Rehearsals, something like a Richard Simons work out video?!

Well we weren't Sweaten' to the Oldies, but we could have given Denise Austin a run for her money!

I am cracking up this morning as I write this because thinking back at all the different ways we "bonded" as a team that first year, oh my goodness. I don't know that I can paint it now in words, but I will give it a try.

As the director I had to gauge my team and the skill levels, assess where we were at and where we needed to be while at the same time teach the blocking, help with character development and grow ALL of our abilities. I had in my brain the wonderful warm up techniques of working with previous directors, a packet Kari gave me that someone had given to her, pretty much stage basics 101, and my own ideas/eagerness/craziness. However when it came right down to it, that first Saturday morning at Northwest Hills walking in the door greeting all the expectant faces, including the smiling Kari, I had a huge realization...I AM THE DIRECTOR! (Hard swallow.) No, Lord, You be the director. That really was my response, not trying to be spiritual, I had to pass the busk to someone, He was all that was left.

Yes, Kristen, now you are getting.

We started those first few weeks with prayer of course, then worship, then lot's of breathing exercises and then worked into moving around the room for a while and then several games that were very helpful for new actors. I was stalling. It's true, we were having all day practices, I am not kidding about that either and I don't think I blocked more than two scenes that first day. Over an hour of warm ups. I was scared to death. But I didn't want to be. I had it stuck in my mind that we REALLY needed to be warmed up. Kari had this awesome worship music that had great rhythm to it and she loved to dance so after breathing and stretches I asked her if she would help us MOVE more. Twenty or so of us kicking and jumping and turning and swaying and doing our best to keep up with Kari, picture something like a very ill coordinated line dance.(Except our few gifted dancers of course.) To anyone looking in on us I am sure they would have thought they stumbled across a combo aerobics/beginning theater class. Sometimes we had one of our guys lead us in military drills, not kidding about that either. Sometimes we just shouted a bunch; I was really trying to stress the importance of projecting.

All in all, we were bonding. In the Lord, as friends, learning about one another, building trust and sensitivity, it was beautiful. And the bonus was the play was coming along. Woo hoo! And I learned so much from each person on that team. I am crying now because I can see each face and I am so grateful and in awe of how they placed their trust, in the Lord of course, but then in Kari and me. We did not have it all together, there was no good reason why either of us should be the leaders over any of them, but that God had made it so and so, we all gave what we had to give and prayed for God to come through with what we didn’t. And He did. God CAME through for us, HUGE milestone lesson in my life.

Kristen you don’t come through for me, I come through for you. Thank you Lord.

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