Faith and Stage-Life: A Passion for Community Theater
by Glynnis Ritchie
Glynnis is a student at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, AL where she majors in Creative Writing. Glynnis runs her own web site and is the Jr. Technical Director for EcuMiniNet™ Online!

've been involved in the arts ever since I was little. My parents have encouraged my sister and I to grow through culture and community, and as a family, we have always been extremely close. We try to plan activities together such as spending time at the beach, touring foreign countries, or something as close to home as remodeling the house. When I was younger, we switched churches, and my parents immediately found a way to get involved.

One of the first things I remember about my church is sitting next to my sister singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," accompanied by a stiff, out-of-tune piano. I was small enough not to be embarrassed by the enormous, 6+ foot black man who listened to our audition. That was Mark, who runs the theater community at our church.

The first play my sister and I acted in was "The King and I," in which we both played Siamese children. There were nearly three rehearsals a week, and it was exhausting work, but we made it to dress rehearsals and then to opening night. I specifically remember the pains of drawing my hair into a bun on the very top of my head. My mom has told countless stories of the black, washout hair dye we tried to use; how even after countless bottles, the dark color never clung to my red hair. I remember coming home from performances and taking long showers to try and scrub black spray paint from my hair (it's what we resulted to, after the wash-out hair dye didn't work). I remember feeling exhausted the next day, but telling my first grade class how much fun it was to be on stage.

My family and I have been in many shows together, in which we've read each other lines and shared our tricks at memorizing them. My mom has accompanied us on the piano as we've sung through solos or mastered difficult harmony. We've heard Mark's "if you're a minute late, you're a minute late for everybody" speech dozens of times, and thanks to the boredom that comes with being backstage, I know more card games than my grandma. All in all, I've done over ten shows at my church. I went from eight ensemble roles to a small speaking part, and finally to the star of the show in "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Not only do incredible talents appear on stage, but incredible people show up as well. Countless talented people have appeared in shows, and it's so great to meet them that way. Performing together as a team is a true gift. Sometimes God really is the only one who can bring a show together, especially in those last few weeks when the costumes haven't arrived and some of the actors don't know all their lines. A bond between everyone involved develops, and by the time the curtain opens on opening night, everyone feels the same spark that keeps them coming back for more.

My whole family has grown up on stage, and I think what none of us realized was that the stage would grow on us.

<<Back to Archive

View for Printing

Contributors
Staff
Advertising
Internships

Send this Page to a Friend

Add Me to Mailing List