Auditions for "Beyond Bethlehem"

Auditions for "Beyond Bethlehem" were yesterday at 1 PM. Nine families showed up and nineteen children and teens over 10 years old auditioned. They all did very well, and selections for the cast have been hard to make!

Boys are especially hard to find, as only 5 came to auditions. I'm in the process of contacting others that could possibly fill roles if we did special rehearsals, and I'm praying for God to provide.

I look forward to working with these families as we rehearse each week to bring another story to life. Please pray that God guides the whole production process, and that we bring glory to Him in all that we do!

Fun Ballet Attire

Last week was "Fun Ballet Attire Day," a time when students have the option to wear something to class other than the required black and pink.

Ballet II - my oldest class, minus one girl who was on vacation. They are a joy to teach, and I've enjoyed challenging them!

Basic Ballet/B - Younger classes can be harder to keep focused, but their energy and enthusiasm is fun to work with!

Of Barres and Mirrors

Ballet classes have been underway now for 5 weeks, although they seem to have gone by so quickly! God has blessed me with 36 students between the ages of 4 and 14. I teach 2 classes on Tuesday afternoons (with an exercise/dance class for ladies that evening) and 4 classes on Thursday afternoons. Preparing and teaching keeps me busy, but I enjoy it.

This year I am blessed to be able to use the new fellowship hall at Fountain of Grace, and they graciously allowed me to install mirrors on one of the walls. My dad got the best quote and oversaw the installation, also loaning me money to pay for them. Thankfully, I paid them off this month.

The mirrors are so nice for the students to be able to see exactly what they're doing and what it's supposed to look like! It also helps me to keep my eyes on all of them at once, and allows me to demonstrate things while letting them all see clearly.

My dad also designed and built barres for me out of PVC pipe with some metal rods inside to keep them sturdy. Finally, version 1.7 passed my stability test, and the girls have enjoyed using them. They're so much better than the chairs we used to use!

Praise God for His provision and grace to teach and plan day-by-day!

Slideshow of Musical Rehearsal Pictures

This is the slideshow that played after the musical presentation. Many thanks to Christina Baggett for taking all of the wonderful cast and rehearsal pictures!

Story of The Amazing Jerusalem Makeover in Pictures

An album of pictures from the dress rehearsals of "The Amazing Jerusalem Makeover" has been created. You can view them by going here. The pictures are in chronological order and give some of the story line through the captions.

"The Amazing Jerusalem Makeover" was a wonderful musical to produce. It was full of fun, excitement, and excellent themes that glorified God. Everyone who was a part of it - actors from the age of 5 to 58 - really enjoyed working on it! It was fun to see how everything turned out, from the inspiration God gave me to trying to bring those images in my mind out in the actors on stage.

I didn't follow the production notes exactly as they were suggested. I used Biblical costuming and settings instead of the modern ones suggested, and I slightly altered and added a few lines. If you are interested in doing it and would like to hear specific ideas I had, feel free to contact me.

If you are looking for a fun musical for all ages, this one with the powerful story of Nehemiah is a great one to try! Your cast will have a great time, and the audience will really enjoy it. We had some people who even came all three nights because they liked it so much!

You can get more info about the musical here at Brentwood Benson. I was able to find and order the books and CDs from MusiChristian for a less expensive price, but their shipping took quite a while, so it was a good thing I ordered things early.

Cast pictures from The Amazing Jerusalem Makeover

These pictures have been long in coming, but there has been a lot going on since the musical ended, and I just needed a break from musical things for a while. =)

Enjoy this slideshow that introduces the characters in our production of "The Amazing Jerusalem Makeover." It played at the beginning of each musical presentation, but I modified it slightly for this upload.

Each of the actors and actresses did a great job!

God is so faithful!

Last night was a great opening night for "The Amazing Jerusalem Makeover." Many people came, and they all seemed to enjoy the musical a lot!

It has been an extremely busy production schedule, and last Tuesday, after the first dress rehearsal, I was a bit discouraged. Things just didn't seem to be coming together. I spent that night and the next day continuing to plan, but also praying. "God, it's in Your hands. I've done all I can; I've worked hard for Your glory. The outcome is up to You. Use it as You will."

I've struggled to trust through this production. It's easy for me to get down on myself, and I've realized that I do have some perfectionistic tendencies. Yet, I remembered what God did with the last 4 musicals I've directed, and, through some struggles and moments of woe, I have trusted Him to do it again. And He has been so faithful!

We went through the musical twice at Thursday's dress rehearsal, since it is only around 45 minutes in length going straight through. The cast did well the first time, and things went pretty smoothly, but they weren't really alive in their acting. I gave notes and encouraged, and the 2nd time through was a whole lot better. They really acted, and everything flowed well!

Last night was just as good. Sure, there were a few instances of nervous mess-ups, but they were all very minor. The cast acted really well, putting even more into it now that they had an audience.

I sat and watched and marveled at the faithfulness of God. He's done it again. He's brought together a musical that I could have never done in my own strength. He's given grace, and He even gave me wonderful rest last night after some trouble getting to sleep these last few weeks with all of the details in my head.

I look forward to these next two nights of presentations, excited to see what God will do again. Praise be to His glorious Name!