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.  

Crystal Van Artsdalen, Rebekah Stought, Rachel Marley and Morgan Fairbanks have been my students at MasterWorks  and The Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

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.

Nathan "Nato" Jacobson and I have been a part of four films together.

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.

John Fornof and I in London where he directed me in The Dragon and the Raven.

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:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWWRWIsf9X0?rel=0

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

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.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4UpCGvpWP14?rel=0

Below you can hear me at :25.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/rlgINgs3DWo?rel=0

Our church, ( http://WestchesterChapel.org) be celebrating Holy Week at The Crowne Plaza in White Plains, NY:

Maundy Thursday, April 21, 7pm

Good Friday, April 22, 7pm

Easter, April 24, 11am

Live in the full memorial and celebration of what Christ did for us this Holy Season.

The Good Friday service will feature a concert version of Judah Ben Hur, the musical in which Rich Swingle performed in Singapore in 2001/2002.

JUDAH BEN-HUR is a magical tale of romance, comedy and adventure.  Relive the legend of Rome's great charioteer, the hate that nearly destroyed him and the love that transformed him.

Under the helm of Andrew Lloyd Weber's former G.M., Judah Ben-Hur held its world premier at Singapore's NUS Cultural Centre, where it ran for 56 performances. Its creators, David & Ellen Sanborn, and four other seasoned actor/singers are touring with a 70-minute theatrical concert version of the musical in similar fashion to the anniversary concert of Les Miserables.

David M. Sanborn has performed for hundreds of thousands of people in roles like "Tony" in West Side Story. His one-man show, King David, recently ran 12 straight weeks off-Broadway. Ellen Sanborn has shared the marquee with such legends as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, as well as contemporary singers like Paul Baloche and Darlene Zschech.
 
Ellen & David have also been successful co-writing such musicals as Little Lord Fauntleroy, King David and Anne of Avonlea. The New York Times has called their work "spot-on" and "a seeming endless well of feeling." MTV (Asia) said the songs they've written for Judah Ben-Hur "are so catchy and memorable that you'll be humming them on the way out of the auditorium."

"JUDAH BEN-HUR boasts a memorable soundtrack full of catchy tunes! Ellen Sanborn has a clear, confident voice that brims with emotion…honed from a career that began on London's West End some 30 years ago." – GET ASIA Magazine

"A razzle-dazzler like MISS SAIGON ... and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Charlton Heston may have...charisma, but David M. Sanborn definitely makes a more delectable Judah Ben-Hur, and a more multi-talented one at that." - The New Paper

The Crowne Plaza is located at 66 Hale Avenue in White Plains. Click here for directions.