“O wad some power the giftie gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us.”
To a Louse, Robert Burns
To a Louse, Robert Burns
THOUGHTS ON THE POWER OF DRAMA...
Characters on a stage invite us to see ourselves objectively for a brief moment—a microcosm of our own tensions, inner turmoil, successes and failures in love and life. As these traits flash briefly across the stage, we rejoice when problems are happily resolved and we anguish over the bad outcomes. We relate them to our own lives and we determine to make the better decision.
In our drama, Circuit Rider’s Wife...the Musical, we take snapshots covering a year in the small world of the Redwine Church circuit. We exam the basic tensions between a man and a woman striving to understand what it means to love and build a life of acceptance and tolerance together and in social community. It is a slice of life pulled out to be examined and consumed, revealing a way of living that may be different, yet somehow familiar. The tensions found among the Redwine folks mirror those in other societies, religions and cultures, revealing once again that the human condition is universal. We hope Circuit-Rider’s Wife is not just so southern, but also so northern, so southwestern, so Oriental, so European.
We have come to believe that every human being is simply in a different “stage, age and cage.” We are somewhat disappointed; but mostly relieved. Experiencing the drama of another person's story can entertain, challenge, uplift, inspire and even disturb. We may leave the theater happy or sad, confused or angry, satisfied or unfulfilled. But, in some ways we are changed.
That is why we love the powerful force of drama.
Our careers have mostly been spent in teaching, directing and performing ON a stage. In the three works we have done in the last 15 years, we have discovered the joy of writing FOR the stage. We have begun the creative birthing process again in our mature years, only our children are different..
Jim & Doris Burns
In our drama, Circuit Rider’s Wife...the Musical, we take snapshots covering a year in the small world of the Redwine Church circuit. We exam the basic tensions between a man and a woman striving to understand what it means to love and build a life of acceptance and tolerance together and in social community. It is a slice of life pulled out to be examined and consumed, revealing a way of living that may be different, yet somehow familiar. The tensions found among the Redwine folks mirror those in other societies, religions and cultures, revealing once again that the human condition is universal. We hope Circuit-Rider’s Wife is not just so southern, but also so northern, so southwestern, so Oriental, so European.
We have come to believe that every human being is simply in a different “stage, age and cage.” We are somewhat disappointed; but mostly relieved. Experiencing the drama of another person's story can entertain, challenge, uplift, inspire and even disturb. We may leave the theater happy or sad, confused or angry, satisfied or unfulfilled. But, in some ways we are changed.
That is why we love the powerful force of drama.
Our careers have mostly been spent in teaching, directing and performing ON a stage. In the three works we have done in the last 15 years, we have discovered the joy of writing FOR the stage. We have begun the creative birthing process again in our mature years, only our children are different..
Jim & Doris Burns
“Circuit Riders Wife…..the Musical,” a delightful blend of drama, comedy and music, premiered at the Public Square Opera House in Adairsville, GA, October 2002. By popular demand, we produced the musical each year from 2003 to 2005. In 2007, we offered the show in its finished form to an enthusiastic audience. We still have frequent inquiries about when this entertaining show will be presented again.
Rita & DeWitt Pritchard, 1902 Stock Exchange & Public Square Opera House
Rita & DeWitt Pritchard, 1902 Stock Exchange & Public Square Opera House