A blessed Christmas to you! 

Here's a brickfilm in which I played the priest and -- for a brief moment -- Harvey Silverstein from my one-man play,  Views of the Manger, and my buddy Mac Nelson's monologue named after the character. Hope your whole family enjoys "Emmanuel": 

And here's a link to an audio book in which I play Marcus Weber and Rev. Rutledge:  My Father's World. It was produced by one of my students at the Lamplighter Guild for Creative Disciplines, Lael Lawless Goodrich, and she cast many of her classmates.

I'm cast in Book Two, so we're praying it does well enough for us to move forward. 

Hope you enjoy all twelve days of Christmas!

McKenzie (left) and Rachel on the set of "Milk and Oranges."

McKenzie Harris and  Rachel Marley were my students together at the  Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp (RMCFC) in 2016, where we produced the short film " Milk and Oranges."

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.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fyBmyO8_zDk

We're about to announce that registration is open for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp. Sign up for the announcement.

When I was performing in the George Fox College Players, each member of our drama troupe, was given a copy of the book Tales of the Kingdom by David and Karen Mains. It was incredibly meaningful to us at the time, especially since David and Karen spoke in our chapel at what is now George Fox University. The Mains' trilogy has been compared to The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.

So I was just thrilled to get to perform the intro, outro and several radio spots for a Lamplighter Ministries' relaunch of the audio books Tales of the Kingdom  and Tales of the Resistance, both narrated by David Mains. Click here, and select "Listen to Previews Here" to hear my intros to both books.



Registration is now open for the 2018 Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

I was so blessed by Dr. David Andersen's talk at the Mastermedia Christmas party this year. He started by pointing out that the phrase "getting saved" is no longer in fashion. He thinks people don't like to think of themselves as needing to be saved, but he told how he wandered past some bullies and was beaten up when he was in grade school, and how grateful he was when some men in a restaurant across the street saw it happening and rescued him. He exclaimed, "It's GREAT to be saved!"

Then he pointed out that Jesus Christ came into the world to be our Savior, and Dr. Andersen asked us what He came to save us from? Dr. Andersen pointed out that Jesus must have come to save us all from a universal condition, so He didn't come to save us from poverty, because many in the world are wealthy. He didn't come to save us from purposelessness, because many have direction in life.

Then Dr. Andersen pointed out that Romans 3:23 shows us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and Romans 6:23 shows us the sentence: "For the wages of sin is death..." In at least ten passages of Scripture we see it's not just a one-time death, but eternal punishment.

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." As the angel said at his birth ( Luke 2:10) that is Good News!

We've been so blessed to share this Good News through many projects in many places this year. Here are some highlights:

• On Epiphany (January 6) in NYC Rich performed  Views of the Manger and we reported on our trip to Cuba.
• Rich did voices for four audio dramas: The Giant Killer, Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance (all available now) and Escape from the Eagle's Nest(available for pre-order).
• We released one of my one-man plays online for the first time: www.RichDrama.com/BtC.
• Rich did numerous interviews about that.
• Rich performed in several films: " Living Word," The Farmer and the Belle, " All God's Children," and next week " RoboDad."
• Several films in which at least one of us performed were released: " Living Word," " A Matter of Perspective," " One Day," Courageous Love, and two episodes of The King's Messengers.
• Rich won Best Actor in a Short Film at the International Christian Film Festival for his performance in " A Matter of Perspective."
• We made our first short film: " Colonel Papa Cubano."
• Joyce made her film directorial debut (" Milk and Oranges") which Rich wrote.
• Joyce wrote a screenplay, to be announced soon!
• Joyce launched social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

Though we taught and/or performed in 13 states and more than circled the globe (at least 28,000 miles of travel) this is the first year in our soon to be 20-year-marriage that I (Rich) haven't been able to perform or teach outside of the country. We've felt like that has been an important part of our ministry because of the Great Commission. So we decided to reach the world by giving a free screener of  Beyond the Chariots to the first person of each nation -- outside of the US -- who posts the nation where they live at www.RichDrama.com/EveryNation. And... go!

Have a blessed Christmas, EVERYONE!

Here's Joyce's Christmas message from the start of Advent on December 3:

https://archive.org/embed/JoyceMt25120317

Enjoy this Christmas story from another angle, produced by Owen Hisle, who was a film student at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp after he produced this. "Fulfillment" also stars Zack Lawrence, who directed me in the film In His Steps, and was a founding faculty member of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

Click the image below, or if you received this in an email, go to www.RichDrama.com/Christmas2017.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aEyEZk6PIKg


See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.

Sign up for the announcement that registration is open for the 2018 Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

With John Fornof, director of Under Drake's Flag, in the same studio when we recorded The Dragon and the Raven.

While on a tour of the Pacific Northwest (Instagram and Facebook: #NWTour15) I recorded myself reviewing Under Drake's Flag, an audio movie which preceded The Dragon and the Raven in which I got to play four roles and numerous Danish and Saxon warriors. 

https://archive.org/embed/UnderDrakesFlag

I was going to record myself reciting the prayer of Sir Francis Drake, but producer Bill Heid's grandson doing is just too charming:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HbQ7h4ovEnc?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/oiBkYbqIlCQ?rel=0

Here's Heirloom Audio's vision for using the G.A. Henty Books:



Hear my review of another Heirloom Audio: www.RichDrama.com/InFreedomsCause.

In The Dragon and the Raven  I got to perform with Stuart Pendred, who plays William Wallace in In Freedom's Cause.

While on a tour of the Pacific Northwest (Instagram and Facebook: #NWTour15) I recorded myself reviewing In Freedom's Cause, the audio movie which preceded The Dragon and the Raven in which I got to play four roles and numerous Danish and Saxon warriors. 

https://archive.org/embed/InFreedomsCause_201510

In Freedom's Cause was just nominated for six Voice Arts Awards. 

Hear my review of another Heirloom Audio: www.RichDrama.com/UnderDrakesFlag.

Here are some things I've found inspirational over the years:

I included my own sermons here since I certainly got inspired while preparing them!

Hope you get inspired, too!