Performances and workshops in almost 40 nations, about 30 films... Invite the Swingles to inspire your audience! Mobile users, our index is on the line below...
I've been on a few episodes of Jonathan Park Adventures, but this time I was so blessed to be playing a major character! He is from a nation where my ancestors spent several generations, so that was cool! He is able to witness to an enemy, and a profound miracle happens to him.
On Monday night there was a scene in which a prayer was answered before the character said, "Amen." Before we began recording we gathered for prayer, as we did every night, and that night I prayed that those who have seen prayer answered as they're praying it would be encouraged, and those who haven't to be encouraged to pray with faith that our prayers can be answered in that instant. While recording that scene one of the actors was having some technical difficulties. We recorded from our home studios over the internet, and he dropped off of our connection. One of the other actors asked me to pray, and before I said, "Amen," our colleague came back online! Don't you know that next take was even more powerful!
On the first night I recorded at Hephzibah House, which has a wonderful recording studio they open for projects with Christian themes at no charge. On the way up to record, I rode my bike past this Christmas tree burn pile and it felt prophetic! Having finished this recording window I have to say that the Fire of the Lord lit the way for us, and let's pray hearts and minds are set on fire for the Lord and the expansion of his Kingdom!
I was blessed to create with several folks I've worked with on previous projects. Before recording David Sanborn shared something I hadn't heard or remembered: I was in his production of Judah Ben Hur in Singapore in 2001-2002. He told our group that there were some Muslims in the audience who had been recruited by Al-Qaeda, but after seeing our production they decided not to join! For those too young to remember, Al-Qaeda was the terror organization that attacked America on 9/11.
Praying this production pulls many away from groups recruiting for the kingdom of darkness and beckons them into the Kingdom of Light!
Clockwise: Our assistant director/production manager Allison Francis, our director Nicole Franco (who I've known since the 90s), David Sanborn, Oscar Corral (Wise King Media and Lamplighter Theatre). Some unseen colleagues from past projects: Joseph Narducci (who directed me in some Airship Genesis projects) and Rachel Marley Corral (MasterWorks, Rocky Mountain Filmmakers Camp, Sochi Olympics, Wise King Media, and Lamplighter Theatre).
I played a few roles alongside my friends and colleagues Rachel Marley and Nato Jacobson in a new podcast called Famous Last Words. In Episode 2, I play some minor roles and Sir Isaac Newton. It's produced by Ethan Hill, whose wonderful family worked with me on A Matter of Perspective.
Also, this year our church will be performing it as a readers theatre piece on Christmas Eve at 7 p.m.:
Westchester Chapel Church of the Nazarene at The Sonesta Hotel 66 Hale Ave White Plains, NY 10601 (A $9 cab ride from the White Plains Metro North Station)
Here's how I first got involved with this delightful production...
One of the students from the Lamplighter Guild, Angelina SantaLucia (to the right of me, with Rachel Marley), wrote to me several weeks ago letting me know that she got a role in a radio show for a studio audience being produced by Lamplighter Theatre. I was thrilled for her!
I put it on my calendar and looked forward to hearing it. I also said a prayer that someday I'd get to perform in one of Lamplighter's live productions.
A few days later I was asked to audition for the same project! Woo hoo!
I was cast as a Scrooge-like character in this new radio show, adapted by Molly Mayo and Lamplighter president, Mark Hamby, from Bells Across the Snow by Fannie Eden.
I play Robert Redfern, who is successful in business, but when it comes to family he says, "Love leads to loss and loneliness, and unless you’re strong enough to overcome it, it will ruin you...bankrupt you!" He develops this philosophy when his wife dies, and he blames God. He refuses invitations from his brother (played by David Sanborn, pictured here). He pushes his daughter away because she wants to marry someone who is "unable to give you the life that money can buy!"
But the Lord reaches Robert through a little girl, a lamb, a clever butler and some letters.
For the radio show, we performed it the way they did back in the '30s. We were dressed in period costumes and had minimal blocking around four mics. Foley artists created the sounds before the audience's eyes!
One of the foley artists, Oscar Corral (pictured here, adjusting the mic for his bride of three months in the booth where they met on Escape from the Eagle's Nest), also played a couple of roles, so when he "entered the house," I ran over to the foley corner and created his footsteps! It was SO MUCH FUN!!!
As we got closer to doing the radio show as a live production, the decision was made to record it as an audio drama in the sound booth to go out to radio stations around the world! This meant we skipped a rehearsal for the live version and spent time in the booth to get a studio quality sound. It was a very tight turn-around for sound designer Allen Hurley (Adventures in Audio and other Lamplighter Theatre projects) and composer John Campbell (Adventures in Audio and other Lamplighter Theatre projects).
They finished Monday, and more than 400 radio stations have signed up to air it so far!
Here's a preview featuring the voice of John Fornof, who has directed me in a number of audio dramas.
I had a blast playing two cab drivers, Bobby and Alfred in Jonathan Park, Series 15. The heros, including one played by Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp alumna, Rachel Marley, jumped in Bobby's cab. They realized they were being pursued, so they jumped out and into Alfred's cab! So much fun! Bobby had a Cockney accent, and Alfred had a posh Received Pronunciation British accent.
We're really blessed by how Rachel carries this story as the lead.
I'm particularly fond of this project because it explores the virtual reality world Meta (formerly known as Facebook) is creating, but uses it to expose the story of Charles Darwin and the shaky foundation of evolution. When I started college, it was as a biology major. I wanted to be a science teacher and undermine evolution in a public school. The Lord changed my course, but I've always had a passion for telling these kinds of stories.
This was the fifth time John Fornof directed me in an audio drama, and that made it even more delightful!
This January, McKenzie was in charge of wardrobe on the set of "There," which was written, produced and directed by William and Morgan Willer, two other alumni of RMCFC (2015 and 2016). In the middle of production, McKenzie got a call-back for the lead in the Lamplighter Theatre production of The Treasure of the Secret Cove. As an alumna of RMCFC she received the casting call I sent out to all my former students. The Lamplighter production team listened to over 250 auditions without considering who the actors were. They were shocked to discover McKenzie was also an alumna of the Lamplighter Guild (2017), where I got to teach this summer, as well as Lamplighter Live, where I first worked with her.
Rachel and McKenzie in the
studio for The Treasure
of the Secret Cove.
McKenzie discovered that Rachel was cast as her character's best chum in the production. Our friend and colleague, Nato Jacobson, plays the husband of McKenzie's character. David Sanborn, a friend I've worked with on projects since 2001, plays a mysterious visitor. Nato and Rachel also played smaller roles.
Joyce and I just listened to it, and they all did splendid work! So many nice moments. So much truth spoken so eloquently. It's a wonderful story, based on the classic book of the same title by Amy Le Feuvre. It's about the power of the covenant of marriage, and it's set up in a very creative way! You can order it as a set of CDs or download it now.
I was honored to be a consultant on several elements of preproduction.
I played several roles and served as Afghan accent coach in the audio dramas Escape from the Eagle's Nest and The Giant Killer for Lamplighter Theatre, part of Lamplighter Ministries (www.Lamplighter.net).
Both shows were broadcast on over 1600 radio stations in 30 nations. The Giant Killer is now available, and on that page you can hear my voice in the Behind the Scenes Recordings at 19 seconds and 1:23.
Escape from the Eagle's Nest is also available. You can see and hear my contributions in the video below...
Both stories are based on books by A.L.O.E., which stands for A Lady of England. It was the pseudonym she used to get those and many other books published in the 1800s.
In the booth with Israel Oyelumade,
Rachel Marley and David Sanborn.
After I was cast as a cook (to perform the role, not to actually prepare food), I was asked to recommend someone who could play an Afghan who grows from a little girl into a married woman. I recommended some of my students, and they chose Rachel Marley. Besides being my student numerous times she was on our performing arts team in Sochi during the 2014 Olympics. What a delight to work with her and have several scenes together.
A few weeks after they cast Rachel, producer John Fornof told me there were visa issues. They used to record in London, so that's where all their contacts are. John’s US contacts are union actors. He asked if I could get the word out to my nonunion contacts in case the visas did not come through since just about everyone besides Rachel and I were coming from the UK. This was the first time they invited people to watch the process, so dozens of observers were signed up, coming to Mt. Morris, NY, from as far as North Dakota.
I sent out about 350 emails to students and colleagues who turned in 189 auditions. John and executive producer Mark Hamby said they had perfect peace about the situation and were sure the visas would come through but if not, God would provide. When the final word came that the visas were denied John and team went through all the auditions in two days, normally a two-week process! The casts were announced on Friday and Saturday and we began recording on Monday!
Garry Nation and I (who share three
film credits) got to play giant brothers:
He was Sloth, and I was Selfishness.
The only one from the UK was Israel Oyelumade, who volunteered his time to bypass the need for a visa! Before I performed Beyond the Chariots for the community he shared how the Lord had led him to play Jesus in a massive Passion play. It was done outdoors with 300 actors.
I was delighted that Lamplighter Theatre cast four of my students, and that I got to perform with colleagues from numerous films. My friend David Sanborn was cast in twelve of the 17 roles for which he auditioned, and then he picked up others along the way.
Working with so many great friends in and of itself made it one of my favorite weeks, but the highlight came through a new friend, Akmal. Patrick Powell the director of Escape from the Eagle's Nest found him on an internet search. Akmal lived his first twelve years in Southern Afghanistan, where the story takes place! He translated passages from The Sermon on the Mount, Revelation and Isaiah into Pashto, and then he came up with a tune inspired by music from his homeland and recorded himself singing the Scripture while he played keyboards underneath it.
Our director for Escape from
the Eagle's Nest, Patrick Powell,
is one of a very small number
of actors who have performed
St. John in Exile by Dean Jones.
David Sanborn sang the Scriptures with our friend's tune, then he led the rest of the cast humming the tune. We were portraying the Afghanis who began by shouting down the foreigner. Then, as they were hearing words of life in their heart language, sung with a familiar tune they quieted down, and slowly started to join, humming the tune. I got to direct small groups who joined as the Scripture moved along. Once all of them had joined in, something extraordinary occurred. As had happened when he was singing the Pashto translation, David became overwhelmed with what was happening. We were all touched at a very deep level, so much so that everyone observing, including the director, were weeping. Executive Producer Mark Hamby compared it to the tongues of fire that fell on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2)!
I'm so thrilled with how it turned out!
Throughout production there were Lamplighter Live students observing the process and jumping into the group scenes!
Here's the story of how it all came together:
Below you can hear my voice at :02, 1:03, where I'm performing with two former students, and see my "sword fight" at 1:05.
I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.
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