CHRISTMAS MUSICAL

   

by Alice Valdal

This Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 is the annual Christmas musical presented by the Living Flame Choir - intergenerational version -- at 7:00 pm. This year, the theme of the play is finding the Christmas Spirit in a world obsessed with shopping and eating and entertainment.  
    When I wrote the play, last April, Black Friday sales were the farthest thing from my mind, yet news reports of stabbings and fist-fights and even a shooting over bargain priced goods, make the play more timely than I imagined.

    Next Saturday marks the eighth year we've signaled the Christmas season at SPPC with a musical play.  Little did I think, eight years ago, when we staged "Once Upon a Christmas" that I'd be in this position today.  

   

 Prior to doing a Christmas play, the Living Flame Choir (children's edition) had put on a short musical in the spring.

 We did "Don't Rock the Ark", "Heroes of the Faith", and "Bones."    The latter was our most ambitious undertaking with images of wheels whirling across the ceiling and a four-headed monster dancing down the aisle.  
   Sadly, our numbers fell off and there were not enough singers to put on another play.  

  The few children that remained were very disappointed.   "But it's our turn!" wailed one, with a very long face. And so the Christmas Play, with an intergenerational cast was born.  A one off, thought I.
   

Our shows have included a Russian cobbler and his shrewish wife, a legendary set of chimes, travellers lost in Israel on Christmas Eve, an impatient congregation so determined to put on a "perfect" Christmas Eve service that they forget who the service is for.

 

We've followed a camel on a long journey from the East and we've dealt with a grumpy old man who refused to put up his Christmas lights.

    
   

This year we have a sulky teenager and a cranky angel.  
Should be fun. 
 Join us.  Admission is free and we give you cookies and coffee afterward.

CITY LIGHTS - A Christmas Musical

   Hope most of you had a chance to enjoy "City Lights" live on stage at SPPC on Saturday night.  If you couldn't be there, here's a recap.

The residents of Dominion Crescent have entered the T-C Christmas lights contest for the best neighbourhood category.  They've decorated their street to the nth degree but one house remains dark.  Mr. Groves, a newcomer to the crescent obstinately refuses all requests for putting lights on his house, even if the others do it for him and someone else pays the hydro.
    You see, Mr. Groves has lost his son, a soldier.  They had harsh words before the boy joined up.  Consumed with regret and sorrow, Mr. Groves vows never to celebrate Christmas again.  Until a child visits him and talks about Jesus.  

    The miracle of Christmas touches the old man.  Lights begin sparkle on his house and in his heart. 
   I've posted some pictures.  Hope you enjoy them. 

As well as providing an evening of entertainment, the play raised $500.00 in donations to the Sidney/Lions Food Bank.

Thanks to all who helped, especially those who put on a lovely reception for after the play.

School's Back

   The kids in your life may groan about a return to the classroom, but you'll hear a big hurrah from the Bible Study group when our sessions resume on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 9:30 am in the Ross Lounge.  By request, the Wednesday morning group will begin with a three week study on the book of Jonah.  You may remember the musical production, Jonah Man Jazz  presented by the choirs a few years ago.  While that interpretation was fun, the Bible Study will take us beyond the story of a man swallowed by a whale and into the deeper lesson of the scripture.

    This would be a great study for someone wanting to test the waters but not sure they want to take on a longer project.  The coffee is ready when we gather at 9:30 am.  The room is generally buzzing with chat, there are Bibles available as well as large print handouts of the study scripture.  Usually there are goodies.  No pre-registration required and you don't need a back-pack.  Just pull up a chair and join in.

     The Wednesday evening study begins in October and will by trying something different this term,  a video study on Ray Vander Laan's "Faith Lessons Series."  The videos take the viewer on an archaeological exploration of the Holy Land and the lectures discuss the significance of these places to modern day Christianity.  More details available in a few weeks.

       Another program that gets underway this month is the Christmas musical, City Lights, written by your blog mistress.  Rehearsals begin on Sept. 16, 11:30 in the Sanctuary.  Can you sing? dance? act? paint scenery? operate a spotlight? sew? . . . many skills are needed to present this annual treat for the congregation.  Contact the church office for details if you're interested in being involved.

Behind the Scenes

   Those of you who come to the Christmas Play on Dec. 10, 2011 at 7:00 pm (notice how I slipped that little promo in there?) will see the finished performance on stage.  What you won't see are all the behind the scenes preparations that have taken place over the past six months. 

Things like writing the play.

Sewing the costumes.

Making
 sets and props.

Organizing the lights.


Turning the sanctuary into Bethlehem.

Creating a poster and program cover.   By the way, that's Bill Richer, winner of the Presbyterian Record cover art contest.  Now the rest of the church knows what we've known all along.  Bill is an artist par excellence.

Not to mention practice every Sunday since the middle of September.
The Christmas Musical is an offering of love and dedication from the cast and crew.   Come and enjoy.

The latest from Nepal:

Today was an auspicious day! ! We finally saw the mountains and they are fantastic. I know it is hard to believe you can be in Nepal for 5 weeks and not see the mountains, but the weather has been against us. When we first arrived it was very foggy. So much so that many people who had come to trek Everest could not fly to the trail head. We met many disappointed people and I am not sure if they ever got to the mountains as we left for Bhratpur. While at the hospital once again the weather was misty and we got the odd mountain glimpse. But today made up for it all. We got up at 5am and drove to Sarangot and sat and watched the sun rise over the Annapurna Range. We were awed, the view changed constantly as the sun rose. Pictures can not capture the magnificence of it all so you will all have to make a trip to Nepal.


Yesterday was also a great day. We did our own little trek. Today our muscles feel like it was a major trek! We first went to Devi falls which is this place where a river goes under ground and there is a resulting gorge, then we were taken to a cave, where the river runs into. It was wet and dark and so interesting. I had to touch the rocks to make sure they were real as we are so used to seeing the Disney version of such works of mother nature. Then it was off to a Tibetan refugee camp and yes we are all the proud owners of some carpets. You actually see them weaving, carding the wool and dying it as well.
Then the trek. We wanted to see the Peace Pagoda which is up this small (by Nepal standards) hill. The road was washed out so our taxi driver left us off to walk the rest of the way. Well a group of children on a field trip passed us and got to the top about a half hour before us. Then we decided we would hike down the mountain, on this path, it went through the jungle and it took us an hour to get down. On the way we met some Nepali women cutting feed for their animals , they were at least 10 years older than us, in bare feet, carrying over 50lbs of feed on their backs and they didn't even break a sweat. Humbling to say the least. When we got to the bottom of the hill in one piece, we rented a boat to take us across the lake to Pohkara. For some of us this will be a once in a life time hike, I am game to try it again!

Pohkara is a wonderful place, the restaurants are amazing, they all have happy hours which we take advantage of and the food is a nice change from rice and lentils, our diet for the last 3 weeks. Much shopping and the prices are so reasonable. Tonight we are going to the Everest Steak house and we are going to have beef. To date any red meat we have eaten has been water buffalo. There is also hot water in our hotel and we have been enjoying very long showers in the morning and sometimes at night too.


Back to Kathmandu tomorrow. We have hired a car so it will be a 5 hour trip.  Home a week tomorrow.

We Have a New Organ

by Michael Denton

The Wurlitzer 3 manual ‘church’ organ is a magnificent instrument.  All sounding stops have been digitally reproduced and very closely resemble a pipe organ.

Each manual, Swell, Great and Choir (from top to bottom) has 12 speaking stops, and the Pedal section also has 12 stops.  In addition to the 48 ‘speaking stops’ the organ has Chimes on the Swell manual.

The organ sounds are described as “Principal” (Diapasons), “Flutes,” “Strings,” and “Reeds.”  The Chimes form the Percussion sounds (equivalent to ‘ranks of pipes’ on a pipe organ.)

Each manual can be coupled to one of the other two by way of “Couplers.”  These “Couplers” are operated either by thumb tabs below the manuals, or by toe pistons above the pedal board.  The organ also has 6 sets of ‘pre-sets’ for each manual, and 6 ‘general pre-sets’ which will operate the entire organ.  There are six sets of memory bank for the ‘general pre-sets’ allowing different organists to select and retain their own preferred registration (the use of different stops in combination.)

And last but by no means least, the organ is equipped with three expression pedals – one for each manual – which can be operated individually or in a combined fashion.  There’s also one “Crescendo” pedal which will “pull out the stops” as it’s pressed down and a “Tutti” button and toe-piston which will immediately bring on the “Full Organ.)

The organ is capable of providing excellent ‘colour tones’ with very quiet stops being used for those quiet reflective moments, building up to a much fuller and richer (and louder) sound overall.  All this technology is supported by 8 speakers; 6 general ‘rank’ speakers and two sub-woofers.  It has a lot of power!

As a matter of interest, the organ at its current volume level is probably no more than 20% of its maximum capacity.  If I were to “open up” the speakers to full volume, we just might interfere with landing aircraft!  Certainly we’d have to replace the roof of the church as we would literally “raise the roof.”   

As your Director of Music and organist, I am still experimenting with various combinations of sound.  I trust you will bear with me during the ‘learning curve’ of operating this magnificent instrument. 

I’m extremely grateful to Session for their foresight in purchasing this instrument.  It will hopefully last us many years and provide an enhanced sound to our worship services.  I wish to particularly thank Rev. Irwin Cunningham, Mrs. Jean Strong and Mr. Mark Johansson for their part in coming to scout out the instrument.  I would also like to thank all those generous people who have contributed to the Organ Fund over the past years which has made this acquisition possible.

If I’m playing it too loudly (even at its 20% capacity) I’m sure I’ll hear about it.  But when commenting, please also reflect on those quieter moments when the organ is played very quietly and gently!

In his dedication of the new organ, Rev. Irwin also thanked the Milne family, who gave the gift of music to SPPC  with their donation of our first organ.  It has served the congregation faithfully for twenty years.  We hope to pass on that gift to another congregation.

More on the Christmas Play

by Phillip Van de Ruyt


     When my family moved to Sidney, in the Christmas of 1992 (just before my second birthday), we needed to find a church close to home. We were welcomed warmly by SPPC, and have been attending ever since. Shortly after, my brother Marcus and I were asked to be involved in the Christmas pageant. Now, Marcus being the older one, was meant to play a wise man and myself a sheep. Some confusion ensued however when our names were mixed up. When I got wind however, of ‘Phillip the wise man’, I would settle for nothing less. And so the show went on, with Marcus on his hands and knees with sheep skin tied to his back, and a dwarf of a wise man. I remember little of the performance (besides sucking on my belt), but I’m told that I didn’t miss a line. Now I would be exaggerating to say that I was destined to perform from this time on, but it certainly did key my parents into an unforeseen avenue for their shy son. There were many more Christmas pageants to follow, in which I began to work my way up from sheep, to Roman soldier, and eventually back to wise man.
     In elementary school I was involved in plays and skits, but to no further extent than any other kid, until grade four. At this point the school was putting on a Christmas production, which included a short skit from each class. When it came time for my class to be cast, I was overjoyed to find that all I had to do was say the word, and I got the lead. Our scene was set on an airplane, with all of the passengers heading home for Christmas; I played the pilot. Equipped with a borrowed hat from my neighbor, a headset from the school, and holding an old steering wheel from my Dad’s first car, I committed to the role 100%. I was quite upset when my teacher taped my lines to the steering wheel, as I had worked hard to memorize them. Nonetheless, she insisted, but I didn’t so much as peak at them during the performance. After the show my parents asked me, "Do you really like acting Phillip?" To which I replied, "No, I hate it!" (I was a very stubborn child).
     My performances hit a lull in middle school, as I suppose I was just ‘too cool for that’. In grade eight however, we all went to see the high school’s musical production of Bye Bye Birdie. I was astounded, as this was the first time that I really enjoyed live theatre. It was high energy and seemed so ‘professional’ to me. When I found out that all I had to do was sign up and I could be in the next year’s show, there was no question about it. My first production with Parkland was Oklahoma!, for which I was a chorus member. One of the older students that I got to know in that production, encouraged me to do a summer musical theatre camp, with Victoria Youth Musical Theatre Society (VYMTS). I signed up, auditioned, and landed the role of Mr. Macafee in Bye Bye Birdie, the very show that had sparked my interest. From that point, I went on to play leading roles in Parkland’s productions of The Music Man, Grease, and The Boyfriend. As well I did a second show with VYMTS, that being 42nd Street. I too became very involved with the acting class at Parkland, and in my grade twelve year I was the assistant instructor.
     After graduating I took a year off school to work full time, and became involved in a community show. I was cast as a lead in the annual Kaleidoscope Theatre / Lawyers on Stage production of The Rocky Horror Show. Not willing to let performing out of my life, I submitted my application to the University of Victoria theatre department. I was accepted and now have a full course load, with a minor in professional writing. In my first couple weeks at UVIC I was cast in a student show, which tied up my evenings. I  keep myself very busy as I have continued to work part-time, and have also been ushering at the UVIC Phoenix theatre.
     This year’s production of Once Upon a Christmas is my fourth such production with SPPC and Alice Valdal. I am pleased at the chance to be exercising another area of the craft, in stage directing this show. I could ask for no better Christmas present, than an opportunity to perform.

Phillip
 Ed. Note:  Once Upon a Christmas, Sat. Dec. 11, 7:00 pm.  SPPC.  Free admission.  Free refreshments.  Bring your friends.





Cast of Once Upon a Christmas in rehearsal



Christmas Musical, 2010

When I was asked by my friend and fellow UVIC theatre student, Phillip Van de Ruyt, if I would fill a role in a Christmas musical he was directing at SPPC, not only was I honored to be asked, but I was immensely excited for the opportunity. I have always been passionate about music and theatre, so this has naturally been a wonderful experience for me. Thank you to everyone involved for making me feel so welcome!"

Editor's Note: The Christmas musical this year is "Once Upon a Christmas" with music by Owen Hatch and words by Marion Rettke. The play is based on an old Russian tale of Martin the Cobbler, as told by Leo Tolstoy. On Christmas eve, in Tsarist Russia, Martin is expecting a visit from Christ.

To meet Martin and his visitors, plan to attend, Dec. 11, 2010, 7:00pm. Free Admission. Good will offering to support Mission and Outreach projects. Refreshments to follow.