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“There's No Better Inspiration Than The Bible” The Pirates of Patmos--The ninetyandnine.com Interview Interviewed
by Josh Lewis On June 20 and 21, 2008, ALC Players presented their summer production, Pirates of Patmos, in the main auditorium of Abundant Life Church in Plano, Texas. Pirates of Patmos is an original swashbuckling pirate story that follows a young privileged woman, Emily, as she embarks on what should have been an uneventful journey to visit her ailing father. All too soon, her transport vessel is attacked, and she ends up imprisoned on a ship captained by one of the most dreaded pirates in the region, Blaire Avery.
While on the
ship, Emily meets a political prisoner, Paulie, who is a voice
of reason and hope. After being caught in the midst of a
terrible storm, the ship runs aground on a sandbar forcing all
to abandon it and swim to a nearby island. With the help
of Paulie, they soon learn that there is redemption, healing,
and hope for all. Laura Powers,
who co-wrote the play with her husband, Gary, agreed to answer
a few questions for 90&9 on the play and its impact on the
community. This interview took place in late June, 2008. ---------- 90&9: How long have the ALC Players been in existence? LP:
The ALC Players have been in existence since April 2007.
We're a relatively new group, but our fan base is growing rapidly,
and we are very excited about the future. 90&9: This was not the first event for ALC Players. What other productions have you done? LP:
Most recently, we presented Saturday Night Life, a
unique variety show featuring musical and comedy stage performances.
In fact, it was so popular that we plan to run it annually
with new sketches, guest hosts, and musical groups. We're
already gearing up for the next one on October 3rd
and 4th. Prior to Saturday Night Life,
we presented an original murder mystery show, And Then There
Was One, and a children's Christmas drama, Miracle on Main
Street. 90&9: The set was elaborate, transforming the church platform into a convincing pirate ship, complete with crow's mast and the Jolly Roger. Who was the mastermind behind it? What went into the construction of the set?
LP:
Your choice of words is perfect because our set designer truly
is a mastermind. Jim Huff is the creative genius who transforms
the stage for all of our drama productions. Jim consults
with the director and producers to understand our needs and unique
requirements. He then produces detailed diagrams for review.
Once approved, he builds all of the components in his workshop.
When the time comes for set-up, he delivers the pieces to ALC
and constructs the set. In this case, we had three stages--ship,
interior hold, and island. The ship was set up in May to
coincide with our pastor's Summer blockbuster sermon series.
The other two sets were added just prior to the production. 90&9: As a member of the audience (and former Bible quizzer), I figured out about 30 minutes in that the storyline resembled Acts chapters 27 and 28. How did you come up with the idea of throwing pirates into a story with the Apostle Paul? LP: We
thought it would be fun and challenging to do a pirate play, but
at the same time, we wanted a Christian twist to the story.
As a former Bible quizzer myself, I remembered the story of Paul
being shipwrecked on Malta. Since there's no better inspiration
than the Bible, I read through the story again and found it had
all of the elements we needed for the drama. All I had to
do was add in the pirates and privateers--Voila! We had a great
story with a compelling message of redemption. 90&9: It lasted about 90 minutes, not including the intermission. I didn't notice anyone forgetting their lines or running into one another, so everyone must have been pretty comfortable with their parts. How much rehearsal time went into the play? LP:
We had about three months to prepare for the performances.
We held auditions in early April, and rehearsals started on April
14. You always feel like you need more time to rehearse,
but everything seems to come together in the end. It helps
that we have a talented group of performers who are easy to work
with and take their performances seriously. 90&9: The play had something for everyone--swordfights, humor, romance, and intrigue--but it ended with themes of forgiveness and redemption. Do you feel that approach was effective for a church-sponsored event? What kind of response did you receive from the play? LP:
Yes, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
I think it's tough to find quality stage productions that are
entertaining, uplifting, and appropriate for the entire family.
That's what we attempt to provide with each production we deliver.
90&9: I hear that Pirates of Patmos may have already had eternal implications. Is this true? LP:
Yes, D.J. Loveland is Jim Huff's (set designer) daughter-in-law.
She was involved in the set construction for Pirates of Patmos,
and, after the drama on Saturday, she asked to be baptized the
next morning. It was awesome! To view more
pictures from the play, go here.
© 2008, Josh
Lewis ------- Josh Lewis is a member of Abundant Life Church in Plano, Texas. He would someday like to write a historical novel entitled Paul and the Pirates. |
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