Children of Eden tells the story of the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis: the creation, the temptation and fall from grace, the expulsion from the garden of Eden, the family in the wilderness, Cain and Abel and the flood.
The UUCGL congregation took on this community-building project in the Spring of 2009 knowing that it would be a big stretch, and it was. A real Broadway show here in Swampscott! Some of our cast members were experienced in acting or in singing, some in both. Others were tyros, and the anxiety level rose as the performances came closer.
But something else happened, on the way to Opening Night. Less than a week before our performance, in the midst of significant uncertainty and doubt, we received an email from England. It was from Matt Sendorek, who was playing the role of Father in the same production, being performed in his church inStaines, England.
Francie read this message to the Cast, as we were gathering for one of our last big "crunch-time" rehearsals. The message was timely and inspirational. It acknowledged that more than a small amount of performance anxiety was being shared on each side of the Atlantic. "Good Luck" was Matt's wish. "I'm sure you are being kept afloat by an infallibly enthusiastic music director, as are we. Every member of our cast wishes you the very best." Since our performance was about one week prior to that of our new English friends, he asked that we keep in touch.
And so began a "Father to Father" correspondence. Clem Schoenebeck, our own "father", emailed Matt after our show was over. Clem's exuberance and pride in his own "children" was channeled by some cosmic sparks to Matt and our English counterparts.
Eve sings in The Spark of Creation, of the wonder of that word "beyond." When the curtain was drawn on our Story Tellers and musicians, when Adam and Eve, Noah, Abel, Cain, Yonah, and Father took their final bows, we'd all exceeded our expectations. Perhaps some of us reconsidered our own limitations. Should that boundary line be moved out, just a bit? The good energy wasn't confined to the walls of our church, either. It went overseas, where it was needed, and graciously returned.
A week later, Clem received word from Matt that they felt the same sense of accomplishment and grateful amazement upon the completion of their performance. Several emails flew back and forth, sharing feelings, insights about the play, and gratitude about what we'd all learned.
The video recording above is of a scene from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn production of Children of Eden. In this recording Joanna Rosen sings the song “Stranger in the Rain.”
Share
Facebook