RichDrama
RichDrama
The Dramatic Work of Rich and Joyce Swingle

Rich's Plays

Rich has been performing these around the world since 1992...

We're hoping to have this ready for the fall of 2023.

Songs of Revival

Rich is working on a musical with Timothy J. Mercaldo telling the stories of the Welsh and Asbury Revivals. We'll tell the stories from the perspective of those who were there.

Estimated running time: 1hr followed by enacted prayer and spontaneous worship with an open ending.


For more information: www.SongsOfRevivalLive.com.

Big Fish / Little Worm

Rich brings the stories of Jonah, Gideon, Jeremiah, and Lazarus to vibrant life with a theme of hearing God's voice and responding. This is Rich's first creation, and he's been doing the Jonah piece since 1992.
Running time: 7-60 minutes (with narration woven throughout).

For more information: 
www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/BigFishLittleWorm


Beyond the Chariots

The four time Academy Award winning film Chariots Of Fire tells how Eric Liddell refused to run the 100 meters in the 1924 Paris Olympics because a qualifying heat was held on a Sunday. Beyond the Chariots picks up where the film left off, showing Eric in his greatest race, as a missionary to war-torn China.
Running time: 45 min. to an hour.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/BeyondTheChariots

I Dreamed I Was Free

Rich's critically acclaimed one-person, two-act play shows how John Woolman spoke out against slavery over a century before the Civil War.
Running time: About an hour.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/IDreamedIWasFree.


The Revelation

This dynamic portrayal of the last book of the Bible is a one-person play which can stand alone or be surrounded by music and original art. John the Apostle has returned to deliver The Revelation to you today. He's thrilled at the opportunity!
Running time: 45 minutes play alone; about 90 minutes with worship interludes.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/TheRevelation.

The Acts

The Acts brings to life the miracles and wonder of the first century Church as God's Spirit empowers His people. The story is told from the perspective of a man who spies on the followers of Christ for Saul. As he reports back their actions and beliefs he begins to realize they're following more than just stories.
Running time: About an hour.

For more information visit www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/TheActs.


Views of the Manger

Rich's Christmas program begins with the story of Abraham, using his covenant with God as a look forward to how Christ would come and be the covenant keeper. It also tells the stories of Gabriel, Joseph, the inn-keeper, and the three wise men.
Running time: About an hour.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/ViewsOfTheManger.

Journey to the Garden

This event invites each audience member to become a disciple and travel with Jesus from his baptism to the Garden Tomb. This production uses slides from Israel of the sites these events took place, creating the backdrop of the greatest story ever told.
Running time: 15-60 minutes.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/JourneyToTheGarden.


Five Bells for 9/11

Five Bells for 9/11 is a memorial to those who died and to those who were wounded physically and emotionally on that infamous morning. The play tells the stories of three people who were directly impacted: Bruce Van Hine, a fire fighter for Squad 41; Lana Ho Shing, a mutual funds specialist for Morgan Stanley; and Father Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest at the Church of St. Francis.
Running time: About 45 minutes.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/FiveBells.


Short Pieces

Rich can pull shorter pieces from his feature-length plays and has a number of short pieces that can stand alone. He can also customize or create a piece from scratch, depending on your needs and his available time.
Running time: 5-30 minutes.

For more information: www.RichDrama.com/blog/post/ShortPieces.

More...

For a full list of Rich's feature plays visit www.RichDrama.com/blog/Plays.

​Workshops

Rich Swingle has used drama with groups in every age group from nursery school to grad school to retirement centers. He has also worked with people at every level of experience from beginner to college student to professional. He's taught and/or performed in 100 schools, and half of those are colleges and universities, including Namseoul University, Korea, Memphis University, and he co-leads a workshop annually at Princeton University. Rich also spoke at the National Council of Churches in Cuba and the Ivy League Congress on Faith and Action, hosted by the Harvard University chapter of Christian Union.

Here is a representative list of some of the workshops Rich can bring to your group:

Presentation Workshops and Coachings

Since 2001 Rich has worked as a Freedom Finder through Graceworks for firms from Vancouver, BC, to Mexico City to London, helping firms grow through the Human Connection. Graceworks helps leaders in a variety of fields overcome stage fright and connect with their audiences through seminars and project coaching.

Improvisation

Viola Spolin, author of several books on improvisation, believed it to be as powerful a training technique for actors as Stanislavski's Method. Rich has taught improv for years, and uses it, along with sociodrama (explained next) to coach actors for roles, especially those that require actors to access their emotions. It's also a great form of acting all on its own! It encourages actors to take risks, expand their creativity and spontaneity, and to trust fellow actors. For non-actors it's a great way to gain confidence for public speaking (the number one fear over death!). Rich creates a safe environment for participants to explore.

Sociodrama

This dynamic technique can be used on its own or in conjunction with any of Rich's plays or presentations. Rich leads groups in an exploration of a theme which the group helps define. Individuals act out the theme in a specific scenario. Rich uses several techniques to direct the action in ways which explore the theme most valuably. Once the action is completed, Rich leads a discussion of what was learned through the process. Rich's master's thesis was based on a sociodrama program he taught.

Sociodrama for Playwrights (Devised Theatre)

Plots and dialogue can be created and reworked using this technique. The playwright can see the characters moving, hear them talking, and even know their thoughts, and then take that back to the keyboard. Attendees are encouraged to take what was discovered in the workshop and use it as a springboard for their own work. 

Sociodrama for Actors and Directors

Though non-actors can benefit greatly from sociodrama, it can be a very powerful tool to help directors help actors. Scenes which are referred to, but not seen in plays can be brought to life through sociodrama, so that the actors actually have a memory of what they're describing in the play. The emotions of characters can be explored in ways that are helpful to everyone involved.

Dialect and Actor Coaching

Rich has done dialect coaching on several audio drama and film projects such as Escape from the Eagles' Nest, Washington's Armor, Unsung Hero. He's coached actors on The Farmer and the BellePolycarp, "One Day," "Living Word," "There," and "Reflection." In many cases he worked with some folks who had never acted before. This freed the directors to focus on the many other challenging elements of filmmaking.

More

For a more complete list of Rich's workshops visit...