Easter Vigil Grace Cathedral Liturgical Theater Project

INTRODUCTION Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hooves i' th' receiving earth; For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings. --Henry V, William Shakespeare I was a lay employee of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco and was approached by my manager to draw up a proposal for creating "dramatic treatments" for the readings at the upcoming Easter Vigil. In consultation with Canon Precentor, my manager and I chose four readings that would be most appropriate: The Story of Creation; Israel's Deliverance at the Red Sea; A New Heart and a New Spirit; and The Valley of Dry Bones. It was then to me to envision what I could bring to the readings and to the most significant service in the church calendar. I studied theater as an undergraduate at New York University and had been working as a stage actor for over a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area. I had the great fortune to work with directors who told stories with stage pictures, illustrative movement and deliberate use of the human body. In imagining the readings, I saw particular performer I hoped to bring into the process with me. I also wanted an element of organic beauty to be a part of the scenic design. To this end, I envision "puppets" made of silk that could be "animated" by a performer to be one thing (an inchworm walking along the altar rail) and be transformed into another (a soaring green bird) in an instant. So, I began to imagine sections of silk, dyed in elementally specific colors to represent Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. Another important consideration was to keep the costumes and stage props to an absolute minimum and to recycle images and properties wherever possible. This helped reinforce the iconic nature of the things used in the performance (the greater and lesser lights sign, the individual silk scarves, the waters) and as the performers took on different roles with each reading, so too the props were recast with each appearance. Everything and everyone would be alive with possibility.  Next page | The Script 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13