You've read the book, now see the film!

James, the Movie!  My wife, Joyce, has been leading a Bible study on the Book of James over the last few months.  We're closing with a review of the book, including James the Movie, which I performed when I was a student at George Fox College ( http://GeorgeFox.edu ).

It will all happen this coming Sunday, November 30, in our 9:30 a.m. Bible Study.    

Come prepared to participate (if you want to) in this entertaining and incisive look at The Book of James.  You'll be encouraged and edified.

For directions visit http://WestchesterChapel.org

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's like Grand Central Station on Thanksgiving Day

Actually it is!

You're Pulling My Leg!

For Thanksgiving I'm bringing Truth or Fib, which is now marketed as You're Pulling My Leg! The award-winning game was developed by Allen Wolf, who used to attend Inter-Mission, when it had a NYC chapter. He created the game to help finance his upcoming movie, In My Sleep, which is now in post-production.

Fasting coffee

An alumna of MasterWorks ( http://MasterWorksFestival.org ), who is
now working for Compassion ( http://RichDrama.com/Compassion ) just
featured on Compassion's blog: http://blog.compassion.com/fast-for-food/#comment-4105

She and her colleagues are fasting coffee for a month and donating the
money they would have spent to The Global Food Crisis fund: https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/global-food-crisis.htm?referer=51090

I donated, and now I'm joining them in their coffee fast...until
Thanksgiving.

Views of the Manger in Five States

From Views of the Manger

I'll be bringing Views of the Manger to five states this Season. Hope to see you there.

Olympic Hero in China

We finished our documentary Olympic Hero in China: The Eric Liddell Story in time for the Beijing Olympics. I interviewed Mary Previte, Hudson Taylor's great-granddaughter, and provided questions for most of the interviews.

I had opportunities to share before and after screenings in Hong Kong and Macao during the Games.

While I was there I got to do the English narration. We screened it in the fall of 2008, November 14 in New York City and November 20 in White Plains, NY.

Altogether we were in Asia for five weeks surrounding the Olympics. You can see updates in the August and September archives on my blog. I also posted some things long after returning in the October archive.

Article on Views of the Manger

The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle just ran an article on my upcoming performances of Views of the Manger: 

Dinner theater spotlights Christmas theme

The only thing they got wrong was that they speak of The Lamb's Repertoire Theatre as if it's still happening.  She looked at an old bio.  The current one is at http://RichDrama.com/Bio.

Schools

These are schools or student organizations where I have taught, performed and/or directed:

Colleges and Universities

Arts Programs and Conferences

High Schools

Elementaries

Colleges and Universities

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, NJ

Graceworks workshop for the School of Architecture (annually since 2008)

COLLEGE FOR OFFICER TRAINING, CUBA
Workshop on Drama in Ministry

AFRICA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY
Seven chapels on two campuses, including
Shepherds Reflect on the 23rd Psalm and several short pieces

NAMSEOUL UNIVERSITY, KOREA
Performance of Beyond the Chariots
Workshop

ASIA-PACIFIC NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, THE PHILIPPINES
Chapel
Lectures

SINGAPORE BIBLE COLLEGE, SINGAPORE

Workshop

SCHOOL FOR OFFICER TRAINING, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Enacted Prayer Workshop

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE OF OFFICERS, LONDON
Enacted Prayer Workshop, performance of Beyond the Chariots

GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY, OR (Has been rated the number one Christian college in America by Forbes and US News and World Report)
Chapel – Big Fish Little Worm multiple times

Introduction to Acting – Developing Characters

Introduction to Sociology – Sociodrama

Systems of Social Work – Sociodrama

Introduction to Social Work – Sociodrama

Playwriting – Writing for stage and screen

Oral Interpretation of Lit. – Cartoon Voices (2 sessions)

Technical Theatre – Theories on Technical and DirectingTies

GEORGE FOX SEMINARY, OR

Using Drama in Ministry (workshop and later a one-credit course)

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Graceworks workshop

BIOLA UNIVERSITY
Beyond the Chariots
Journey to the Garden for their Easter Chapel

FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Spoke on a panel with Patricia Mauceri, Lauren Yarger and Retta Blaney

COOPER UNION, NYC
Performance for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, TN
Graceworks Workshop for the School of Music

PRATT INSTITUTE, NY
Annual Graceworks workshop

REGENT UNIVERSITY, VA

Workshop for students visiting NYC

ASBURY UNIVERSITY
Addressed students visiting NYC on two visits

CITY COLLEGE, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
A Clear Leading as a part of the Price of Life

FURMAN UNIVERSITY, SC

Performance

BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY, MS
Beyond the Chariots
Workshops

PATRICK HENRY COLLEGE, VA
Panel after a screening of The Screenwriters

COLLEGE FOR OFFICER TRAINING, NY
Led a chapel in enacted prayer

ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY, OK
Video conference lecture

LAMPLIGHTER MASTERS GUILD FOR THE ARTS, LEADERSHIP, AND THEOLOGY

Coached accents and performed The Unlikely Wise Man with students

Performed excerpts from my one-man play Views of the Manger

NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Public presentation workshop for staff and students
Public presentation workshop for student leadership retreat in the Poconos.

WILLIAM CAREY INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, CA

Performance, Beyond the Chariots

MISSOURI BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, MO
Workshops

SPRING ARBOR UNIVERSITY, MI
Performance, Big Fish Little Worm

FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY, TN
Video conference lecture

GRACE COLLEGE, IN
Performances in Rodeheaver Auditorium

BETHEL COLLEGE, IN
Big Fish Little Worm for Chapel
Acting workshop
Two enacted prayer workshops

EARLHAM COLLEGE, IN

Open Forum – Reaching Others Through Art

Humanities – Tragedy

Earlham Young Friends – Performing Arts

Human Existence – Theatre Ministry and Christian Faith

Counseling and Psychotherapy – Sociodrama

Introduction to Theatre – Theatre as Ministry

Quakerism – John Woolman and 17th c. Quakerism

WILMINGTON COLLEGE, OH

Quaker Lecture for students and community – John Woolman

Introduction to the Bible – Jonah, Gideon, The Vine and theBranches

Introduction to Acting – Christian Theatre Trends

Prison Campus Extensions – Sociodrama

(three visits)

CONCORDIA COLLEGE, MN

Drama workshops

Performance

WHITWORTH COLLEGE, WA

Chapel

Workshops

CRICHTON COLLEGE, TN

Performance

Workshop

MONTREAT COLLEGE, NC

Performance

Workshops

CLEARWATER CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, FL

Performances

Workshops

ANDERSON UNIVERSITY, SC

Chapel

Drama workshop

NORTH GREENVILLE COLLEGE, SC

Sociodrama and drama workshops

Performances

LIMESTONE COLLEGE, SC

Drama workshops

Performances

TABOR COLLEGE, KS

Drama workshops

Performance

STERLING COLLEGE, KS

Performance

Workshop

GENEVA COLLEGE, PA

Performance

Theatre workshop

SOUTHERN ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY, TN

Chapel

Performance

Workshop

FRIENDS UNIVERSITY, KS

Chapel

Drama workshops

FONTBONNE COLLEGE, MO

Performance

Drama workshop

NYACK COLLEGE, Nyack and Manhattan, NY, campuses

Sociodrama workshops

ALLIANCE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, NY

Chapel

Sociodrama workshop

(two visits)

GUILFORD COLLEGE, NC

Chapel

Workshops

TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, OK
Guest lecturer

Arts Programs and Conferences

IVY LEAGUE CONGRESS ON FAITH AND ACTION, Hosted by Harvard University, MA
Presented on the panel for Arts and Entertainment
Students from all eight Ivy League schools attended the congress

CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW FILM FESTIVAL

Four years

Performed short one-man dramas about Jonah, Gideon, and Eric Liddell

Taught various workshops on acting for film

HOLLYWOOD DIVINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Two years

Spoke on panels

Performed short dramas on Gideon and Lazarus

GREAT LAKES CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL

Spoke on a panel of actors

Performed Five Bells for 9/11

Honorary Actor of the Year, 2022

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTIAN FILMMAKERS CAMP, CO
Teaching film acting and auditions
coaching and writing short films
(2014-2021)

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES, CUBA
Workshop on Drama in Ministry

MÜVÉSZETI TÁBOR (ARTS CAMP), ROMANIA
Beyond the Chariots
Acting
Enacted Prayer
Presentation Skills

ENGAGE SOCHI, RUSSIA

Wrote and directed “Who is the Fish” in ten languages for a team to perform in the Olympic Plaza, Downtown Sochi and Krosnaya-Polyana at the Roza Khutor Alpine Resort during the 2014 Olympics: www.RichDrama.com/WhoistheFish.

CHRISTIAN MUSIC ASSOCIATION, TN
Theatre for the Mind

FAITH-BASED ACTORS GROUP, CA
Guest Director
Performed "Lazarus"

SALVATION ARMY DRAMA WORKSHOP, CUBA
Facilitated the creation and preparation of a sketch through bibliodrama and sociodrama

LAMPLIGHTER GUILD FOR CREATIVE DISCIPLINES, NY
Facilitated the creation and preparation of four sketches (2018)

Taught voice acting and directed audio dramas and commercials (2021)

LAMPLIGHTER LIVE, NY
Led warm-ups and taught the Pashto (Iraq) accent

FILIPINO SUNDAY SCHOOL, HONG KONG
Helped class develop a sketch in Tagalog and perform it on the streets of Hong Kong

EASTERN TERRITORIAL ARTS MINISTRIES CONSERVATORY, NY

Performances

Directing

Workshops

(since 2001)

NORTH DAKOTA HOME SCHOOL ASSOCIATION HOME EDUCATORS CONVENTION, ND
The Acts
Acting workshops

APPLIED THEATRE CONFERENCE, SC
Facilitated the creation and preparation of a sketch through sociodrama

MASTERWORKS FESTIVAL, IN

Theatre Program Director (ten years, directing and/or producing ten plays)
   Anne of Green Gables (produced)
   A Midsummer Night's Dream (produced)
   The Crucible (produced)
   Tartuffe (produced and co-directed with John Kirby)
   Our Town by Thornton Wilder (produced and co-directed with John Kirby)
   The Miracle Worker (produced and directed)
   Cyrano de Bergerac (produced and directed)
   The Jeweler's Shop (produced and directed)
   Twelve Angry Jurors (produced and directed)
   Much Ado About Nothing (produced and directed)

Theatre faculty or master class instructor (16 years)

CREATIVE ARTS SERVICE TEAM (CAST), A MINISTRY TEAM OF EASTERN TERRITORIAL ARTS MINISTRIES

Directing

Teaching

(three years)

CANADA/BERMUDA TERRITORIAL SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND GOSPEL ARTS, ONTARIO, CANADA

Performances

Directing

Workshops

(three years)

SOUTHERN TERRITORIAL MUSIC INSTITUTE, OK

Performance

Guest directing
Creating a drama through Sociodrama
(two years)

ONTARIO DIVISIONAL SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND GOSPEL ARTS, ONTARIO, CANADA

Performances

Directing

Workshops

YOUTH QUAKE, SC AND WA

National Quaker Youth Retreat

Performances

Workshops, including one on Conflict Resolution

CAMP TACONIC JUNIOR HIGH CAMPS, NY
Performed numerous sketches
Taught drama workshops
(two years)

NAZARENE YOUTH INTERNATIONAL MIDWINTER RETREAT, NY

Performances

Theatre for Conflict Resolution

NORTHWEST YOUTHLEADERS TRAINING CONFERENCE
Using Drama in Youth Ministry

CHRISTIANS IN THEATRE ARTS
Various workshops, performances in various states and nations, including
Beyond the Chariots
I Dreamed I Was Free
Big Fish Little Worm
Sociodrama for Actors and Directors
Sociodrama for Scriptwriters
in Los Angeles, Toronto, Houston, Boston, Chicago and more

High Schools

SEOUL FOREIGN SCHOOL, KOREA
Assembly
Performances and workshops

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, KOREA
Chapel performances
Sociodrama for faculty
Evening performance for the community

GYEONGGI SUWON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, KOREA

Acting workshops

Chapel presentations

GYEONGGI ACADEMY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, KOREA
Chapel performance with Q/A

TAEJON CHRISTIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, KOREA
Workshop
Assembly

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL OF UIJONGBU, KOREA
Workshop
Assembly Performance

MORRISON ACADEMY, TAICHUNG, TAIWAN
Spiritual Life Week with my bride, Joyce Swingle

MORRISON ACADEMY, TAIPEI, TAIWAN
Big Fish Little Worm for Assembly
Guest teacher for six classes

MORRISON ACADEMY, KAOSIUNG, TAIWAN
Big Fish Little Worm for Assembly

AMMAN BAPTIST SCHOOL, JORDAN
Led a team of teachers and performing artists to present two evenings of drama and three days of performing arts classes
Evening performances for the community

KING'S COLLEGE, NEW ZEALAND
Chapel

ST PHILIP'S CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, AUSTRALIA
Workshops on Shakespeare and Discernment in Media

CONCORDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, SHANGHAI

Acting workshop

Chapel presentations

YEW CHUNG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, SHANGHAI

Acting workshop

Chapel presentation

SHANGHAI HOMESCHOOL FELLOWSHIP
Acting workshop

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, HONG KONG

Drama workshops

Chapel presentation

(three separate trips)

FAITH ACADEMY, THE PHILIPPINES

Drama workshops

Chapels

(two separate trips)

TRAFALGAR CASTLE SCHOOL, WHITBY, ONTARIO, CANADA
Beyond the Chariots
Acting workshop

WESLEYAN SCHOOL, ATLANTA, GA
Beyond the Chariots
Warmups for a speech class
American movie class lecture
Sociodrama as guest director for Our Town

CHRISTIAN CULTURAL CENTER
Performed in Henry Box Brown
Fielded questions from students representing over a dozen schools

DAYSPRING SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
Big Fish Little Worm with talkback

CLARKSVILLE ACADEMY, TN

Spoke to an acting class

THE WOODHALL SCHOOL, CT
Guest directed Everyman using Sociodrama

SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL, PA

Theatre workshop

ANNONDALE HIGH SCHOOL, VA

Various workshops and performances

(multiple visits)

BRIAR WOODS HIGH SCHOOL, VA

Performances

Acting coaching
(multiple visits)

STONE BRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, VA

Performances

Drama workshops
(multiple visits)

LOUDEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL, VA

English/Drama – Cartoon voices
English/Drama – Big Fish Little Worm

German I -- Sociodrama/Cartoon voices

German II and III – Sociodrama/Cartoon voices
(multiple visits)

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION DARDENNE, MO
Big Fish Little Worm

Middle and Elementary Schools

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, KOREA
Chapel performances

SINGAPORE YOUTH DAY
Performed Beyond the Chariots at Joyden Theatre for children from around Singapore

NORWEGIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, HONG KONG
Performance

COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM, BOLIVIA
"La Gente Que Jesús Conocia"

DURHAM NATIVITY SCHOOL, NC

Helped develop a drama about the school's history and performed in it with the students

JAMAICA CENTER, NY
Fielded questions from students representing several schools
Performed in Henry Box Brown

WESTFIELD FRIENDS SCHOOL, NJ
Spoke as John Woolman in classrooms
I Dreamed I Was Free

FRIENDS CHILDREN’S SCHOOL, IN

K-2nd Grade – Miming

STEPHEN GAYNOR SCHOOL, NYC
4-6th grade – Performed in Henry Box Brown

EVANGEL SCHOOL, NY

Third Grade – Sociodrama

Sixth Grade – Sociodrama
Chapel – Big Fish Little Worm

ST. ANN’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL, VA

Performance

MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PA

Guest director

ABUNDANT WATERS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM, NY

1st-8th – Sociodrama and acting workshops (2 years)

SAY Yes AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, The Lamb’s Church

K-6 – Sociodrama and reading series (2 years)

PUBLIC SCHOOL #76, QUEENS, NY

Grades 3-5 – Operation Return: Big Fish Little Worm and Sociodrama

For quotes by people who have studied under Rich, visit RichDrama.com/Workshops and RichDrama.com/TheySaid.

MWF Theatre: Past, Present and Future

Last night at the world premiere of my voice over for our documentary, Olympic Hero in China: The Eric Liddell Story, we had four people from MasterWorks ( http://MasterWorksFestival.org ). Patricia Mauceri, of One Life to Live, and I are part of the current theatre faculty. Keri Taylor is an alumna of the theatre program. She's now living in New York and helped found the Haberdasher Theatre company ( http://www.HaberdasherTheatre.com ). And this summer Mac Nelson will be a master class instructor. His book Memoirs of a Hollywood Adventure is set for publishing just before the Festival begins.

A nice walk home

I took this shot as I returned from My Vaudeville Man!, a delightful two-person musical in production at St. Peter's Theatre. And I was humming its tunes all the way home.

It was a great mix of song and dance, humor and heartbreak.

It's based on Jack Donahue's "Letters of a Hoofer to his Ma," and it shows the relationship of Donahue with his "mudder" before he became a star. The confessions of "Mud" to Father Dennis contained various careers she'd told people that her son was pursuing...since they were only in her imagination.

One of the things I liked most about it was the laudable job they did of portraying sin in such a way that it isn't the least bit attractive.

Zipcar

Zipcar has been such a huge blessing to us here in NYC! The price includes insurance and gas. They have a gas card right in there. We've consistently found them cheaper than rentals and so much more convenient. You just hop online, find the car you'd like for as little as half an hour at a time, and away you go. They're all over the US now and also in Toronto and London. Click the button below and we'll both get a $25 driving credit!

Kingdom Coming

One of our MasterWorks Festival theatre students is now working with Compassion in Australia.  She sent me a link to a free download by Shaun Groves. It's a great song, and quite inspiring. Shaun is a Compassion artist, and I've heard artists like him share music like this at a number of Compassion artist retreats. This brought me right back there.

Sanborns' double feature

The latest newsletter by Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA.org) has a link to an article on my friend Retta Blaney's blog: A Walking Miracle.

It tells the miraculous story of how Art Sanborn was healed (and continues to discover new levels of healing) from a paralysis at the level of Christopher Reeves. He's now jogging I think four miles every day!

I performed in Judah Ben Hur, which the Sanborns produced in Singapore. I was told that Art was paralyzed to the same degree as Christopher Reeve but that I wouldn't notice. I was blown away to meet him and discover that they were right!

I experienced another miraculous story in my friend Mac Nelson, whose story is written up in Waiting for My Fingers. Mac, who has performed with Liz Taylor, Jerry Lewis and the like, was losing use of his arms through a disease called stenosis. His doctors were shocked to find his recovery well beyond what they expected.