Israel

This is a shot of Joyce and I in Bethlahem in 1999. Our church, Westchester Chapel, be returning to Israel next February, and I'll be performing sketches of stories where they took place.

Here are some that we're planning (subject to change):

"Elijah" on the top of Mt. Carmel
"Peter's Trip to Caesaria by the Sea" at Ceasaria by the Sea's amphitheatre
"Gideon" at Gideon's Spring
"The Last Supper" near the Garden Tomb
"Peter Walks on Water" on the Sea of Gallilee

You're welcome to join us!

For a brochure and to sign up, call 914.287.7620.

Prince Caspian is on it's way!

I just came across a good interview with director, Andrew Adamson. Among other things, he reveals that Michael Apted, who directed Amazing Grace, will helm Voyage of the Dawn Treader, due in 2010. Also, it points out that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was in the top 30 films of all time around the globe.

30,000 youth

We're at our church's District Assembly (http:MNYNaz.org). These youth represent the 50 hispanic churches on our district. They have a vision to reach 30,000 hispanic youth in the coming year. What a joyful noise that will be!

I'm married to a 15 year-old

On this day in 1993, four years to the week before we met, Joyce committed her life to the Lord. In a sermon at our church last week she shared how a co-worker told her that the radical changes in Joyce's life after that day added up to the first miracle that co-worker had ever seen. I'm delighted to spend my life with that miracle!

Happy Re-Birthday, Joyce!
Love,
Rich

Bev Holloway is looking forward to MasterWorks

As we're getting closer to the start of MasterWorks I was working through details with our faculty.  I wanted to share the following note from Bev Holloway.  A more complete bio of her work as a casting director in Hollywood is now online at http://MasterWorksFestival.org.

We still have a few more openings in the program, so be sure to get your application in soon and/or send your friends to http://RichDrama.com/MWF.

in Christ alone,

Rich

Begin forwarded message:

Thanks for the opportunity to watch and talk with your actors.  I am really

looking forward to it!

Best,

Bev

What a great day!

We had a wonderful lunch with my relatives and then drove .4 mile to interview Mary Previte. She's the great grand daughter of Hudson Taylor, and was in the internment camp with Eric Liddell. I was so moved by her stories!

Then we went to the University of Pennsylvania and filmed the plaque that declares the school motto: "In the dust of defeat as well as in the laurels of victory there is glory to be found." Liddell ran at the Penn Relays there and quoted that motto when he spoke. We also met a fellow named Dan who was kind enough to run against me as Eric Liddell.

Moving to NYC

I'm often asked for advice from young actors about moving to New York City. In today's New York Times there's an article about the process: Finding Your First Apartment.

Here are some other pieces of advice:

Sign up at Manhattan Plaza now. It offers subsidized housing for those who make at least 50% of their income from the performing arts. Joyce and I have been on the list for 10 years, and we're now #3 on the list. Yay! When we get in we'll save about $800 a month on our rent. Don't worry if you don't make half of your income from the arts now. They won't ask you to prove it until you work your way pretty far up on the list.

There are often apartment and roommate leads on The Haven's Boards and in Redeemer Presbyterian Church's Classifieds.

My main piece of advice is to find a great church home. Without one your chances of staying true to the Lord and your convictions will be greatly challenged in NYC or any major city...or anywhere.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church has an Art's Ministry.

The Haven is a great fellowship that meets Monday nights (the dark night for most theatres). It's not really a church, since, last I knew they don't have a pastor and sermons, but it's a great place to get connected with other artists. They do have a list of churches in the area.

Our church, Westchester Chapel, is just outside the city, but Joyce and I have been reverse commuting for all 10 years of our marriage because it's such a great (and quite artistically minded) family.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you know of a great fellowship I've left out, please post a comment below and leave a link.

Interview with Ben Stein

Here's a recent interview with Ben Stein about his film, which opened this weekend, about how scientists and teachers who believe in Intelligent Design are being censored: Ben Stein is Expelled!

Good films

Joyce and I just watched August Rush. We were both quite moved, and I was a complete mess. It's got some profound stuff in there about how God creates great beauty out of bad choices and orchestrates (pun intended) divine appointments.

We're also going to try to catch Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, in which Ben Stein

...realizes that he has been “Expelled,” and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.

For a trailer and theatre locator visit ExpelledtheMovie.com. Encourage Hollywood to make more of this kind of film by seeing it opening weekend.

Amazing Grace - Just the Black Notes

John Newton was a slave trader before he became a Christian and wrote Amazing Grace. Ken Wales' film Amazing Grace tells part of Newton's story. I watched it again the other night and was moved deeply all over again. This clip shows how the tune that Newton used for Amazing Grace most likely came from a Negro spiritual. It's eight minutes long, but you can get the essence of this profound connection in the first half. The rest is a beautiful rendition of the song.

When I was in Guatemala with Compassion we visited a Compassion site that provided pure drinking water for local residents. This clip shows another group that's working to provide drinking water around the world. Jennifer Connelly's character shows the profound reality of how blessed we are in developed nations.

Theology dramatized

One of my students at MasterWorks told me before joining us that he wanted to focus on being a theologian rather than an actor. I told him the program would enhance his abilities to express theology. I'm glad to see Sadler Mahan is proving that out with the help of another MasterWorks alum, his brother, Cody.

Eric Liddell's story told during the Olympics

Things are shaping up to take Beyond the Chariots to Asia during the Olympic Games this summer.

The play tells the rest of the Chariots of Fire story: How, after breaking the world record in the 1924 Olympics, Eric Liddell spent the rest of his life as a missionary in China.

The play has been translated into Spanish, Chinese and translators are working on Portuguese, French and Korean.

I'm also working on a docudrama about Eric Liddell with a group in Hong Kong. I've written a rough draft of the screen play, and now I'm working to incorporate our newest interviews. I'll get to play Eric Liddell in the dramatizations.

Because the Hong Kong Dollar is linked to the US dollar, the money they've raised for the project is not going as far as they hoped. I've decided to raise some funds to cover my expenses to make their budget go further and therefore raise the quality of the film.

If you'd like to make a donation for either of these endeavors, make checks payable to Westchester Chapel. If you want the money to go toward performances during the Olympics write "Emmaus Arts--Olympics" in the memo line. If you want it to go toward the docudrama, write "Emmaus Arts--Docudrama" in the memo line. Send to:

Westchester Chapel
214 Central Ave.
White Plains, NY 10606
USA

Thanks!

To keep up to date on developments, sign up at RichDrama.com/Updates.

Filled with Hope,
Rich & Joyce

The following is an excerpt from the Off-Broadway performance.

Never before

On Friday I blogged that I didn't think our anniversary had ever fallen on Good Friday before. Retta Blaney, who's birthday was that day, blogged evidence that Joyce and I would have to have been celebrating our 95th anniversary for that to have been the case: http://uponthesacredstage.blogspot.com/2008/03/easter-blessings.html

We're only on our 120th monthaversary, which we'll celebrate tomorrow. So don't be surprised if we don't answer the phone or return email.

It's the blood

Our Good Friday service at Westchester Chapel was very powerful. A number of us read the scriptures of the Lord's Passion, but we started with Genesis: God covered the first man and the first woman with animal skins. Pastor Jim told how blood was also used to cover the doorposts of the homes of the Israelites so their firstborn would not be killed while the firstborn of Egypt were killed as the final plague. Someone pointed out to me years ago how the blood on the doorframes was placed in such a way to form a cross (a form of execution which wouldn't be invented for quite some time). Tonight we stepped forward and put blood red paint on the door we'd created. It was a very powerful evening.

Sandy Rodriguez is pictured here applying the blood.

Curt Cloninger, who was the first person I ever saw do a one-man play, just posted a beautiful reflection for this Holy Weekend: Three Days.

Having a poignant anniversary

Joyce an I are celebrating our 10th anniversary by performing together: http://RichDrama.com/WCCC.

I can't remember Good Friday falling on our anniversary before. It's actually poignant to commmemorate two events of great love.

Running the Race

A new biography on Eric Liddell, subject of my play Beyond the Chariots, has recently been released. It's called Running the Race, and it's by John Keddie, who equaled Liddell's time at Edinburgh's Craiglockhart track. The race was 44 years after Liddell's first race on that track, which was literally unchanged from his day. Later, Keddie was a consultant on Chariots of Fire.

I haven't finished the book, but what I've read is superb. It's more focused on Liddell's running than previous biographies, but, as Keddie is now a minister, it certainly isn't devoid of Liddell's devotion. It contains several photos I hadn't come across in other biographies, nor in my visits with several of Liddell's family members.

Running the Race will be presented to each member of the British Olympic Team for the Beijing Games this August.

Here's a more thorough review from The Herald: Spirited life in the fast lane races off the page.

Keddie just had an article on Liddell published in the Yorkshire Post: John Keddie: A true sporting hero who lived by his faith.

Bag pipin'

Our friends Carter and Carol are gearing up for a trip to Scotland. She's presenting a paper at Edinburgh University and he'll be doing more illustrations like this one, no doubt.

Good Friday Service

We're exploring Good Friday through a number of creative expressions this year. Come and experience it.

For directions click here.

For directions from NYC via public transporation, click here.