listen to them, and respond to what they say.
Communicate clearly. Sometimes your whole team gets really comfortable in the safe environment, and they all want to share ideas every time you meet. You probably already know this isn’t always conducive to productivity. Set clear expectations for every rehearsal, brainstorming session, or whatever team meeting you have, and make sure that your story is moving forward.
Stay open to different ideas. Even in the rehearsals where you need to focus more on application than brainstorming, keep listening to your team. Their attitudes, actions, and responses will sometimes tell you even more than their words so pay attention.

If you want to see what happened with our team’s music video, here is the finished film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9dsd7PRW5M. Alright, go listen to your team, keep working on that story, and have fun!

Day 9

Day 9 | Rehearse Like You’ll Perform

Welcome to Day 9. Keep up the good work!

Piano recitals almost always freaked me out. Somehow, when I went onstage for a musical, I was nervous but still felt like I was in control of myself. When I stepped onstage for a piano recital, my brain and hands seemed to disconnect, and all I could do was hope that my fingers had memorized the correct keys, rhythms, and dynamics.

In the winter of 2012, I actually felt pretty confident for the recital, for once. I’d practiced Joy by George Winston a lot and loved the song. I had set out to memorize it, but because I hadn’t practiced without the music much, I brought it up to the piano with me. The only problem was…I had trained my brain and my fingers to operate on memory. Suddenly, telling myself to read the music and simultaneously play from memory, my brain and fingers couldn’t tell who was in charge…and I started messing up. Okay, it wasn’t horrible, but it was a far cry from the story I knew the piano could sing out.

At the end of the performance, I picked up my music, bowed, and as I sat down, I told myself that my next (and last – that would be my senior recital) performance would be completely memorized. It was. Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude demanded dedication, and this time I rehearsed like I was going to perform.

“Perfect practice makes perfect.” Have you ever heard that saying? It sounds confusing at first. When you begin rehearsals, you don’t know every aspect of the show you’re creating: the dynamics of the characters, the perfect blend of the musicians, etc. But, the goal is excellence.

Rehearsing like you’ll perform means that you give everything you’ve got from the beginning. Don’t wait for the performance to magically draw your best out. Believe me, it won’t. How you rehearse now is how you are training yourself to perform later.

Better understanding and a greater performance will come with time as you work with your team and study your role. However, you can bring a dedicated mindset from the start. What feels like just having fun right now can actually program actions into your muscle memory that you don’t want in your performance. Start training yourself to perform, not just rehearse, right now.

Application

Pursue excellence. I Cor. 10:31 – “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Don’t go half-hearted; you’re serving the Creator of the universe!
Focus. When you’re practicing, bring your full attention to the work you’re doing. This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but keep your focus on serving the story.
Try things. One of the biggest obstacles for creators is the fear of what others will think. When you try ideas, though, you often whittle away the lesser ones and find treasures you would have never discovered without the willingness to try.

Enjoy your rehearsals! And remember to share some of your behind-the-scenes stories to start engaging your audience’s interest, too (reference Day 7’s email).

day 10

Day 10 | Build Friendships Now

You’re halfway through Week 2! Congratulations!

Something magical seemed to happen during show week. Even though, in the homeschool theatre group I performed in, the cast had the entire school year to get to know each other, show week deepened friendships. It was the time when every piece of the show came together, and we worked intensely to bring the story to life. I thought there really was something magical about show week. That is, until I ran an accidental experiment on myself.

In the fall of 2011, when I was 16, I decided I was tired of trying to make friends. Talking to people wasn’t so hard anymore, but putting myself out there and actually trying to start conversations and build friendships, that was exhausting work. So, for that year, I decided I wasn’t going to try so hard. When we reached show week for Fiddler on the Roof, though, I noticed that the magical thing didn’t happen. I still talked to people and loved performing, but the usual deepening of relationships didn’t happen for me.

The next year, when I was a senior, God brought me way outside my comfort zone. My last year was in a totally different city…with a main role...on the devotions leadership committee for the first time…where I was the only female in a group of pirates. Talk about major reversal from the year before! Finally, I realized a few things about my time in Fiddler:

I’d used my shyness as an excuse for selfishness.
Solid friendships don’t just happen.
God wanted to work through me to encourage people towards Him.

Thankfully, I took those lessons to heart. My senior year in Pirates of Penzance was definitely not perfect, but it was very intentional. And you know what? As I made my first priority focusing on God and His glory, He gave me strength to love people even when it was exhausting. He changed people’s lives in ways I didn’t expect, even through small things like a smile or a hello. He grew me as a storyteller and shaped my character. When my eyes weren’t focused on me first, I was able to rest in Him even in the uncomfortable moments when I didn’t know how to create conversation.

Why do I tell you all this? Because theatre is built on relationships. Your relationship with God establishes the reason why you tell stories: for His glory! Your relationships with your teammates affect the focused excellence that you’re able to bring to a show. Your relationship with the audience affects what pieces of it they remember. So don’t wait for magical moments to happen when suddenly everything falls into place. Be intentional to invest in friendships now and be blessed when the easier moments come.

Application

Seek God. Hmmm, seems to be a common theme. It was the first email’s topic, and it’s also the foundation we should always stand upon. Put the Lord first in your priorities, and He will give you His perspective and guidance for friendships (Psalm 37:4).
Treat today like your show week. If you don’t know what show week is, it’s basically a period of time where intense work is happening. You get to know your team really well because you’re all being stretched to your limits. Friendships are sometimes more naturally forged in this environment. Bring that sort of intense focus to your story and your team right now. Instead of waiting for friendships to fall together, be intentional to build up your team right now.

This may seem like an elementary topic. Honestly, it should be elementary because building relationships is essential to being human. Whether you feel like you have this down or not, though, don’t stop being intentional to encourage, love, and build people up in the Lord. It is after all one of the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).

Day 11

Day 11 | Lead with Diligence

If you’re not the director, conductor, or choreographer of your theatrical show, today’s topic may sound like it doesn’t apply to you. Being a leader does not only have to do with being the frontrunner, though. Leadership is mostly about mindset.

It was the day when we were going to perform a dance I’d choreographed in front of 250 people. There were 6 dancers. We’d only learned and practiced the dance for 2 short rehearsals, but I was convinced it would all work out. That is, until one of the dancers walked into dress rehearsal and started sobbing.

I was stunned. The upset dancer was at least 30 years older than me, and every other dancer in the room was looking at me to solve the problem. None of them felt supremely confident about their choreography either. What the one dancer was expressing, every single one of them was feeling.

I loved this team. I knew they were all well-trained performers who wanted to give nothing less than a full-hearted effort to glorify God. I tried to reassure the sobbing dancer that it would be okay if everything wasn’t perfect, but inside, I felt like a failure.

Leading is rough. Being out front sometimes looks glamorous because it often means working in the spotlight. However, being out front also means taking the first hit and accepting the majority of responsibility. In the story I told you above, we did perform the dance, and every dancer did well. But there were some lessons I needed to learn that were deeper than just getting the job done:

You must not sacrifice the journey for the result. If “thrown together” was ever a fitting description, it was for that dance. The choreography was alright and the dancers dedicated, but I knew from the start that we were taking on a lot more than we could probably do excellently. Even though the performance turned out fine, I realized that I had set up my dancers for relational strain and stress.
Don’t push away the pain of being a leader; you’ll miss the joys of it, too. When my team suffered because of poor choices I’d made, it burdened me. Because I learned from that experience, though, I later discovered one of the greatest joys of being a leader: challenging people to grow and watching them excel.
Diligence is required. This ties into lesson 2. If you run at the first sign of conflict, you’ll miss the chance to be the blessing in someone’s life that God intended you to be. Be faithful with the tasks He’s given you.

You know what I didn’t expect? A lot of audience members came to me after we performed that dance and told me how blessed they were by it. Even when I failed to lead with diligence and it felt like everything was a mess, the Lord used that performance for His glory. That’s no excuse for sloppy work, but it sure is a relief and a blessing to know that He is bigger than my mistakes.

Application

You took on a hard task when you entered this theatre challenge, and for that, I’m cheering you on. Whichever position you have on your team, here are a few practical things you can apply:

Communicate clearly. Be honest with your team about how much time and effort you will all have to commit to make this story great. It’s not bad to work on a time crunch, but you need to be real with yourself and your team about what that looks like in your lives.
Be resolutely diligent. Romans 12:8, although referring specifically to spiritual gifts, is a great verse to remember when you’re leading a project. The word “diligent” there doesn’t just mean constancy; it also means zeal (Vine, 1989, pg. 170). Even if your teammates start stressing out, don’t be tossed around by emotions. Keep your focus on God and ask Him to give you zeal. Your confidence in Him will likely uplift your team’s perspective.
“Exhort one another daily” (Heb. 3:13). If you haven’t hit stress yet, you probably will during this challenge. That doesn’t automatically mean you did something wrong (see the note below). Take time to encourage your teammates and help them keep their focus on the Lord, too.

One more note on leadership: Working with people is an unpredictable business. You can learn to apply great leadership principles, to create a safe environment, and so on. And then…people. People are beautiful evidences of God’s love. And they can also be just plain tough to work with sometimes. Different personalities, weaknesses, sensitivities, pet peeves – yeah, with all this variety, we’re undoubtedly going to occasionally push each other’s buttons. Learn to enjoy the journey and let the Lord grow you through the struggles. After all, the point of telling stories is not just the end result, it’s also about the story He’s telling in your life.

Reference
Vine, W.E. (1989). Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. McLean, VA:
MacDonald Publishing Company.

Day 12

Day 12 | Celebrate Small Victories

Day 14

Day 14 | Script

Congratulations! You’re on Week 3!!! For this week, we’re going to break down a lot of the elements of theatre: editing your story, blocking your performance, acting effectively, and designing the costumes, sets, and technical aspects.

Before jumping into today’s topic, I want to address the different stories you’re creating. Some of you are developing plays, others concerts, some dances, others puppet shows, and more. No matter what type of stage performance you’re making, however, the elements of your script (score/choreography), blocking, costumes, setting, actors (characterization), and tech design are essential to the final presentation of your story. Even if your script is a musical score and your actor a flautist, each element must still serve the bigger story (see Day 5’s email).

The creators I’ve asked to contribute to this week’s emails will sometimes have a focus towards a particular theatrical story (musical, play, etc.). Check the application section for how to apply the insights they share to your performance. If anything is confusing, though, ask questions. The comments section is where you and your fellow challenge-acceptors can learn from each others’ questions and thoughts, and where we at Storytellers can continue to support you in the adventure.

Without further ado, here are Daniel Hancock’s insights on scripts:

1. What are the first steps you take when editing a script?

“After you’ve had your brainstorming session and gotten everything out on the page for the first draft, it’s time to shift into the second mode of creativity, the judgmental-hypercritical-editing mode. Now is the time to scrutinize all that malarkey you wrote in your first draft. In this mode, EVERYTHING is judged for its function and quality. This is where you put your story through the fire. This is where whole scenes burn away and characters disappear into ash. But only so you can make it great!

“Be mean! Be brutally honest. Your audience most certainly will be.”

2. How do you know if each line of dialogue necessitates the next line? How do you determine what is necessary or unnecessary in general?

“The story’s plot should be such that even a simple explanation of it should inspire fear and compassion in the hearer. Before there are actors, costumes, lights and music, the events themselves should have power:

“‘Fear and compassion [in storytelling] can be produced either by spectacle or by the way the actions are organized, which is the superior method and an indication of the better [writer]. The plot should be composed so that someone hearing the actions, even without seeing the performance, might tremble with fear and compassion as a result of what takes place’ (Aristotle & Plato, 2007, p. 58).

“A play is not a series of scenes strung together. It’s an integrated chain of events, each one caused by the scene before and causing the scene after it. Trigger and Heap. Every action should have a result, a consequence. Someone pulling a trigger results in a body falling on the floor. Trigger = Heap. And each heap becomes the next trigger.

“It’s the story that will make a play meaningful, memorable, and enjoyable for years to come.

“What does your character want? And more importantly, why does he want it? Remember, you’re telling a story. The goal is to reveal character and create emotion. Desire drives the story forward, conflict gives it emotion:

“‘True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure–the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character’s essential nature’ (McKee, 1997, p. 101).”

3. How do you “get outside yourself” and evaluate a script from the perspective of your audience?

“As a playwright, you are an artist. Your goal is to convey your perspective to the audience, take them on a journey. C.S. Lewis reminds us to craft our writing with meaning and purpose. He tells us that a writer must:

“‘…(a) know exactly what he wants to say, and (b) [be] sure he is saying exactly that. The reader, we must remember, does not start by knowing what we mean. If our words are ambiguous, our meaning will escape him. I sometimes think that writing is like driving sheep down a road. If there is any gate open to the left or the right the readers will most certainly go into it" (Wirt, 2006, pg. 3).

“What does this story, scene, line mean to you? Is that coming through on the page? Remember, it’s about emotion. Are the events and dialogue igniting your desired emotion? Will this work?

“Some practical tips: Read your dialogue out loud. Also have others do a table-read to you. This will usually reveal cheesy, stale, unbelievable, and overly-wordy moments. Ask for feedback.”

4. What would you say to an editor who knows he should cut something but is struggling to because he’s personally connected to the character, line, etc.?

“You have to be prepared to kill your darlings. If a scene does not serve the story, CUT IT! Ask: what happens in this scene that makes something else happen? If a character does not fulfill a meaningful purpose, CUT THEM! Ask: how does this character serve the story? And concerning that clever line that you love, it’s probably not as clever and original as you think. Let it go, unless it’s absolutely integral to the story.”

5. What’s the best resource you’ve found for scriptwriting?

“There are a lot of great books on storytelling; I’ve mentioned a few already (Poetics by Aristotle, Backwards and Forwards by David Ball, Story by Robert McKee, the works of C.S. Lewis, and Hamlet by Shakespeare). But nothing beats absorbing actual stories. Watch movies, go to plays, read novels. Pay attention. Discern what works and what doesn’t.”

Application

Prepare. Before you even begin editing, remind yourself of the bigger story, its theme, plot points, questions/answers, etc. Yes, it hurts to cut characters that you’ve fallen in love with, but there’s a greater purpose in storytelling than entertaining yourself. Continue to seek God’s story and edit the script to serve the story (see emails from Days 1 and 5). For composers and musicians, think of the story your music is telling and the emotions it’s meant to convey.
Do a read-through. Or a dance-through or play-through. If possible, get your team together to run through the script, score, or choreography you’ve created. If that’s not possible, video or record yourself doing this.
Evaluate. What feels cheesy? What wouldn’t make sense from an audience’s perspective? What’s unnecessary?
Cut, change, edit. Take out the inside jokes and witticisms that only you understand. If your funny moment does nothing to drive the story forward, cut it or change it so that it’s essential to the story.
Seek feedback. Ideally, you should walk through these steps with some of your teammates. Collaboration usually makes a story better because it’s bigger than one person’s perspective.

About the Contributor

Daniel Hancock is a writer, producer, and director of multiple live stage productions. He writes primarily epic adventures and dramas for the stage, screen, and most recently, radio theater.

He is the founder and director of Bible Actors Productions and he’s currently finishing work on the upcoming audio drama “End of Darkness” which is a full-cast dramatization of the Life of Christ. Dozens of voice actors, sound effects, original score— a gospel presentation like you’ve never heard. It will be available later this year on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes! You can like and follow Bible Actors Productions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at BibleActors.com.

Daniel writes: “If you have any questions, or would like assistance in improving your future scripts, feel free to reach out to me anytime. I’m on Facebook, etc. and can be reached through the Bible Actors pages as well. Break a leg!”

BONUS – Script Examples from Daniel

Turn Exposition Into Conflict!

Exposition is a necessary part of a story. But a lot of scripts are drowning in MIND-NUMBINGLY bad exposition. Exposition means the backstory, facts about the world of the play, information dumps of any kind. Example:

Breakup 1:
Pete: Josh, it’s been months since your wife left you. Are you ok?

Josh: It has been difficult. I have been very depressed. It’s just so hard to move on.

Breakup 2:
Pete (narrating voice over): Josh... just hasn’t been the same... since his wife left him ten months ago... Blah blah blah.

Instead, turn exposition into conflict:

Breakup 3:
(Josh wanders up silently, with dead-blank expression)

Pete: Not again today with the whiny nonsense. You’ve been moping around here a year already.

Josh: 10 months.

Pete: See what I mean?! You’re counting the days! She left you, Josh. Move on.

You get all the same information, but subconsciously. You’re too busy watching the characters interact to realize you’re being fed backstory. Through the conflict we also learn a lot more about the relationship between the characters.

Also, avoid “on-the-nose” dialogue – characters saying exactly what’s going on or exactly how they feel (see example 1 above).

Instead, develop subtext and nuance to your characters and dialogue. Don’t have characters lay out precisely what they think or how they feel. Reveal it through their actions and choices, through the subtlety of carefully chosen words. Make every scene, every character, and every line count! Have fun!

References

Aristotle & Plato. (2007). Beauty and Truth. A. A. Anderson & L. Anderson (Eds.). Baltimore,
MD: Agora Publications, Inc.

McKee, Robert. (1997). Story: Substance, structure, style, and the principles of screenwriting.
New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Wirt, Sherwood E. (2006). I was decided on an interview with C.S. Lewis. Knowing and Doing.
Retrieved from http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/webfm_send/442?fbclid=IwAR0mu45JjTFlIO5Vi4YDk1_pwoMHG9sItlUQM8X8Rjt6YAUefBwKxl-2uac

Day 15

Day 15 | Costumes

Have you ever heard the saying, “The clothes make the man”? While that may not be entirely true, clothing does tell a story. Depending on how you do it, the color and style choices you make for your characters onstage can detract from or support the story. But Susan Stewart says it much better than I can so let’s jump into the email.

1. What are the first questions you ask when planning out costumes for a performance?

“My first question is what is the point of the story? If there is a lesson to be learned; what is the lesson? An emotion to feel; what is the emotion?

“After that I go to the director and ask what his or her vision is for the production. After talking with the director, I go to the actors and ask them to describe their character and their character’s journey to me. I always ask both parties because sometimes the director has one vision for a character. But the actor has thought of a few ideas to help bring the character alive that the director might not have thought of. I try to marry the two ideas without straying from the original storyline of the script.

“I also ask how many changes I have and how much time I have to do these changes in the performance. This will effect what I put the actors in.”

2. How do you decide what style and colors fit best with the story?

“I let the answers to the questions above help guide my decision making. I love using the color wheel as a starting point for the emotions I want to portray. For example, if a character has anger issues, I might put them in red or another bold, brash color to highlight that character quality.

“I also look at what is going on in the story outside of the actual clothing. If the story takes place somewhere in history, I research what was going on in the world during that time. For example, during WWII when most of the men were off fighting, many women began working, what use to be labeled as “manly jobs” out of necessity. For these jobs, skirts and dresses wouldn’t cut it. So women began to wear pants to help them do their jobs better. The world around them drastically changed the fashion industry in a way no one was expecting.”

3. How do you plan for costumes and fit inside a budget?

“One of my favorite ways to save money is to use pieces from the actor’s personal wardrobe. I will plan a day to either go to the actor’s home or to have a Skype meeting where we go through their closets and select a few outfits or pieces I can build off of. This works especially well if the production is set in modern day.

“Thrift stores are always my go-to starting place. I can get pieces there for cheap and use curtains or sheets as fabric for made-from-scratch costumes. You can snag a twin size sheet for sometimes less than $10 and easily pay double that for the same amount of fabric at a fabric store.”

4. Do you have any stories of pitfalls to avoid as a costumer?

“Make sure you don’t treat your costumes as more important than your actors. My first costuming job, I was very strict about the conditions of the costumes. I was so strict that one of the actors felt uncomfortable in the pants that he wore, but didn’t tell me because he didn’t want to offend me. I’ve always regretted that I gave off an air that he felt he couldn’t come to me with a legitimate problem. Your job as a costumer is to help the actors tell their character’s story. So make sure you have a good relationship with them and your director.”

5. What else would you really want another costumer to know?

“Always. Label. Everything. Even accessories. If you can’t label it, make a detailed list for each outfit and keep it close. It will make your life a lot easier!

“Also remember that little mistakes will probably not be seen by the audience. If you can’t see from 20 ft. away that the plaids don’t match up perfectly, don’t sweat it.

“Remember, your job as a costumer is to tell a story. You can tell a character’s story before the actor even opens his or her mouth just by the clothes they are wearing. Have fun and don’t be afraid to get creative! And always remember to let all you do point back to the Master Creator, God Himself!”

Application

Consider your story. What message is it telling? What genre is it? Is it set in a certain period of history or modern-day?
Talk to the director (or whoever’s heading up your show). Ask him/her what his/her vision is for the show.
Talk to the actors (or whoever’s actually performing onstage). What journey do their characters go on? How can the colors and styles you choose reflect those journeys?
Write it down. Make notes of all your conversations and begin to make a plan for individual characters’ costumes as well as how all the costumes can work together. Use the color wheel to communicate emotions: http://www.sophierobinson.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/color-wheel-1.jpg
Plan for costume changes. How many costumes does each character need? How much time do the actors have to change? If there’s not much time, simplify costumes to make it easier for them to change, like keeping a pair of pants but changing the top for the next scene.
Use what you have and stay within your budget. Like Susan said, ask your actors what they already have that could work for their characters. If you have some money to spend, use it wisely by searching through thrift stores. Also don’t be afraid to ask around for donations. Sometimes people are willing to let you borrow a few pieces from their wardrobe for your project. Just remember to label everything and to bring it back in good condition!
Seek feedback. Ask your director, actors, and other trusted team members for their thoughts and listen to what they say. Working in harmony with your team is crucial no matter what element of the show you’re in charge of.

About the Contributor

Susan Stewart learned to sew when she was nine-years-old and has been doing it ever since. She began costuming in 2010 and has since been the costume director for Beyond Under: The Least of the Least, BOO! Do Something, and the web series Literal: What We Believe. Susan is a board member at S.C. TreeHouse LLC and costume designer for S.C. TreeHouse Productions. She currently lives in Sevierville, Tennessee, where she works at Dollywood as a costume assistant.

Day 16

Day 16 | Space

Space. It seems like a funny topic to address, but the way you fill (or don’t fill) your stage is important. For instance, I once choreographed the show Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The dance for “Benjamin Calypso” was one of my favorites, and it looked pretty good too…in the rehearsal space. Then we actually got to rehearse on the stage. Suddenly, I was watching 12 guys try to do big calypso moves in a 6x6-ft. flat plane. Needless to say, the choreography that looked impressive in a wide rehearsal area looked uncomfortable on the tiny stage.

So how do you fill your space effectively? Sets, props, and lights all help to create to space, but today, we’re going to focus on another essential element: blocking. Remember to look in the application section; we’ll talk practical steps there. For now, let’s jump into today’s interview with David Olson.

1. What is blocking?

“Blocking is where an actor goes on stage and what he generally does there. Blocking is essentially a tool of movement, placement or activity given by the director, executed by the actor that is to flesh-out the story of the script.”

2. Why is blocking important?

“Its purpose is to reflect the dynamics of the story: its rise and fall of tension, its interaction and relationship of characters. It is to manifest the visual beauty and mystery and truth of the story. No blocking is called Readers’ Theatre J. Poor blocking can actually turn an audience off or get in the way of telling the intended story.”

3. How do you evaluate a script to know what blocking would work best with it?

“It’s best to read through several times. 1st read is pure pleasure and to reflect on what the story’s main statement is, noting what impact it had, style of play, major purpose of each character. 2nd read is to identify dramaturgical progress: establishing situation, intro to conflict, intro to solution, climax and resolution. Also, identify segments, anytime someone enters or leaves, for changes in chemistry of relationships. Identify sequences, changes of mood or thought flow. Identifying these will help in determining the pace, figuring out stage pieces (furniture, etc), plotting locations (tension-building, confrontation, revelation, secrecy, choreographed dance or fights, etc.).”

4. How much do you block versus just letting actors make instinctive choices?

“The director’s job is two-fold here: general blocking and specific ‘snapshots’ for sequence or thematic effect. The actor’s job is to execute those two to the best of his/her understanding of the character. If the director does not like the execution, the two can talk through the scene and the character’s motivation, to hopefully arrive at a mutually satisfactory execution. As a rule of thumb, the director should never demonstrate what he/she wants, except for the case of fight choreography.”

5. How do you teach blocking while also helping the actors move naturally?

“I believe that the director and actor begin to create a shared vision of the character from their initial read through together. The script itself naturally brings out lines of motivation, toward fight or flight, to look away or to confront, to tense up or relax. As rehearsals progress from initial blocking to flow of entire scenes, the director can help the actor through character development discussion – identifying trigger words or comments, internal needs, desires, fears, convictions – as manifested in a certain flow of the story’s plot and character relationships.”

6. Any more insight on blocking you want to share?

“If it’s good writing, the job of the director is to NOT get in the way: incorporate blocking that is true to the story’s theme. Reveal the tempo, the tension, the relationships and the message that are already there. Utilize height, isolation, power spots, hand props, stage props, look-aways, physical touch or avoidance, eye contact and aversion, hesitations. Try to minimize interrupting actors, for minor tweaking, when in a flow-through rehearsal, to give them the feel of the whole. And have fun!”

Application

Watch this clip from The Secret Garden to get an idea of how blocking helps create emotions and tension in relationships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQiLh0V2d1I. Do you see how the portrait of Lily is the center of attention throughout the entire song? Each man’s movement is based off of where he is relationship to her and to his brother. Notice how when the actors move downstage (towards the audience), this builds tension to reflect the flow and words of the music. What other things do you notice about the blocking and how it tells the story of sadness, regret, bitterness, or love?

This music video from the Piano Guys is very different, yet it’s also a great example of blocking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAlQuqzl8o. From the moment the cellists walk onstage, their movements, the way they continue to make eye contact with each other, and the way they play their instruments, inspire emotion. Even without much movement around the stage, they clearly tell us their story. Also, their chairs are directly center stage. This pulls all of our focus to the conflict between the main two musicians.

Know your space. The stage you perform on puts certain limitations on your movements. In order to develop the best blocking, setup, and/or choreography, you need to know what space you’re working with.
Plan out blocking. See answer 3 from the interview to help you with this. How could the movements of your actors, musicians, or dancers create different relationships between each other and with the audience?
Try things. Experiment with different moves such as having your actors say their lines face to face versus back to back. How does the blocking make the actors and audience feel? How does position affect the way lines are delivered? What picture does the blocking create? If it is telling the wrong story, change it. Trying out various blocking is one of the best ways to find out what works and what doesn’t.

About the Contributor

David Olson is a theatre actor, production manager, and director. He traveled with the Covenant Players troupe throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia for 7 years before he married his beautiful wife. Together, they raised their kids in storytelling, teaching them to glorify God in every detail of their work. Today, David and his wife Debbie work as production managers for Homeschool Performing Arts and continue to support their children in the fields God has called them into. Also, he’s my (Heidi Olson’s) dad. J

Day 17

Day 17 | Acting

Application

Memorize lines. Repeat your lines over and over. Record yourself saying your lines and your scene partner’s lines or use an app to do it. When you know your blocking, associate your lines with where you go and how you move on stage (visualize this in your at-home, personal practices). Get the lines out of the way so that you can focus on the character.
Identify characteristics. What makes your character unique in the way they move, speak, or walk? What does the writing tell you about their personality and perspective? Learn how to act like them while also recognizing that, like Rodney and Isaiah said, an actor doesn’t just take on a character but also puts a piece of himself into the role.
Collaborate with your director. Develop a good relationship with your director and share your thoughts on the character, but also recognize, in the end, he/she is the one who has the overall vision of the story, and your character needs to serve the story.
Identify desires and tactics. What does your character want? What does he/she do to achieve those wants? Not only do most characters have an overall desire, but every character has a certain desire in every scene. Use active tactics to achieve that goal (active = walking, pushing, crying – not thinking).
Lift up your team. Build up the people around you by being kind, focused, and cheerful.
Act the truth. Like Rodney said, don’t just play a caricature. Think about your character’s motivations and be “in the moment” onstage. Lots of people think there’s “normal you” and “stage you”. However, “stage you” should still represent a human being that the audience can somehow relate to.

Keep serving the story through your acting, and watch how the entire journey of this show gets better when you choose to serve the people around you!

Day 18

Day 18 - Sets

Day 19

Day 19 | Tech

Sound

Lights

Bio:
Nathan Pletcher has been designing and running lights for theatrical shows for 5 years. He enjoys helping tell stories through the art of lighting, and he loves the creativity that it allows. Theatre has the ability to share so many emotions and he's just glad he gets to play a part in that.

QUESTIONS

1. When designing lights for a show, what are the first questions you ask?
"I normally try to figure out how much time I have and if the directors have any input before I start. I'll also address any concerning aspects of the show and talk through ideas."

2. How do lights help tell the story of the show? What makes lighting bad or distracting?
"Lighting is meant to set the mood and make the audience feel something. Because it is setting the mood, if the color scheme is odd or harsh than it sets the wrong mood, and that makes it distracting."

3. What do you when the lights malfunction mid-show?
"There is not much you can do when something goes wrong mid-show. Lighting should be helping to tell the story and if fixing an issue is more distracting the issue itself, then you are not helping with the storytelling."

Stage Management

Bio:
Benjamin Olson has been working in theatre for 12 years and has performed multiple roles on crew for 5 years. Some of his favorite roles have been stage manager for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and assistant stage manager on Annie Get Your Gun. Benjamin loves the challenge of live performances, working with a team in an atmosphere that keeps you on your toes, and collaborating with people to change scenes and sets smoothly. One of the things he is thankful for the most in theatre is the challenge to step outside his comfort zone and grow in a way that glorifies God.

QUESTIONS

1. What is the stage manager’s job?
"The stage manager's job is to oversee the show. You are responsible for the safety of the cast and crew, making sure sets get changed orderly and quickly, and keeping communication between Sound, Lights, Props, sides of the Stage and Cast.

"One of the biggest jobs of Stage Manager is delegating responsibility and oversight of the show! This was hard for me to learn because I love moving sets, making things happen, and in general the excitement from the work itself. As Stage Manager, you know more than anyone else what needs to get done when you see it which makes it hard to have someone else do things when you know how you want it!

"It’s important to learn and build trust with your crew AND the cast. They need to trust you to have control of the stage, and you need to trust them to do what you say."

2. What are the first things you do as a stage manager?
"Writing things down is the way to go as Stage Manager and there is no other way!!! Write down what is moving, when it’s moving, who’s moving it.

"The one vision that matters is the director's vision! The director has worked with the set designer and the props people, and now you come in to do what he says to fit it together.

"Spiking things is a no-brainer to Stage Crew but make sure you’re spiking more than one corner on a set piece. You have no idea how many times spike marks don’t make sense after a time, even to the person who put them down. And you’ll still have to replace them often anyway!

"Now, like I said before, delegating, overseeing, and communicating are the jobs of the stage manager. But you have to be willing to flex with the director and the other departments to work together, especially Props! Props are always moving on and off stage and some props are fixed items of the scene that your crew will have to take care of. Just remember we all only have ONE stage to work on. Being a nice person will kill conflicts before they even start! That’s not credence to let people do what they want, though."

3. How do you balance out doing what the director asked you to do, keeping everything running smoothly, watching over everyone’s safety, and maintaining good relationships with your team?
"Ok… Absolute Rule #1: Safety. If something is life-threatening then it doesn’t matter if the show has to stop, you must deal with that! You are not going to do anything that is going to put someone’s life in danger. You are responsible to the people under your care! Your crew, yes, but to actors even moreso because the actors aren’t in constant communication with you and don’t know all that’s going on.

"Rule #2: Speed. No one likes a long scene change… running scene changes with your team is a must, must, must! They must know where things are moving, where they’re moving from, and what to watch out for in case of an accident. In general, there’s a lot of trust going around; make sure you are building an atmosphere of trust. Doing what the director says is very important, yes. But you are the boots-on-the-ground!"

4. What do you do when something goes wrong mid-show?
"Make it work and keep it going! Get the problem offstage or out of the way immediately if you can, but otherwise, if you can SAFELY do so, keep the show rolling.

"Honestly, this is one of the most fun parts about live theatre - the things that you have to figure out on the spot! Like props that roll downstage or sets that have to change. I’m not saying try to make trouble but don’t lose your head when it happens….. it will happen. It’ll be the story you laugh about after.

"I’ve had mess-ups before where I’ve had to move a set piece into a different wing than normal, and I’ve had to wave my arms as big as possible to tell people to NOT GO THROUGH THAT WING!!!

"Last thing I would add is have fun! If you’re like me and you find excitement and thrill from doing the work, then remember some of your crew finds all of that from NOT doing the work. If you find excitement from talking with your people, then learn to enjoy the work too! Both are important.

"Also, have fun for the cast’s sake. The stage manager is looked up to by the entire cast and rightfully so. But they also need to see you smile! You have the casts' respect when you walk in the door because of the responsibility and power you hold. But if they only see that side of you, then you lose their trust… Be the strong leader, ready to work AND the guy who can sit down and play a card game."

Application

Lights

Take a moment to talk with your team. Try to figure out how much time you have to work on lights, would lights be something you could pull off well? Should you just preform with the house lights on or use simple down and up lighting instead? See if the directors have any input before you start. And make sure you address any concerning aspects of the show and talk through those ideas.
Take the time to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. How do your lights make you feel? Is the color scheme odd or harsh? Ask yourself what mood your setting or if the lights are distracting. And remember, if it’s not serving the story, you might need to get rid of it.

Rehearse with your lights as much as you can. But remember on show night, if something goes wrong, lighting should help to tell the story, if fixing an issue is more distracting than the issue itself, you are not serving the story by trying to fix it. Just go with the punches.

Stage Management

Take the time now to talk with your team. Build trust with each other so that when the “big night” comes you know everyone will do what you tell them, and likewise they all know you can be trusted to keep the show safely moving forward.
Get a pen a notepad, write down what is moving (sets, performers, props, etc.) when it’s moving, and who’s moving it. You’ll need this to share with your team…and to keep yourself put together.

Be willing to flex with the director, team, and the other departments to work together. “Remember we all only have ONE stage to work on.” Be a nice person, remember everyone is in this together, that mindset will kill conflict before it can start.

Day 22

Day 22 | Keep the Vision

Welcome to Day 22! Today, we’re going to take a break. Now that we went through a bunch of specific elements last week, I’m just going to encourage you to remember why you’re doing this. Of course, we all have different reasons for why we love creating stories - the challenge, the people, the fun, etc. – but whatever your reasons were, there’s one big goal to always keep in mind.

In 2 Kings 19:15-19, King Hezekiah is praying for deliverance from Sennacherib, one of his greatest enemies. He starts off by praising God, then asking the Lord to look upon his enemy, then seeking deliverance, and lastly, returning to the purpose why he’s asking what he’s asking. His purpose is “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone” (verse 19).

Shouldn’t this be our purpose too? As followers of Christ, we are called to bring Him glory in the way we think, speak, and act (I Cor. 10:31). Any work we do should point back to Him. Keeping the vision in mind is, first of all, remembering why you’re a storyteller.

Second, keeping the vision is also about coming back to the big picture. After long periods of writing, composing, directing, and rehearsing (over and over again), it’s easy to get lost in the details. Don’t get me wrong. The details are important, and we’ll talk about refining them later this week. But the details serve the greater story, the big picture. Don’t get stuck in them. Is everything going to feel, look, and sound perfect by the time you perform your theatrical story? Maybe, maybe not. But was perfection really the point?

Some of the goals we at Storytellers had in starting this challenge were:
            1) Helping you discover and work with fellow storytellers.
            2) Equipping you to create your best work yet.
            3) Training you in the art of excellent, God-glorifying theatre.
            4) Helping you to just see that all of the above are POSSIBLE!

What are your goals? We all want to be the guy in drawing who looks up and sees the final vision of what his show will be. But looking for the vision in the midst of the details’ cacophony is an intentional choice. Don’t get stuck on the idea of everything being perfect. Reach for the greater purpose of glorifying God. Believe me, He has the big picture in mind, and when you step back to see what He’s done with this story, you’ll probably be amazed by how many reasons HE had for bringing your show together.

Application

What is your big picture vision? What are some of the reasons why you began this challenge? Write them out. Take some time to consider what you’ve accomplished already and what still must be done in order to achieve those big picture goals. And rest. Yep, rest in the fact that God’s got the big picture vision for you, your team, your team’s story, and for every person the story will affect.

About the Artist

Gideon Stewart has always been interested in stories. His father would read stories to him as a child. He always loved to see the illustrations and the life they brought to the stories. At age 4, his brother, who was taking art lessons, started teaching Gideon how to draw. Ever since then he has been playing with pencils, and at age 14, he started expanding his knowledge and skills. Gideon longs to bring praise and honor to his heavenly Father in all he does.

Day 23

Day 22 | Pursue Excellence (with what you have)

By now, you probably have a good idea of the people, resources, and time you have to complete this challenge. Now, it’s time to focus on stewarding everything you’ve been given with faithfulness and excellence.

When people think of theatre, we often think in tiers: 1) Community theatre is usually seen as less amazing than a Broadway musical. 2) Singing in a nursing home – not as spectacular as singing at Carnegie Hall. 3) Dancing with friends – not going to make someone’s jaw drop as though you said you were dancing with the New York City Ballet.

While there’s no denying that the sweeping sets, grandeur, and prestigious nature of the big-name story venues can be impressive, venues don’t make stories. Elaborate costumes, A-list performers, a surround-sound system – all of these may make a story bigger, but they don’t necessarily make it better. It’s how a storyteller stewards for his/her resources, time, and people to tell the story in a way that will glorify God, connect with its audience, and be true to the heart of the story that makes the difference between a well-told story and one that falls short of its potential.

That being said, here’s some insight from director Abby Pletcher:

When you know what you have (and it’s not $1 million, a 100-ft-wide stage, elaborate costumes, etc.), how do you pursue excellence with exactly what you have?

“I have always been taught to do things with excellence, no matter what you have. This mentality has been very helpful as I’ve started directing and producing musicals.

“First of all, I take my resources into consideration before choosing a project. I make sure the show is one that can be done in a minimalist way without feeling cheap. Minimalism in theatre is becoming increasingly popular, which is very helpful for those of us with low budgets! Picking a project cannot be solely based upon your excitement about that project. I probably would not consider doing shows like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast or Shrek the Musical with my current budget. I very carefully research a show with my resources in mind. This allows my productions to be excellent because I didn’t bite off more than I could chew. Even though it might not be the most exciting of a show, I believe it is more important to be able to do something with excellence than to do something that is popular.”

You know what you have; now use it to tell a great story (see Day 5’s email). Don’t do Newsies if that’s not the story you’re serving. Do your genre, style, and form of theatre with excellence whatever that is! Serve the story. Use the gifts you’ve been given to tell your story well, and leave the results in the Lord’s hands.

Application

Evaluate your resources. What can you do really well with the people, time, and resources that you have now? Be honest with yourself.
Keep working with your team. Don’t take this show on yourself all of the sudden just because you’re evaluating resources. Keep seeking your team’s input and listening to their perspectives.
Take away the distractions. If you’re stressed about getting a new line of music written or one last move choreographed, ask yourself if it’s really necessary to the show. Focus on the things that serve the story and make them excellent! You know, the quality over quantity concept.
Finish this race strong. Keep this project lifted up in prayer and keep sight of the reasons why you began the challenge (see Day 22’s email). I’m cheering for you!

About the Contributor

Abby Pletcher has grown up in the theatre. She has been involved in all the elements of theatre from performing to directing and it has been her favorite place to use her gifts. Abby has over 10 years of experience and is very passionate about doing everything with excellence.

Day 24

Day 24 | Zoom in on the Details

At the beginning of tech week for Seussical, my sound team and I set up our equipment quickly. Receivers were plugged in, mics checked, and everything was at a basic level of readiness in a short amount of time. That meant when it came to first technical rehearsal, I was able to focus a lot of time on how the actors, orchestra, and sound effects blended together.

Sound engineers have to equalize people’s voices with the sound of the room and ensure that one person’s voice doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb above the rest. For instance, if you know Dr. Seuss characters, you’re probably familiar with the Wickersham monkeys. In Seussical, there are 3 Wickersham brothers, and they sing harmony together. Their mics not only have to amplify the voice of each actor well, but all 3 mics also have to amplify the blending of their voices.

Think of it this way: Big picture vision for sound = Understanding the actors, music, and effects. Details = Enjoying it all. If the audience could hear all the sounds of a show, but some voices were way too quiet, or the music drowned everything out, or one person’s voice always soared above the rest, the show would not be enjoyable. Because I was able to work on the blend of Seussical’s sounds, not only could the audience understand from 10-60 ft. away from the stage, but they could also enjoy the story through the volume and tone in which the sound was delivered to them.

In order to make your show excellent, zoom in on the details. Presenting a story to your audience is only half of the final picture; how you present the story to your audience is the other half. Tighten up the details so that the final delivery of your performance doesn’t distract your audience from the story itself. Not sure what details to work on? It’s time for some practical application!

Application

1. “Count the cost” (Luke 14:28). Obviously, you want to tighten up all the details of a show, but you only have so much time. Before deciding which details to focus on, ask these 3 questions: 1) What quality do I need to bring this detail (dance move, scene, musical phrase) up to? 2) How much time will it take to do that? 3) By focusing on this area, what else am I not working on? Don’t just focus on the weakest part of the show - pray about it. Ask your team for their input on what needs to be worked on. In the end, continue focusing on making the overall show excellent.

2. Focus on correcting actions, not attacking people. Refining details really comes down to working with people, and sometimes it’s hard to correct their mistakes without them taking correction personally. Pay attention to how people work and find the best way to communicate with each individual. Be honest and kind. Also, be willing to learn from your mistakes and listen to your team’s feedback.

3. Keep casting the vision (see Day 7’s email). Help your team keep their eyes fixed on the big picture so that they understand why the details are important.

By ensuring that all of the details blend with each other, we storytellers do our best to make sure that the audience can enjoy and be blessed by the story, not distracted by a piece that doesn’t fit. So take the time to hone the details of your show with your team and make it excellent!

Day 25

Day 25 | Be Human

“Okay, Heidi. It’s real-talk time. What person doesn’t know how to be human?!” Was that the first thought in your head when you read today’s topic? Fantastic! You’re well on your way to applying the lesson. Now, let’s dive into exactly what the topic means.

“Does anyone want to practice their audition song alone?”

The young woman at the piano looked around at the group of girls in the room. An awkward silence hung in the air as we glanced nervously at each other.

“I don’t need to practice alone,” I tried to convince myself. “Although, it might be a good idea before heading into the audition room…But, well, I can’t do that in front of all these people!”

The pianist smiled at our silence and began to play for group practice again. As more girls entered the room, though, she repeated her offer of the chance to sing alone. Smiling, but inwardly gritting my teeth, I stepped forward and said, “I’ll practice alone. Thanks!”

The pianist lifted her hands, gave a nod to me, and I opened my mouth to sing. And you know what came out? One of the squeakiest, quietest sounds you’ve ever heard. My confident demeanor was suddenly belied by the breathy squawk that exited my throat. I finished my song and stepped back, embarrassed. But do you know what happened next? One girl after another stepped forward to practice solo with no more shy hesitation.

All it took was someone to break the ice.

It’s time to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Let’s face it. When you begin a show, there’s always a chance of forgetting your music, lines, or dance, turning on a mic at the wrong time, or struggling with a malfunctioning costume. That is really one of the beauties of live theatre, though. There are no retakes, calling for lines, or pausing just a second so we can stop that guy’s wig from falling off his head. Live theatre keeps you on your toes and forces you to make quick decisions.

Did you know that you can inspire people through how you handle those problems? Don’t worry about looking like you have it all together. In theatre, we rehearse over and over so that the story flows smoothly, but when it comes to the actual performance, you’re going to have to roll with the punches. This is where things get really exciting! You have to stay in the moment/in character in order to handle the situation. Don’t lose track of where you are by worrying about what your audience thinks. Remember, they’re human, too. Not only can they empathize with the feeling of making a mistake, but they are also inspired by you having the guts to tell a story that may go wrong.

Application

1. Rehearse. Rehearsal is not for the purpose of “not messing up” but for preparing the story to be told in the best way possible. Your goal should not be about messing up or not messing up but about serving the story.

2. Practice the punches. During some rehearsals, you need to correct mistakes in the moment so that the performers don’t memorize and keep repeating mistakes. However, they also need to practice rolling with the punches so that if mistakes happen mid-show, they know what to do. This is where working as a team and practicing like you’ll perform really come in (see emails from Days 9 and 10).

3. Stay in the moment. If mistakes happen, continue to stay focused on the story. Keep in mind what the next scene, phrase, or dance move is so that you know what goal you’re working towards as you handle the problem.

4. Work as a team. Don’t get caught up in how the mistake makes you look. Focus on solving the problem and helping your team get back on track in the story.

5. Enjoy it. Yep, really. You may not laugh right away, but mistakes make for some of the greatest stories to tell later. So relax and keep your head in the game.

Day 28

Day 26 | Invite Your Audience

The excited voice of the announcer rang out over the crowd as she walked onstage. “Welcome to the show!”

No response. Having ushered for more than one show, I knew this particular lady wasn’t the most relatable or comedic actress out of the 3 announcers on rotation, but today, the audience made things worse. As she tried to enthuse them for the show that was about to begin, the audience barely responded with a “Woohoo”. The less the audience responded, the more awkward the actress’s performance felt. And the more awkward it felt, the more lifeless the audience got. Finally…

“And now we present the show!!”

The announcer ran offstage while the music swelled and the curtain lifted. Oh well, at least the announcement part was over. Maybe the audience would get more excited for the actual show. But suddenly, at a dip in the music, everyone in the theatre heard, “Yeah, the audience just isn’t responsive today.”

Whoops. Someone had forgotten to turn off the announcer’s mic, and every audience member heard what she said. I did my best to keep a straight face. Thankfully, the show continued on.

I’ve heard more than one director tell his actors, “Bring the same energy to your character without props, costumes, or audience that you will when all of those pieces are there!”

But, there’s no denying that props and costumes change things. And the audience changes even more. The audience actually has a key role in a theatrical story that many storytellers overlook: they give or take away energy from the performers. When the audience laughs, gasps, cries, or applauds, the performers are invigorated to keep performing. Even dead silence (when it’s meant to be there) can be a powerful energizer. When the audience is lifeless, though, the lack of response drains energy even from seasoned performers.

Why invite the audience then if there’s a potential they might take more energy than they give?

Theatrical stories are like a gift. The performers come at the end of a line of people who created this story (writer, director, composer, choreographer, etc.), and their job is to deliver the gift of everybody’s work to the audience. Without someone to receive the gift, the show falls short of its potential to impact and inspire.
Hearing your audience’s responses will help you learn what was or wasn’t relatable in your story. You may think you have a great comedy, but if nobody laughs at the jokes, something about the writing, delivery, or setting probably needs to change. I learned that from personal experience…

Application

Invite your audience. Keep sharing your story with people via word-of-mouth, phone, email, and social media (see Day 7’s application for practical resources). Even just a few people in the audience can make the whole performance better.
Serve the audience. As best you can, make the audience’s environment one where they feel comfortable responding audibly to the story. Or course, everyone has different personalities, and some people don’t respond as much as others. If any of your team members are in the audience, encourage them to let their responses be audible (but not obnoxious) so that the rest of the audience feels comfortable doing so.
Thank your audience. Make sure you and your team take time to greet the audience and thank them for coming. This step can make the difference between them coming to your future shows or not.

Your audience is more than a fan club. They’re people who have a chance to share in the story you’ve worked on. Storytellers can have a wonderful relationship with their audience. Make sure you serve them well.

Day 29

Day 29 | Trust

We may be winding down quickly to the end of the 30 Day Theatre Challenge and you may find yourself stressing and scrambling to finish, but, before you reach the end there are a few things left to talk about.
So, hold on a few more days. You’re almost there.
Now on to the email. Today we talk about trust and why it’s a necessary part of being able to tell a great story and ultimately finish the challenge. There are a few key people who we are going to talk about and why they must be trusted in the creative process. These key people are, your audience, yourself, your team, and God Himself. But why must they be trusted, well, let us look at that.

TRUST YOUR AUDIENCE

Great lesson to learn… your audience knows! They know when you don’t trust them. When you don’t leave room for the imagination of your audience (because you don’t know if they will get it) you turn people off. Now, obviously you can’t be too vague, or everyone is just confused. But remember, people don’t like to be told everything. They want to be a part of the discovery experience. Being taken along with the main characters is what makes for an engaging story.

Learning to trust your audience to fill in the gaps is an incredibly difficult challenge. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the idea of “making sure they get it.” But, once you realize that you aren’t in full control, and that (in a way) the audience is helping to tell the story, your mission becomes clear, you are a guide. Guiding your audience means that you are responsible for taking them on a journey, not for telling them about one. Don’t overplay comedy, drama, or anything else for that matter. The audience is smart, let them feel the comedy, let them feel the drama. If it’s funny, they will catch it, if its dramatic, they will know. Just try to help them feel the story by showing them the feelings. People respond when they see, not when they are told. After all, it’s hard to cry when told to, but it’s hard not to when you see someone cry. Trust that your audience will see and understand what they need to from the story.

TRUST YOURSELF

You’ve rehearsed. Be in the moment and stop freaking yourself out that you’ll forget your part…
As creators it’s easy for us to think too much and often stop trusting ourselves. In a live show, thinking can kill you! You must trust your instincts. Instincts work much faster than thinking. The extra magic in your craft will pretty much always come from your instincts. Stay in the moment. Trust that you know what to do.

TRUST YOUR TEAM
You must trust your team to do their jobs so that you can focus on doing yours well and empower them to do theirs with excellence.

See, I don’t know anyone who enjoys being micro-managed. Thus, once you have entrusted someone with a job, you should empower them to run as far as they can with it. When you insert your opinions, redirect their progress, or hover over them too much, it erodes trust in the relationship and their abilities. Obviously, all those things can be good, but not when you do them a lot. It’s better to give clear guardrails and objectives and let them loose than bully them the whole way. Now… this isn’t to say you shouldn’t deal with problems when they come up. Take it from me. This has been an area of weakness of mine as a team member. Because I’m wired to see the best in people and driven them to maximize their potential, I often allow underdeveloped projects to go public or let underperforming teammates continue on the team for too long. I have sacrificed the good of the team for the sake of the potential of the one. When we don’t address problems quickly, efficiently, and effectively, it erodes the morale and the trust of the rest of the team. Everyone knows when someone is not cutting it, and when others ignore it. In these cases, the team is left to wonder whether the others are not smart enough to see it or not courageous enough to address it. Not to say you should send someone home for making a mistake, but confront them when problems arise, talk about it.

Addressing incompetence and inconsistency quickly, professionally, and graciously will strengthen the team.

But remember, trust is not built in one meeting, one conversation, or one decision. It is built day by day, conversation by conversation, decision by decision … all over time. The building of trust is not something we can put on auto-pilot; rather, we have to champion it, guard it, and nurture it throughout the lifespan of the team.

TRUST YOUR GOD

Obvious… but hard. We must trust that God knows what He is doing. He made you. He called you. He led you to this point. Now trust that He “will” (and yes) “can” use you and your show for His glory.

If you take the time to do what God has given you to do…and not your own thing (hard I know) He will use it, for it is His desire to work through all His children. And I’ll leave it at this. Trust Him and be His child, He knows what He has been doing this far, He know what to do with your show.

Application

Take a look at your performance. Make sure you're not "telling" the audience your story. Look out for over dramatized moments or forced comedic scenes. Examine these parts and ask yourself if you are leaving room for your audience to help tell the story. Are you guiding or telling.
Prove to yourself you can do this. Practice your part with out your script or cues before the real show. Give yourself a safe time and place to practice your part in such a way that you can prove to yourself that you got this.
Give your team members jobs and let them loose. Don't check up on them, don't go behind them, just trust them to make it happen. Check on their progress when the job is done and talk about what was done well first, then address any issue that need to be fixed or approved. Don't walk away until you have all made a game plan to do it better next time, but also make sure that you are listening to the team when you do this.
Pray. And do so a lot. Try praying with your team before and after practices and the performance.
And finally let go. I know this is your child and you want it done right, but trust requires you to let others do work and let others shine brighter. Take time to evaluate your own actions are you trusting or controlling? After doing so, talk with your team, talk with God, and make the necessary adjustments.

You've made it so far, keep going! The end is insight now! And remember, without a groundwork of trust in your audience, yourself, your team, and God it will be hard to complete this challenge. So spend time trusting.

Day 30

Day 30 | Embrace the Nerves

So what do you do when time is running out, the audience is on their way…and you just feel downright nervous???

Saying your lines over and over to yourself while nervously waiting for your scene can be almost as effective as telling yourself, “Remember, remember, REMEMBER!!!” But…that’s what I was doing for a play I was in.

The last rehearsal had not gone as smoothly as I’d wanted, and this was the final dress rehearsal. The audience was coming in less than 2 hours! I had to make sure I got this one right. As you may have already guessed, however, my final rehearsal was the worst yet. I way overcompensated for my nerves and made my already-flamboyant character just plain crazy.

Later, the director gave me a note to tone the character back a bit. I was frustrated. I thought I’d gotten every line down! Why was I struggling so much now? After I finished my hair and makeup, I walked away from the rest of the cast and just took a deep breath. Then, I began rehearsing my lines. When the time came to head backstage for the performance, I stopped.

“No more rehearsal,” I told myself. “You’ve got this. The lines are in your head, and you know where to move for your blocking.”

In the performance, I played my character better than I’d ever done before. I didn’t get rid of my nervousness, though. In fact, I was constantly moving backstage so much so that a few of my castmates asked me if everything was okay. But this time, I wasn’t trying to hide the nervousness I felt. I acknowledged it and focused on the show.

Nerves hit actors. And directors. And musicians. And, well, pretty much everybody. No matter how much rehearsal time you have, it’s just nerve-wracking sometimes to see your audience take their seats and realize that you’re doing the show for real.

“Do not debunk feelings as such. Remember they are given to us as part of our humanity. Do not try to fortify yourself against emotions. Recognize them; name them, if that helps; and then lay them open before the Lord for His training of your responses. The discipline of emotions is the training of responses” (Elliot, 1982, pg. 151).

Let the nervousness be what it is. Remember the email about trust (see Day 29)? You’ve rehearsed to get the muscle memory and the lines down. Continue rehearsing as possible, but don’t stress yourself out by overdoing it. Acknowledge the nervousness and step into the scene onstage. It will most likely sweep you into the story faster than you think.

Application

1. Rehearse the troublesome spots. Rather than personally practicing everything, the things you know well along with those you don’t, just focus on the parts where you have trouble as you get closer to the show.

2. Breathe. Yeah, it may sound like a goofy reminder, but often when we’re nervous, we start taking shorter breaths. That stresses our bodies out! Focus on taking some deep breaths so that your body and mind can relax and you can focus on the performance ahead of you.

3. Let go. So you’re nervous. Okay! When you walk onto that stage, enjoy the adventure in front of you, remembering that the story is bigger than you, and you are here to glorify God.

Reference

Elliot, Elisabeth. (1982). Discipline: The glad surrender. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell
Company.

Day 31

Day 31 | Give the Gift of the Story

I just didn’t feel like I had it. I was walking around backstage, and I could hear the audience coming in on the other side of the curtain. It wasn’t that I hadn’t rehearsed, and it wasn’t even that I was nervous or tired. My fellow cast members and I had honed our roles with the director of The Pirates of Penzance for the last 6 months. I just felt…empty.

Finally, I stopped walking and said, “Lord, I don’t feel good about my acting, energy, or focus for this show. I just somehow don’t feel ready. But I’m giving this show to You. Please take it and use me for Your glory.”

After the performance, when someone walked up and told me how great my acting was, I cracked up with laughter. If only that person knew my thoughts prior to the show! The Lord had shown Himself faithful by using me for His glory even when I felt like I had nothing to give.

Storytellers are meant to be servants. I know the stereotypical picture of storytellers is the glamour of Broadway celebrities and the glitz of movie stars. But that’s not the kind of storytellers that God asks us to be. As followers of Christ, we’re called to give of ourselves even in our weakness (Gal. 5:13). In our weakness, we are strong because of Him (2 Cor. 12:10). To follow God’s calling as a storyteller is to be a servant.

So what do you do when you feel like you’re running on empty? Stop, and recognize that you are a vessel. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair… always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:7-8,10, New King James Version).

Leave everything you’ve got onstage (or offstage). Give God the gift of this story. And trust that no matter how small a gift you may think it is, the Lord is able to use it to His glory in ways that will blow your mind.

Application

Surrender before the show. This is where all the lessons of trusting, working with your team, serving the story, inviting your audience, and everything else collide. Surrendering to the Lord is not something that just happens at the beginning of rehearsals or the end of the show; it’s something we storytellers should be doing constantly.
Give. Pour your energy and focus into your work. Bring your best to God, not dependent on the audience. Whether you see how the Lord uses it or not, trust Him and give all you’ve got.

Day 32

Day 32 | Surrender the Results

Congratulations!!! You’re on the final day of the challenge, and I’m proud of you for seeing it through. For this last email, I want to share with you one of my experiences as a storyteller where I saw tangible evidence of God’s results. This story is about a talent night that my older brother and I headed up as a fundraiser to attend a story training conference called the Lamplighter Guild.

Sometimes, we don’t have tangible or audible evidence of the impact our stories make. In fact, I think we’ll probably never know (at least on this side of eternity) exactly how far-reaching the impact of our stories is. Whether you see results right away or later, though, trust the Lord that He is at work.

Feeding on Faithfulness – Journal Entry 9/25/12:

I peeked around the shimmery stage curtain.

“One, two, three,” I began counting the total number of people present. “Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.”

I sighed as I retreated behind the curtain again. This was definitely not what I’d envisioned for my older brother’s and my fundraiser talent night. Over half of the nineteen people at our show were performers in it! I was trying to keep a hopeful smile on my face, but it was hard to see my family and a couple of our friends watch us as the night unfolded. I wanted them to be amazed at a big audience turnout. I wanted them to see the Lord’s hand at work.

I took my place backstage. Suddenly, I felt silly. My family, friends, and I were about to take the stage and perform for…each other.

“Lord,” I cried out in my heart, “I promised You that this night would be in Your hands, and You can do with it what You will. Just please give me strength to trust You! Please help my family and I to show that we surrender this show and this whole adventure to You. May the audience not walk out tonight feeling sorry for us but being amazed by what You can do even through a small turnout.”

As I prayed this prayer, my older brother approached me. I looked up and smiled at him, a little stronger this time.

“Heidi, would you like to pray with me?” he asked. “I’m trying to give this show up to the Lord, but it’s hard.”

“I know,” I replied. “I’ve been trying to do the same thing.”

We prayed together. I was comforted by my brother’s confidence, but it was through trusting in the Lord’s faithfulness that I found strength.

“Amen,” Jonathan and I finished.

“It will be alright, Heidi,” he said, smiling, and gave me a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I smiled back. “Thank you.”

Then, the talent night began. The performers executed their pieces with focus and energy, and the audience soaked it in. Right before intermission, my brother and I spoke about the purpose of the fundraiser. We shared the reasons why we desired to attend the Guild, and our audience was encouraging in their responses. At intermission, people flocked to the lobby to buy cookies, drink lemonade and coffee, and to talk. Everybody was having fun.

Eventually, the night came to a close. The little gathering gave hugs, said goodbyes, and separated. As I closed the van door, I glanced at the donations box beside me and realized something. I didn’t even care what was in there! The Lord had completely taken over the talent night, and now I felt the peace and strength that trusting Him brings. Whatever lay inside that money box, I knew the Lord would provide what we needed. Finally, my family returned to our home, unloaded the van, and dropped into bed.
~
“Heidi, Heidi!!!” Zechariah’s excited shouts preceded his burst through the front door. It was the next morning, and I was working outside. “You’ll never guess! Come with me.”

I followed Zechariah inside, through the living room and kitchen to the study. There, my mom and two more of my brothers sat around the emptied donations box. Piles of money lay before them, and Mama held a calculator in her hand. Everyone turned to me with dancing eyes.

“Six hundred dollars, Heidi,” my mom announced.

I dropped to the floor.

“Six hundred dollars?” I repeated, overcome with amazement. That was a full quarter of the money we had to raise.

Mama nodded. Then, we all burst into joyful shouts and laughter. The Lord had provided! He had rewarded our trust, work, and perseverance, and He had shown His faithfulness to us once again.

When I look back at that talent night, I realize how truthfully the psalmist speaks when he says to “feed on faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3, International Standard Version). If I had not found nourishment in the Lord’s faithfulness that night, I would have exerted little effort and not have performed half as well.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7, English Standard Version).

You may not get to see the results of your story right away. But know this: the Lord works behind the scenes in greater ways than you can imagine. Who knows? Your story could have changed the trajectory of one of your teammates’ lives or encouraged an audience member to make better choices in the future. Whatever the case may be, trust the One who sees the purpose of everything in the greatest vision of all time.

He is, after all, the Master Storyteller.

Application

1. Surrender. Whatever feedback you receive about your show, release everything into the hands of God, the One you created the story for. Learn from your mistakes, triumphs, and lessons, but give Him the glory.
2. Celebrate! Remember talking about celebrating small victories on Day 12? Well now’s the time to celebrate a major victory: finishing the challenge! Praise the Lord, thank your audience, and congratulate your team. Find something special to do to celebrate.
3. Submit. Also important! Don’t forget to submit the film of your performance.

Talk Back
ask questions and learn more

THEATER CHALLENGE

30 Days27 Emails​1 Epic Adventure

30 DAY THEATER

Welcome

1. Recap

2. Emails

3. Introduction

Day 1 | Seek God’s Story

Application

Day 2 | Build Your Team

Application

Day 3 | Throw Ideas on the Table

Application

Day 4 | Go Big

Application

Day 5 | Serve the Story

Application

Day 7 - The Vision

Application

Day 8 | Listen to Your Team

Application

Day 9 | Rehearse Like You’ll Perform

Application

Day 10 | Build Friendships Now

Application

Day 11 | Lead with Diligence

Application

Day 12 | Celebrate Small Victories

Day 14 | Script

1. What are the first steps you take when editing a script?

2. How do you know if each line of dialogue necessitates the next line? How do you determine what is necessary or unnecessary in general?

3. How do you “get outside yourself” and evaluate a script from the perspective of your audience?

4. What would you say to an editor who knows he should cut something but is struggling to because he’s personally connected to the character, line, etc.?

5. What’s the best resource you’ve found for scriptwriting?

Application

About the Contributor

BONUS – Script Examples from Daniel

References

Day 15 | Costumes

1. What are the first questions you ask when planning out costumes for a performance?

2. How do you decide what style and colors fit best with the story?

3. How do you plan for costumes and fit inside a budget?

4. Do you have any stories of pitfalls to avoid as a costumer?

5. What else would you really want another costumer to know?

Application

About the Contributor

Day 16 | Space

1. What is blocking?

2. Why is blocking important?

3. How do you evaluate a script to know what blocking would work best with it?

4. How much do you block versus just letting actors make instinctive choices?

5. How do you teach blocking while also helping the actors move naturally?

6. Any more insight on blocking you want to share?

Application

About the Contributor

Day 17 | Acting

Application

Day 18 - Sets

Day 19 | Tech

Sound

Lights

Stage Management

Application

Day 22 | Keep the Vision

Application

About the Artist

Day 22 | Pursue Excellence (with what you have)

Application

About the Contributor

Day 24 | Zoom in on the Details

Application

Day 25 | Be Human

Application

Day 26 | Invite Your Audience

Application

Day 29 | Trust

Application

Day 30 | Embrace the Nerves

Application

Day 31 | Give the Gift of the Story

30 Days
27 Emails
1 Epic Adventure