PRESS RELEASE, "Nunc Licet"

8/30/11 UPDATE:

• We will begin working on Nunc Licet again soon, with the anticipation that we will do another reading in Pendelton Hall sometime in the fall after The Autumn Leaves Performance Festival in Tamanend Park is over.  If you worked on the reading before and want to do so again, please let me know.  If you have read the script (which is posted on this web site) and would like to be included, please let me know.  We do intend to proceed as best as we can with the goal of a full production.  All the  information posted on this blog still applies, just change the dates. AG

PRESS RELEASE;

Subject: Nunc Licet: a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg

All are invited, participants or observers, to attend the "Official Workshop" to develop and prepare a script-in-hand reading of

"Nunc Licet" at the 2011 World Assembly of the New Church  (link)

It will begin on this Wednesday, May 25th and take place from 7:00 to 9:00 PM on the campus of Bryn Athyn College in Pendleton Hall.  Entrance to Pendleton Hall can be gained from the North Parking Lot behind the Brickman Centre.

A sponsorship program has been developed for those who would like to help financially, as we try to bring this play up to a full production at MPAC (and ultimately a feature film version) and there is advertising available in the program that will be handed out at the Assembly.

We will be videotaping the Workshop and reading, for which we need two camera operators and other technicians.

Stop by the Workshop to gain the necessary details or check the web site www.imagemindag.blogspot.com.

A very special thank you to those who have already been helping. Your participation is more valuable than you can imagine. AG

Please feel free to forward this notice as you see fit.

Arthur Greisiger
Artistic Director / Proprietor;
Image of the Mind Studios

Founder / Administrating Director;
The Alpha & Omega Society

Founder / Executive Producer / Artistic Director;
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

"Nunc Licet" Sponsorship program

I am looking for folks who want to contribute to the cost of presenting "Nunc Licet" at the Assembly.

Funding is being sought to assist in: * the publication of 120 copies of the script  *costs of renting the performance space  *supplies required to make the presentation  *costs involved in advancing the production  *operating expenses incurred during the scriptwriting & production management time-frame.

I need to raise a few thousand dollars for this purpose. I don't have the specific budget, simply because whatever I can muster will be a great help and ultimately a full production of this show will be many thousands of dollars anyway.

There will be a program booklet with advertising and various degrees of sponsorship.  Publication will be done in-house.

Advertising and sponsorship will be published in all editions of the Playbill for each presentation of the play produced by Image of the Mind Studios and productions by other companies will be required to make reference in their playbills to those who have helped make this possible.

For this presentation at the Assembly we will be publishing 100 copies of the playbill.  If the show moves up to the next level (meaning a production at MPAC) then advertisers will be included in that playbill as well.

If you'd like to be a sponsor or purchase advertising in the program booklet, talk to me directly, send me an email (imagemindag@verizon.net)  or call me if you have my number.

I have the sponsorship program designed and the details available in hard copy, which I can provide to you, but I need to convert that layout for presentation here on the web.  It is much the same as the program for The Shakespearean Journal and the Cinema Under the Stars program, so you might review those web pages.

It would be a help if you purchased a copy of the script in advance (to be picked up at the reading).

If you care to donate via PayPaL please do so here;

If you do make a contribution in any amount, send me an email to confirm that you have done so and assure that I list you as a sponsor.  I thank you in advance for you help to making this happen.

Look for me to post the Playbill advertising specifications here within a few days, if possible. AG

NUNC LICET Handout Card

For those of you who are helping with this effort;

These images can be printed on front and back an 8 x 11 letter size

to create hand out cards.

Sorry about the misspelling of Pendleton Hall, too late to change it now. 
I saved the image to a test file and  printed this out from Preview on a Mac and it works pretty good.
If you want a copy of this email me and I'll send it as a n attachment.

The Workshop and Progress Reports are below the Character Listing.
I'm trying to post there weekly.

AG

Character Descriptions: Nunc Licet

 For those of you considering reading in the upcoming workshop,

here are the character descriptions from the script;

 

Appendix

Character Descriptions;

General Notes: This background information is provided mostly for the benefit of the actors who are chosen to perform the roles.  Further descriptions may be required for designers & casting.  Character traits & idiosyncrasies are further defined throughout the script.

If necessary, most characters can be altered to accommodate the available cast or production values.  Ages are not critical, however key elements in the script may not work properly if the age range is changed too drastically.  Swedenborg’s age is fixed. The character relationships, relative to age, are based on life experience.  With this in mind, a primary objective in the characterization has been to exhibit as wide a range of human experience as is possible within the context of the script. The physical characteristics herein described are for the benefit of the representations the author has envisioned for the play.  It is not critical that they be adhered to and they are not intended imply any particular bias of mankind generally.  The individual character traits can & ought to be adjusted for the cultural needs of the people for whom this play is being presented.  Although in order to represent the time period they are recommended.  If the character traits are changed, such changes must be conveyed in the program for the show. 

Casting Notes: the hair color of the characters must represent their diversity.  This is particularly important for the women, as their dialogue is not as predominant in the play.  Beards are not critical but are described to create contrast.

William #2

The primary antagonist of the play, William is 37 years old.  He is a close childhood friend of John.   William’s stubborn; egotism is prevalent in his crass, obnoxious attitude.  John tolerates him mainly because they were very close, as children and they have not seen much of each other in the past few years.  He has stopped in to visit with John as he is on his way north. The foundation of William & John’s relationship is weakening rapidly because of their differences.  William is a rogue and a mercenary.  He is a husky rough type of character and dresses in a rather mismatched coarse way. Women of culture are generally leery of him.  He has little respect for women and considers them to be objects of his desire.  He weighs approximately 200 lbs, has red hair & a beard.  His eyes are green and he is of Irish descent.  His hands are callused from his work with horses. William tries to project an air of culture, however he does not have a firm enough background for it to last long into a conversation.  His focus of attention is brief, but as he moves from subject to subject, he is able to regain the ironic appearance of refinement. He manages to contain his anger but he has a short fuse.  If he remains in a disagreement with someone,  there is the risk of his becoming violent.  He does not respect others and the subject of other people’s intelligence is one of the ongoing arguments that he has with John.  He respects John more than most others, but he is beginning to give up on John.  Return

Sir John Gabriel  #3

Is 32-39 years old and the host of the gathering.  Living in established wealth, he need not exert himself, although he does so, much to the bewilderment of his family & friends.  He keeps an even pace about his life and takes the time he needs to relax. Much of his time has been spent in universities studying a wide spectrum of subjects, with a particular emphasis on trade. He carries himself well, and is a successful businessman dealing in imported goods.  As a child he spent much time living on the estate that has been left to him by his grandfather.  The older servants who remember his youth have a warm and loving relationship with him. His thirst for knowledge & intellectual challenge continues to provide him with inspiration and an abundance of energy. He dresses comfortably but retains the air of his cultured upbringing. The style of his clothes is generally one of subdued elegance, however, that elegance is by no means fragile.   His hair is light brown.  He has no facial hair.  He weighs approximately 180 lbs and is of Saxon/Teutonic decent. He is in good health, even strong. He is not married. He treats people with much respect and clearly supports a belief in God. He generally projects his thoughts in a clear manner but sometimes drifts into aloof thoughts. Return

Victoria #4

  A female servant in Johns home, Victoria is an attractive woman. It seems possible that John may have chosen to employ her for her looks because she compliments John well physically. She is subtly flirtatious, a fact that is quite delightful for John and his male guests. She carries herself well and she is rather coy. Her flirtatiousness becomes much more outward “one on one”, particularly with Thomas.  She is 28 years old and is of medium height (5’10”±).  She is a slight woman,  maybe 110 lbs, but she is shapely. She wears her hair up when she is working on preparations and lets it down in a ponytail when she is encouraged to do so by John.  When her hair is let down, it is a long, silky brownish blonde.  Her attire is that of her position, however she has a number of changes of clothing, as this is her subtle way of catching attention. She also has a more formal change of clothes for when she is invited to participate in the gathering. Her work clothing is conservative but attractive, whereas her formal change is considerably more provocative. Return

James  #5

James, the butler, is approximately 70 years old.  He has taken on a surrogate role of guardian for John as a result of watching him grow from childhood.   A slightly larger than normal man, he is balding & grey.  He is a quiet man.  His clothing is quite refined and he takes pride in the way he looks.   Once married, his wife died of an illness a few years ago, he generally feels lonely as a result of this.  He seems to feel protective of Victoria and she looks up to him.  Deep in his thoughts he is attracted to her as a woman but his moral sense does not allow him to manifest his affection in any way other than a fatherly one.  Whenever he begins to feel attracted to Victoria he remembers his wife and becomes flustered.  He likes to think he can do more than he can and he often appears feeble. He is in good health however, and actually is stronger than he appears.  Most of the guests are familiar with James and are comfortable being friendly to him.  When the formality is let down he is quite frank.  He is, for the most part, unimpressed with John’s gathering. Return

Thomas #6

A long time friend of John’s, Thomas is well traveled in high society circles throughout Europe.  He has spent a good amount of time in studies, however he doesn’t seem to use what he has learned.   Apparently, his university days have been overruled by his jaunts with High Society & the lustful oblivion that it has fostered.  He mostly appears to be a fragile man when left alone to his thoughts, but when he is putting on airs for women & men alike his stature gains strength.  At first impression, it is unclear if his sexual orientation is toward men or women.  His actions & appearance seem contrary to his dialogue & intent.  His gate & level of intensity seem to fluctuate as though he is bordering on sensuality & spiritualism.  In his initial entrance his attire is riding gear, which gives him an air of a swashbuckler. He is an excellent horseman.  He has come to stay with John for a while and so he has an assortment of clothing & supplies.  Later, when he makes his formal entrance, at the gathering, he is wearing a wig.  His attire is shockingly frivolous and he appears quite feminine.  He is quite immature.  He has never settled into responsibility.   Thomas thinks himself to be highly educated & refined, and it seems that this may be so, except that his span of attention regarding complex issues does not hold up.  His age is approximately 34. His hair is blonde.  He weighs about 160 lbs and stands about 6’ tall. Return

Baron Frederic Von Greisiger #7

The Baron Frederic Von Greisiger is in attendance as a result of his long time association with John Gabriel’s family and his timely arrival in England.  He is a wealthy man about 60 years of age. He is unkempt in his appearance, not so much because he doesn’t try to keep himself looking well, but rather because he keeps falling apart.  His actions are clumsy but he has managed his business dealings shrewdly enough to compensate.  He uses money to buy favors and is always looking for ways to gain more.  His attitude about matters of the spirit is non-committal, but he is not adverse to discussions, even though he does more listening than speaking.  His clothing is rich but his tailor is not very talented. He is a medium sized man, more round than tall.  He has a beard which tends to capture debris.  Return

 

Baroness Hildegard Von Greisiger   #8

 The Baroness Hildegard Von Greisiger is a stealthy woman in public when it comes to her husband,  but quite the reverse when they are in private. She is a domineering German wife who has clear control over her husband. In public she is able to secretly convey her messages of control to him whereas in private she is outwardly physical toward anything that dissatisfies her. Her secretive manipulations surface occasionally in her actions. She is a  well rounded woman slightly larger than her husband. At times, when she is with women she appears quite feminine, but when she is around men she becomes quite defensive and almost masculine herself.  She is 58 years old and dresses

 in a rather gaudy fashion, which she believes to be quite fashionable. She is very intimidated by Christine (because she is a fashion designer) and she acts out her role as a Baroness in a very animated way. Her overall appearance & behavior borders on offensive. Return

Lord Perry Eevanwald   #9

Lord Eevanwald is a neighboring landowner.  His attendance is by virtue of his mutual association with the Baron & being friendly with the elders of John’s family.  He is a thin weakening man and has been declining for a number of years, ever since his wife Johanna died.  At first he appears to be in fair health, but his endurance over the course of the evening is not good.  He is a conservative man, quite indoctrinated with the teachings of the Protestant Church.  He finds himself in the position where he must be tolerant of new ideas and is somewhat resistant.  He is not quite certain why, but he finds himself making an effort to be flexible, until it reaches the point where his beliefs are challenged too deeply. When this happens he takes over the role of antagonist. He has a very bad heart condition which gives him cause for grief from time to time and this has severely limited his activity. He longs for the company of his wife and he has a generally sad demeanor when he is thinking alone. When he is about other people he is somewhat uplifted. He is 68 years old.  He clearly has unfinished business with William, something that occurred many years before. Return

Lady Carolynne Eevanwald   #10

             Lady Carolynne is Lord Eevanwald’s sister.  She was very close friends with Johanna and came to live with her brother when she died.   She feels it is her duty to help raise Sara and has taken on a surrogate mother role. She is very high pitched in her emotional reactions to everything, particularly those things she considers to be even slightly in difference to what is “normal”.  In this sense she is rather schizoid,  however when she is focused on something which she is knowledgeable about, she is quite confident & persuasive.  Her ability to endure is limited. She seeks confirmation from the other women about her own self worth. She is 53 years old, fairly attractive, and dresses well, albeit conservatively. She tries to be an example for Sara, even though Sara doesn’t seem to pay much attention. Her relationship with her brother is rather odd.  It is not clear how deep her affections go for her brother, although it is quite apparent that she is greatly concerned about him.  At times she seems to be living in a fantasy world.  She has never been married and she is deeply embarrassed by this fact. Return

Sara   #11

Sara is a vision of innocence.  At 17 years of age, she has been protected by her mother and also by her aunt.  She loves her father very much but is at the age where she wants to avoid his dominance. She is a petite girl, fragile with fair hair & skin.  She is unknowing about many things, but she has an inner sense that projects a certain quality which seems to inspire a sense of awe.  She is unaware of the evils that beset her (IE: William & Thomas’ lust) because her thoughts & actions are focused on the young love that has appeared between her & André.  She dresses in white lace in a very conservative, yet somehow provocative, manner.  Her presence tend to bring others into a more “aware” state of mind and they generally feel more rejuvenated. She is quite giddy & sweet and tends to delight those around her. Return

 

Christine   #12

In contrast to her distant cousin Sara, Christine dresses in a outwardly provocative manner.  Her attire is of her own design & is quite diverse in the way she has used various textures & colors.  She has very long straight black hair which stands out from the wigs of some of the older women.  She is a tall, slender, but quite shapely, woman and she wears rich jewelry to accent her clothes. She holds herself very well & even though her clothing is very sexual, she has a distant, upper crust, air about her that prevents the men from approaching her.  She is very much in control and chooses who she allows into her sphere.  She is 29 years old and has spent most her life in France. She therefore behaves in the manner of a French woman, but looks more Teutonic (Spanish/Moor). Return

André   #13

Of French origin, André is a 23 year old student of philosophy & medicine.   He is an energetic young man who is quite interested in the young ladies. He has never been abusive in his relationships with women, & so he represents the masculine innocence that balances out Sara’s presence in the play.  He is good looking & he knows it.  This fact is apparent in the way he holds himself, at least until he sees Sara, at which time he becomes much more humble and even shy.  André is confident in supporting his positions.  He is not very tolerant of the attitudes projected by William, Thomas & Nicholas, primarily because he considers himself superior intellectually to them. He avoids conflict if it appears that it may become physical, but he is inclined to entice an argument- if only to be participant to the resolve.  He dresses in a smart fashionable way that is intrinsically practical. (NOTE: it may be appropriate for him to enter with facial hair but then remove it during intermission because of it’s effect on Sara, this could provide good business). Return

Nicholas  #14

A commander in the Calvary stationed in India.  Nicholas is currently in England to report to his superiors about the situation. He is beginning to loose his loyalty to the crown and so has become distant about matters regarding politics.  He is a private man and has known SirJohn for some years, primarily because of his sister Cassandra’s relationship with John.  He is 43 years old and weathered in appearance. He dresses in a conservative manner, not one for frills.  Right off the top he finds that he is rather adverse to Williams presence and so he more or less avoids him.  He is interested in the women,  but not enough to be blatant about it although he has made his attraction clear to them at various points of contact.  It is not clear if Nicholas is a violent man or not. He is obviously strong and appears at though he may be rough, however during the course of the play he is mostly gentle. His hair color is not critical but  dirty blond (of Viking descent) is preferable. Return

Cassandra   #15

A conservatively attractive woman, she is working very subtly at trying to convince John to marry her.  She carries herself decidedly, in order to attract John’s attention. She carefully selects times when her conversations with other men will help her cause.  In this way she is devious, but because of her age and her need to marry, she feels justified in stirring jealousy. She does not use it in an abusing way and when she can soothe John she does so. She is comfortable in John’s home and he is comfortable having her there, except when she and Victoria get together, at which time he gets nervous.  Cassandra plays on this nervousness to playfully keep him in line.  She is an intelligent woman, who can be quite strong, but prefers to allow her fragility to predominate. She is in her early thirties and has long wavy hair somewhat darker than her brother’s. Return

Angel   #16

An uncouth woman in her late twenties, who unconsciously has become a harlot, her condition in life is a result of depravity and not so much a result of choice.  She has an innocent goodness about her, which is not readily apparent. After she has been engaged in conversation with someone for a period, there seems to be hope for her.  She responds sexually to men if they initiate the action, but not overtly in a group of strangers.  She does however project more sexuality than is proper for any gathering of this type. Until she realizes that it is not necessary for her to be that way in order to gain acceptance (ie: after her song) she acts in a generally unacceptable fashion.  Her clothing is rather plain and soiled but she changes after Cassandra offers to help her. She is completely blind to William's abuse of her because she finds him fascinating. Her fascination for William becomes enlightenment to his real qualities as the play progresses and he is unwilling to contribute in a positive way. She becomes quite comfortable with allowing Swedenborg to take on a surrogate father role for her.  He in turn responds favorable to her new found awakening. Return

 

Emanuel Swedenborg   #17

A gentle man, Swedenborg is portrayed at age 83.  He is quite lively and alert.  His stature is upright and he moves quite easily for his age although it is apparent that he is approaching the end of his life.  He is quite secure in his opinions and has no fear of what may occur in any circumstance. He wears a wig and his attire is quite plain.  History tells us that he often wore clothes that were unintentionally mismatched and this is the case in regard to his shoes. He carries a sword.  He is quite delighted by the young ladies, as they are enamored by his curious sphere of gentleness & eccentricity.  He is not generally eccentric except that from time to time he drifts off into a world of his own, as if he were speaking or listening to someone who was not visibly present.  He seems to have a protective sphere about him, as the antagonism of the play arises.  He looks toward the good in every situation and therefore places a positive interpretation on most all circumstances.  He is, however, quite cognizant of when a situation is negative and generally tries to remove himself from the conflict. He is not afraid to confront a situation if it is required to protect the values of innocence or truth. When standing his ground he has a confidence & power that defies explanation to anyone who is viewing things from outward appearances. He tries to remain “regular” and does not look down on anyone. Sometimes he intentional feigns confusion so as to not seem too all knowing. Return

Celestial Angels   Male #18/Female #19

Their brief appearances at the opening of Act III are described at that point in the script. There is one male & one female, who can be portrayed by the other actors. Their attire & look is such: Both wear long flowing white gowns which are intended to reflect both the intense hues of the scene & the black lights to be used for highlighting. The male wears a purple waistband & silver jewelry (jewelry which does not clatter) The trim & undergarments use the same color scheme although the undergarment colors are closer to pastels. His hair is of medium length and is fiery red. The female has long wavy hair of the same color. Her attire is much the same although it is cut more femininely. She wears a waistband of deep Ruby trimmed in gold. Her jewelry is gold as well. She wears a headband of gold inlaid with pearl. They wear no shoes. Both are of tall & powerful stature although the female is quite a bit smaller that the male. The lighting in the scene is deep purple & lavender hues so the actual colors must be able to reflect the proper balance in the costuming. Return

Spiritual Angels   Male #20/Female #21

Likewise, their appearance is described immediately following the Celestial Angels in the beginning of Act III. There are also two performers- one male & one female.  Other actors or possibly the musicians can also portray these characters. Their attire is as such: They are dressed in long flowing white gowns with minimal trim and no apparent jewelry. Their undergarments are colored in rich hues that complement the rich amber hues of the lighting.  Their hair is (preferably) of light color but this is not critical. Return

Ariel  #22

Is one of Lord Eevanwald's guardian angels. He appears to be about 25 years of age.  He is a fair skinned young man with a bright,  lively look in his eyes.  His hair is light color (Blonde, implying his purity by the reflections of light off his hair).  He is dressed in a full length pale blue, hooded undergarment covered by a white frock.  Around his waist is a braided rope of crimson & gold. He is wearing sandals of gold.  Ariel is a jovial type who enjoys encouraging Lord Eevanwald to be like a happy child and he freely jokes with him, making it clear to him that he is doing so by his expressions.  Ariel projects a confidence in the providence of God and he is very good at instilling that confidence in Lord Eevanwald. He reacts with Lord Eevanwald as  if they have always been close friends. Return

Johanna  #23

Lord Perry Eevanwald’s wife of many years, she has now grown younger since she has gone to Heaven.  She appears to be in her twenties, in contrast to her husband’s being close to 70.  This does not seem to bother her, in her being close to him when they meet again, although it is stunning to him.  She is very gentle & caring but she is also somewhat cautious, not being certain about how her husband will react to the spiritual world.  As she speaks to him,  she seems to examine him because she is anxious to know if they will be together.  As they spend more time together they begin to draw closer.  Johanna, is a woman with long fiery red hair,  her complexion is fair and she is a slight woman.  Her attire is a flowing lacey gown, almost like that of a wedding dress, but much less formal. The colors of her dress are white highlighted with yellow and she is wearing a gold headband and a golden necklace. A further description of her attire is located in Act II of the script. Return

Two Musicians 

            Cello & Violin (harpsichord or recorder players optional)  Musicians attire is refined and conservative and must stand out in its simplicity from the reset of the characters. Their costumes must be coordinated.  Other musicians may be added as desired. Return

Production Note: More musicians are advisable and suggested. The specified musical numbers require woodwinds, which can be conveyed either on stage or in the pit.  An Overture/prelude, interludes within the show and a postlude for the curtain call are desirable. This material may be provided in future editions.

Additional performers

Should the staging format expand to include abstractions of time & space, in the form of asides,  additional performers & text will be included to accommodate the expansion.  When reading this version of the script, keep in mind that an expansion such as this will occur in those areas where descriptions are given about Swedenborg’s activities in the context of hearsay.  A possible scenario includes Swedenborg breaking away and seeing spirits & angels interacting within the gathering.

An Essay on the Improvement of the Community

On the Improvement of the Community, Southampton Pennsylvania

dialogue has been taking place on this subject, here, via email and on Facebook. 

I am gradually improving this posting and adding material 

because action within the community is taking place 

and my only way to participate is to post these opinions.

Please feel free to offer your comments 

on the facebook discussion

which is linked to the left

or via email.

AG

Nunc Licet Readings @ The Swedenborg Library

We will be meeting in downstairs in The Swedengorania Library not in the AV Room. The library opens at 7pm so we may start a little later and the first meeting for the Tableaux is also tonight at 6:30 pm. I will be attending that meeting and then running over to the library at 6:55.

Hope to see you there.  AG

Nunc Licet Production Notes;

Scripts for the Reading Workshop:

• The scripts we will be using for the readings are available at the Swedenborg Library front desk for your review. 

• They are not to be taken out, as we have- just what we need for the readings and these scripts will be kept at the library.

• The script edition that we will start with is not the most current edition. It is Revision VIII-G, whereas the current edition is Revision X-J-G.   I hope to be able to replace this older edition with a set of the newer ones as we proceed. (if anyone cares to help with the cost of that as an investor, I welcome that kind of participation as well). 

• I am also thinking that at some point in the future, I will create an edition that eliminates all but the dialogue from the pages, but this seems to be very difficult for me to do

• The differences are not so significant that we cannot use the older ones to get a feel for the material.  I suggest that if you would like a new edition that you purchase one. I've given away so many scripts over the years, I just can't do it anymore. They are available here  on-line, at the Cathedral bookstore, and at the Reading Workshop

• I am not providing it online, because after twenty-five years of agonizing work and expense, I am unwilling to make it available for free, until the production goes up and the film is completed.

• I also will not be providing scripts to people free of charge. I will provide both the CD ROM and the current version of the script to people who participate at my wholesale cost. That's the best I can offer. I will have a sign-up sheet at the readings for people who want to avail themselves of this offer.

• The first night of Reading on Wednesday December 10th will take place in the Swedenborgiana Library as opposed to the AV Room and if that works out, we may continue there.

• I will be attending the first meeting for the Tableaux Choir at the Cathedral and the Library opens at 7:00 pm, so do not be distressed if we start a little late. If you are the first to arrive feel free to get a script from behind the desk and look it over.

• Here's hoping we can succeed at gathering a group of people who want to get serious about doing this.  If we are very lucky and the show seems to work, we may have an opportunity to move this show to Philadelphia, New York or other cities nearby.  But don't let my goal of doing that prevent you from just helping to get it up for the Assembly.

• Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

Nunc Licet, purchasing a script

Purchasing a copy of

"Nunc Licet"

If you would like assist
in moving
the production forward

by purchasing
a copy of the play

it is now available
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Synopsis of the Play
(being reconstructed and will be available shortly

Available Products:

Spiral Bound Printed Edition: $24.95  (available from the New Church Book room for $20)

• the most current edition at the time of ordering. Currently that is Rev VIII-H. This edition has been reduced to 5 x 8.5" and bound with a metal spiral spine. The cover contains a full color glossy reproduction of "Swedenborg Designing a Flying Machine" as shown above.

• This edition has the technical notes reduced in size and presented in a different font, so that one may easily skip over them and read just the dialogue. This greatly helps to make the script easier to read.

• Also in this edition: the characters are presented in bold, making it also easier to separate from the technical notes and the staging directions. Staging directions to the performers are greatly reduced in size, separating them further.

• Pages are printed back to back, and there is less room provided for performers to make notes then previous editions.

• Text changes include expansion of female dialogue, a small degree of sentence restructuring, and a few changes in vernacular.

CD-ROM Read Only Edition: $14.95

• a digital version of exactly the same script on CD-ROM. It is a locked PDF file that is read only and may not be altered, copied, or printed

• It is offered for reading on your computer or other devise that reads CD-ROM

Read only Download Edition: $7.95

• a Read-only copy delivered digitally thru email

• NOTE: Depending on the size of the finished files this may be delivered as more than one file.

These items are produced on demand,
so you will receive an email
to confirm your order
and let you know about the shipping.

Thank you in advance for your order.

Your purchase will help to advance the production
and you will receive special offers and benefits
when the show premieres.

AG

Versions available
Spiral Bound Script $24.95 Read Only CD-ROM $14.95 Read only PDF File $7.95

Nunc Licet, current activity

Production Approach Summary

Purchasing a Script
 This link will allow you to purchase the script via PayPal.

Synopsis of the Play

Current Activity 

 2/11- Readings at The Swedenborg Library   We have had a few reading sessions that went very well, but I found that the notes have been causing people to pause to 1) read the notes and 2) try to find the next line of text.  So I am removing all the notes from this version so that there are no instructions whatsoever in the script.  It seems strange to me because there is no point of reference to understand what is going on, but then the version of the script with the notes can be referenced in that instance.

1/11- Submission to The Public Theatre: One more rejection slip although this time they said they enjoyed reading the work, which seems to indicate that they may actually have done so. You'd be surprised how may people can't get thru this play, myself included at times. What can I say, it's a big play with religious subject matter. I have found that the biggest hindrance to reading the play are the staging notes which I have been spending time removing for an actors version. 

(2010) ;

11/10- Objective for the Reading Workshops- The latest workshop will begin on Wednesday, December 10th at The Swedenborg Library on the campus of Bryn Athyn College. Times are from 7 pm to 9 pm in the AV Room.

The show has been work-shopped four times before, during the writing process and this is intended to be the last time this will take place.  The goal for this workshop is to prepare the play to be presented before the World Assembly in June.  Confirmation of the use of the Pendelton Hall Chapel  in the main college building has not been given and will likely be contingent upon the success we achieve with these workshops.

Film & Video- The larger goal is to shoot the film version of this play at Cairnwood, as it is a nice location which represents the atmosphere of the play quite well and it just happens to be across the street from everybody, the campus, the theatre, and the church.

But in the mean time, it was suggested that we might just shoot some snippets of the play as a test. Well, that sounds like a great idea. That will require less memorizing the lines of the play than a stage show and I have the equipment we need to do tests.  It would be better to have higher quality equipment than I have, but for now we can move forward with my equipment.

I have S-VHS equipment that I use for documenting various activities, so we can us that for now. My 16mm film equipment (Beaulieu) is not really appropriate for this because of aspect ratio issues, because I don't really trust the mechanical stability of the cameras, there are issues with sync sound & camera noise and it is very costly to produce the desired results. Not to mention the cost of servicing the cameras, lenses and sound recorder before we engage in a serious shoot.   If the opportunity to buy, use, or rent better equipment comes up then we will explore that when the time comes.  But for now samples using S-VHS will have to do.  I'm working to acquire two Canon XL-HD cameras, but my editing systems are not yet set up for HD.

Of course there are numerous production issues that need to be addressed if we are to proceed with shooting some scenes.   We could do it in contemporary garb, but I'd rather do it in period costumes, so we will need a costumer who can coordinate that. Then we have to determine the locations for the scenes. If we do it in a contemporary format, then we can shoot it anywhere, but how boring is that? I'm really very less inclined to desire any contemporization of this work, but we'll do what we have to to advance the cause.

A Staged Reading- The least of the goals we have is for a presentation at the Assembly as a staged reading, script in hand.  Since this appears a first glance to be a rather long and complicated play, that might be the best we can hope for.  I say appears to be, because in reality- the play is much easier and shorter, if the technical notes and directions are removed from the text.  I have attempted to do this, unsuccessfully, numerous times. They are just too integrated into my thinking on the material.  Someone else might be able to do that, but I can't seem to. I will make one more attempt at it, as painful as that might be.

If the participants in the workshop are willing to work at getting off-script, then that will go a long way for a larger more detailed presentation. But if we find that the lines are too voluminous or difficult for the actors to memorize then we will need to rethink how we will approach this project. I am not expecting to edit the play down, as I have been refining it for the past twenty-five years trying to make it easier to deliver and understand. Chopping it up is not a good idea, not a good idea at all.  But if it has to be cut, I am the only one to make that decision (of course I will accept suggestions, I may not listen to them, but I will accept them).

I have tried to break up the dialogue into smaller manageable segments for the sake of the actors. I know that the material has a certain philosophical complexity to it and so for both the sake of delivery and comprehension I have broken the thoughts into a more conversation style.  I hope that this will prove to make the play flow more easily. As I have mentioned before elsewhere, the sub-plot and non-verbal expression in the play are- as, if not more, important to the success of the play.  Much of that sub-plot has to be extrapolated by the actors who will portray the role, because only so much has been conveyed in the script and support materials. I apologize to the secondary characters who are left to their own devices to fill their space on the stage at times.

A Full Stage Production- Although I hope for a full stage production at some point, I am not expecting to see this happen for June- unless there are logistical folks who sign on to help make that happen. Yes, I am working toward that ultimate goal, but the reality is that the budget for a full production needs to be determined, the necessary funding acquired and many other details implemented.  It is all I can do to think about the core material and to document the process of refining the material, so that it becomes a workable stage presentation which the audience will accept and enjoy.

So this is some preparatory material for the Script Reading Workshop which will begin on the 10th of December.  Hopefully we will have a reasonable group of people who will assist us in these goals and we will determine what it is that we can in reality achieve when we find out who is willing to join the effort.

"When Preparation meets Opportunity, Success occurs"

contact Arthur Greisiger at:  imagemindag@verizon.net

 Refer to the

"Nunc Licet" Archive

for prior postings

Revised Press Release for "Nunc Licet"

11/15/10  Press Release;

Readings of the play "Nunc Licet: a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg"

will begin on

December 1st, 2010

in The Swedenborg Library on the campus of  Bryn Athyn College.

Work will take place in the AV Room of the library from 7-9 pm
and continue weekly 

with the goal of presenting the play during

The World Assembly of The General Church of The New Jerusalem in June.  

We have a number of goals which include film and video as well.

These weekly sessions are production meetings intended to gather participants who can be counted on to help to advance to goals of the show.  Observers are invited to sit in, but anyone attending may be called upon to read and will be expected to do so.

In addition to actors & technicians, we also are also seeking to  build a production team of folks who can assist with implementing logistical matters, both locally and on a larger scale.  

We will also need to engage in fundraising for this project which will lead to paying positions, but for the time being- we are all working on a volunteer or deferred basis.

For further discussion you may contact Arthur Greisiger via email at imagemindag@verizon.net or use Facebook.

Information and a synopsis of the play can be had by using the search function above to search for "Nunc Licet"

Arthur Greisiger
Artistic Director / Proprietor;
Image of the Mind Studios

Founder / Administrating Director;
The Alpha & Omega Society

Founder / Executive Producer / Artistic Director;
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

Nunc Licet Readings @ The Swedenborg Library

Beginning December 1st, 2010 we will begin to conduct readings of the play at The Swedenborg Library on the campus of Bryn Athyn College.  Readings will continue to take place on Wednesday Evenings from 7 to 9 pm in the AV Room.

Anyone interested in helping to mount this play is invited to attend.  These meetings are intended to achieve a few different goals.  They are production meetings, they are not entertainment for observers. That will come when we present the play to the public.  Most importantly, we need to open an ongoing discussion and and action plan regarding the logistical matters pertaining to mounting a presentation of Nunc Licet at the Assembly in June.

We need to build a producing team.  It is my distinct opinion that we need to divide the producing duties between three principle producers and a number of Associate Producers. The specifics of that organizational structure will be presented to those persons who would like to serve in the role of producer and will be refined at these meetings by those individuals.  In addition, the producers will be responsible for raising money for the production.   This is not- Here's the money go do it... rather it's Here's a show, let's get the money, or find ways around it, and do it.  We need self-starting, go-getters in order to get this done. There is much to do and we need committed people that everyone can count on. So if that's the type of person you are, then please do get involved.

Certainly, finding the people who can perform is equally important, but without the logistics backing up the performers the effort to produce a crafted piece will be frustrated.

Persons wishing to walk-the-boards are invited to participate, but there will be no promises in that regard. We need people who will not only fulfill the roles, but will do so- well...  and will want to continue on with doing the show more than just once or twice. 

We have intentions of filming the show and will document the process with video, so we need technical people who are interested in this aspect as well.   On the subject of filming- if all works out well, we will want the same performers who work on the stage show to participate in the filming, hopefully at Cairnwood.  This will depend on how many people become involved and are serious about helping to make this happen.

Those dedicated persons who do become involved to help get this show up, will become part owners in this show, which is intended to be presented around the world, hopefully on an ongoing basis as both a stage play and a film.

More dialogue will follow ... AG

"You're Not Getting The Point"

An serendipitous impressionistic documentary, with elements of expressionism

(the photo is linked to a discussion on Facebook)

 Recent thoughts;

October 2010 - I recently showed a copy of this film at "Cinema Under the Stars". It was an experiment to see how it projected from an S-VHS machine.  The copy was actually an old dupe of a VHS copy. It projected rather poorly. I found that it was very dark and the outside borders of the projected image were quite different that what is seen on the monitor, but interestingly enough, now that I have the exhibition capabilities, I am finding myself more encouraged to finish a number of the films I have laying around.

I'm also thinking that I will start a film festival of some sort at the Park.

This film needs a lot of work to make it presentable. I think, however that I will be able to do that once my editing bench is working properly.  It is unfortunate that my equipment is older and lacks the simplicity of the newer programs and cameras (that may very well be an illusion, because nothing is ever simple).  I have been having interface difficulties for some time now, because I feel as though I need to have a functioning composite interface, which I continue to hope will be a G3 that I have intended for that purpose, yet cannot seem to get working. A good deal of my older projects require the interface for transfer into Final Cut Pro (if I expect to do that transfer in-house and judging from the cost involved that is most desirable).  I've been hung up on this issue for a very long time.  Add to that the fact that my Uher 1000 Pilot needs rebuilding and (to the best of my knowledge) my material for this film needs to be transferred to ADAT using that particular machine. AG More later...


Synopsis: The film was initially intended to be my contribution to the events that were occurring in Buck County, Pennsylvania during the time period of 1982-85. I became aware of the plan to pump water out of the Delaware as far back as 1979 when I went on a tube float down the river to protest the plan.

Sometime later, when I found myself walking down the street in Doylestown, I took pause to watch a large group of people being herded out of the paddy wagons into the courthouse. I soon found out that they were arrested for protesting at the site of the proposed construction in Point Pleasant.
I knew that there was no way I was going to let myself get arrested. I had no desire to tangle with the police or the court system, I did enough of that with the Department of Transportation. So I wondered what I could do to help. I looked down at my Ziess Contraflex and knew that photography was the way, at least until I got back to my studio and saw my Beaulieu R-16 sitting there.

So I decided to film the events instead of photograph them. I begged what resources I could to buy 16mm film. I shot like a banshee, knowing I had a limited amount of footage. The way I saw it, 24 fps meant 24 still photographs, so I did not worry too much about how smooth everything was, just so I could capture the events.

My plan was to double & triple frame the areas that needed it. Of course, I never got around to that. Luckily most of the exposures were not too terrible. If you know anything about a Beaulieu you will know why I say that, since I depended on the internal meter.

At first I was viewed with great skepticism, the people involved wondered what I was doing with a camera. Very few people had ever seen a camera like the one I was using and so it was strange for them. It got down to the fact that, other than one friend with a Bolex, who shot a few rolls, I was the only person I could see who was shooting film. There were a few folks who shot some video, and there were numerous people who shot photography, but I shot film. Of course the news agencies, who also shot video, but none of that came from an inside perspective.

It is interesting to note that when Sandy & I were working on fund-raising, one of the places we went was - the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. At first they were very interested in the project and we even had a meeting in their Washington office about it, they told us that they would fund the film, but only if we took a centralist point of view.

HA! I said forget it. Of course I wasn't that blunt to them, but I was not about to spend my energy to give the very people who were using all their political clout, all the public resources (against the public's will), and all the deviousness they could muster behind closed doors to mislead and manipulate the local government into imposing an unwanted boondoggle of a project on the majority of citizens who made their voices known in a "non-binding referendum". This very public company, in cahoots the special interests who served to gain millions from the public coffers, scammed the county into spending huge amounts of money, because they likewise scammed the politicians into binding contracts that were signed without the citizens being informed of what was happening. The legal battles that ensued were a horrendous waste of taxpayers money and the project that resulted was ultimately disposed of by the county and sold to a neighboring county for a loss. The end result being massive over-development of the land and a plethora of other related problems, which I do not care to go into.

As you can see, I still get upset by this after 25 years. This is one of the reasons for my delay in finishing this film.

The shear volume of material that I have, which needs to be reviewed is going to take a huge amount of valuable time, which I am quite hesitant to spend on this subject. I get very emotional about it and I am not sure I want to do so.

Sandy & I spent and incredible amount of energy trying to get this story told. In New York, Washington, San Fransisco and Hollywood. We took the film around to numerous studios, who had the audacity to suggest that they could recreate the events for a film. We went to see Clint Eastwood when he was Mayor of Carmel and took the project to Martian Sheen, who said he was impressed, but too busy. The water issues in California were not what they are today, but we saw it coming and did an interview with Nancy Pearlman on The EcoNews Network and she offered us national distribution of the film if it was every finished.

Before we got married and went to California, I submitted grants to numerous organizations. The Film Fund stole or lost our original U-Matic which we edited at CBS in NYC with the help of Harry Canon. Sam Wells helped me to dupe the materials in preparation for that. In fact, the sample tape that we created from that editing session is the only edited copy I currently have. The footage in that film was duped by shooting the film on the wall in Sam's friends apartment using his Ikagmi U-Matic camera, which is the reason I don't want to release it. There's some ratty shots in there.

I used to belong to the Film-Five Coop and we met at the Bucks County Council on the Arts. Well, they came to us and said that they wanted to help us (meaning the struggling filmmakers) by sponsoring our proposals the the Pennsylvania Arts Council. So I submitted "You're Not Getting the Point" . You'd think I ate their babies they were so hostile. They said "Why should we support this film". Uh... why indeed? What about freedom of speech and artistic expression? What about truth in politics? Ha, what a bunch of hypocrites!

The American Film Institute liked the film and held their decision making process up for us to get the paperwork from the bank, proving that we raised 80 thousand dollars of the 120 we needed for the full film. Little did we know that the bank where we deposited the money was in favor of building the pump and they did not care to assist us in getting the money. They stalled the paperwork until I lost the grant from AFI. Well, that resulted in my giving the 80 thousand back, because that was given to help us raise grant money.

So there are many things that have happened over the years, not the least of which is being harassed by the police and having a car drive through the front of my studio.

This is an interesting story. The police were all over me. They kept issuing me bogus tickets until I lost my license and couldn't afford to keep my truck on the road. But that didn't stop me. I would pack my bicycle and my backpack with my camera and supplies and ride the fifteen miles one way to the pump site to film what was going on. One day I had the very strong feeling that my studio was not secure and that I needed to hide my film footage. So I took all the audio tapes and all the film footage and hid it all around the studio in boxes and in nooks and crannies where nobody who broke in could find them. I then packed my camera and rode over to the site.

We had a camp set up there, which we called "Valley Forge Two" and so I was camping there . It was a long ride and I needed to be there to film what was going on. People would come up to me and give me money for film, that was cool.

So I rode back to my studio the next day. When I got there- there was a giant hole in the front of the building. A car had driven into the building, smashing my antique rolltop desk in the process. Now you have to realize that this was a small cottage sitting in the middle of a field. The possibility that this was really an accident is very unlikely, especially when I had the overwhelming feeling that I was about to be invaded. That is just one more example of how controversial this film was and even still is. I have to confess that I am afraid that if I release this film the assaults will start again. I'm going to do it anyway though and hope for the best.

I'll continue this essay at another time.
AG

Nunc Licet: readings at Tamanend Park begin...

Arthur Greisiger 

is conducting readings of his stage play 

"Nunc Licet"
a play about Emanuel Swedenborg

at the Tamanend Park Stage
The Meadow Amphitheatre

beginning this 

Sunday September 26th from 2-4 pm 

(the regular time for Shakespearean activity) 

Work will continue on Sunday afternoons 

with the goal of making a presentation
for the World Assembly in June of 2011.  

We need to have people willing to read 

and others who are willing to assist in planning 

and gathering resources for the Assembly presentation. 

The immediate goal is to present in Pendelton Hall
on the campus of Bryn Athyn College,

beyond that, there hope to produce a film version.

Contact Arthur at 215-322-1566, or
imagemindag@verizon.net  

For further information
or to read a synopsis of the play
use this search link;

Nunc Licet

We need to finance this production and invite individuals willing to assist with this.

Studio Expansion

Property Acquisition;

IMS is currently located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, but has also had Studios consisting of shop space, studio/offices in Solebury/New Hope, Doylestown, Dublin, PA, Boston, MA and both Beverly Hills & Hollywood, CA.

The current operations are as reduced as possible, but are in great need of expansion.

An opportunity to expand the studio facilities into an additional 5K, or 10K, square feet has arisen.  The window for this opportunity is extremely limited and I will need to capitalize such an expansion to the tune of 50K minimum.  That number does not leave me any working capital, it is simply the required amount for acquisition of the space.  More details will be provided when I do the budget.

But there is also another opportunity which is under review.

Southampton does not have very much open space available. The township is considered built out. However there are a number parcels available. One is located in one of the industrial districts, is raw land and would accommodate an reasonably sized studio compound, but is limited to the two or three acres and does not have room for expansion.  There are also a few industrial buildings available, none of which are optimal.

I recently examined a parcel with an industrial building, a house, and additional land.  I was surprised to find that this parcel could serve well as a studio compound, but more interesting than that is the fact that there is an adjacent parcel of ten acres which is also available, effectively making nearly twenty acres avaialble. This is under review, but will require substantial financing. Resources that I do not currently have available to me.  Hence this posting is set down for the purpose of encouraging those resources to become available, as well as locating a Financial Manger/CFO for IMS.

The long term goal of a Theatrical Development Centre could well be implemented at this location, even though to do so would be locating it in a densely populated area.

History;

Years ago IMS had a scene shop, offices, and a rental stage set up in 2500 sq ft of the rear building of where my current offices are.  My intention at the time,  was to create a rental stage for photography, film, television and a rehearsal space for musicians.  I was well on my way to having the lighting installed and I was doing advertising, modeling photography, and creating display sign-age while I was setting up the facility.

I had numerous requests to use the space for "slams" which I refused and I had come to the conclusion that I did not want to operate the facility during late night hours, which would have been required for the rehearsal space.  So I eliminated that potential source of income.  My further intention was to set up a peanut gallery so that try-outs could happen and there would be an audience for television programs.  I was beginning to build a control booth for the stage area when another opportunity came up.

I had this shop set-up for around nine months, when, at their request,  The New Hope Arts Commission asked me to become their Technical Director and help them to survive a major shift in the management of the organization.  I took the position, but unfortunately discovered, too late that it did not pay sufficiently, nor in a timely manner, and did not allow me enough time to maintain or further develop the stage facility I was building.

In addition to these factors, I was using half of the building on a sub-let which was not working out, since I was paying too much for the space and the "landlord", who was the other business in the building, was not compatible with what I was doing and causing me grief.  I also had issues with the Fire Marshall, who was telling me that I had to install a sprinkler system and install additional fire exits.  The cost of operation became too much for me to handle and so I closed down the shop.

Current Status;

As it turns out, our family owns the building and our current tenant is moving out.  That leaves 10K sq ft open and available as of January of 2011.  Since IMS is intending on producing "The Gnomes of New Hope" as a television special, a marionette show, and a Broadway musical, this is an excellent opportunity to set-up that operation in a most convenient situation.  My trucks and current office are locate at the same address and one of my jobs is to oversee the maintenance on these buildings.

So it is that bringing my supplies out of storage, setting up the scenery shop for construction of the sets for The Gnomes, building the marionettes, manufacturing numerous ancillary products for this show, expanding the offices, setting up the animation studio,  expanding editing rooms, and employing production personnel to implement this and other projects is a good thing to be doing right now.

In order to do this, the effort will need to be financed and a CFO will need to be located.  A long time goal I have had for IMS is to restructure the operation with a more defined and functional corporate ladder. This will need to be the case if the management of the "Gnomes of New Hope" is to remain in-house and reach it's full potential in the marketplace.

In addition to "The Gnomes...", there are numerous other theatrical & cinema projects in pre-production or on the shelf, but there are also a number of product lines that have passed thru the prototype stages and linger on being ready for market.  Issues with space for inventory, manufacturing and assembly, as well as sufficient working space to implement packaging and guarantee fulfillment, have caused the delay in attempting to market these products. Expansion would open up the income potential for these projects as well.

Further discussion on this subject will ensue.

The Gnomes of New Hope: current status

Current Status; 

1/5/11

The presentation at Barnes & Noble went well, with discussions about a book signing taking place.  We presented a narrative storytelling of the first half of the story and the kids were enthralled. the adults were quite pleased and enthused as well, so it became clearer what direction we needed to move in with the show.

We had four of our Gnome characters enlarged to about 36" and they stood about in a semi-circle surrounding a stool with a copy of the book cover on an easel in the background.  We played a loop of the music in the background as I read the story and we displayed our script & music score materials.  Overall it looked and played well.

So now, I am working hard to complete the narrative layout for the storybook, but one of the issues with that is the finalization of the lyrics in the musical and trying to work all the scene variations into the second half of the show.  With that in mind I have shifted over to producing a Book of Lyrics (which is separate from the stage script or the Libretto).  This will help to clarify how many of the numerous little sub-plot items I can include in the stage musical.  Even if items are excluded from the stage, they may appear in the film though.

While I am doing this, Shawn is converting the 8-track music files over to stereo and working on mastering the music.  At the same time the orchestrations are being refined into the final stages, since some of the songs clearly need enhancement before going into mastering. 

We are preparing the material for going into the studio to lay down the lyrics and for me to do the narrative. The initial plan was to have the narrative told by Ferny and that may still be included, but after having done the reading at Barnes & Noble, numerous people have expressed their opinion that I should do the narrative, so I guess I will. That work will also be done at Circle Studios as opposed to at IMS, since their equipment & sound recording facilities are far superior.

We are planning on making another presentation of the show at Tamanend Park in the summer of 2011 and we have opened up discussion in New Hope about presenting the show there, possibly in the Bucks County Playhouse?  As you may have seen elsewhere- the game plan includes puppetry so we are now working to develop a larger prototype of the puppets for that presentation.  That puppet show is an experiment that is intended to go along with the concert presentation and I am now investigating animatronics for certain of  the puppet heads functions.  This work is leading to a filmed version of the puppet show.  I am debating as to whether or not to bring the subject up with Sesame Street.

Our main issue  right now is to increase our investment funds so that we can move forward at a more rapid pace, particularly with illustrations and the construction of the puppets.  Obviously there are other business matters which need attention and investment as well, so tending to those matters affects the overall pace of production.

We are also moving toward construction a large balloon(s) for our presence in parades and a construction of a float for publicity is also something we are looking at.

10/16/10

The narrative script has developed thru three revisions of the first half of the show. It is now clear that this must be finished, as we have an opportunity to present the story & possibly some of the music at a Barnes & Noble book fair.  I will be working to complete the narrative for the entire story over the next month. 

We are also designing the concert presentation, which will include, puppetry, live vocalists and use of the illustrations in various ways. We have determined to present the show at Tamanend Park and Phillip's Mill and are moving forward to paint the drops needed and construct the puppets.  This approach will allow for growth out of the resources we have available, rather than put us in the position that we need to raise larger amounts of Front Money...

8/17/10 

Publication of the score is moving along nicely and I am now integrating the published score into the Working Script. The Libretto will be derived from this when that process is completed.  The Working Script & Libretto is quite voluminous.

The Working Script: contains numerous description elements of each scene-  Synopsis, Setting, Summary, Technical Notes, Sets, Lighting, Properties, Costumes, and Character notes. If necessary for a particularly complex scene, another category, such as "Scene Change Notes" may also be included.  I expect that notes regarding musical performance may be included at some point.

This Working Script will constitute the primary materials for rental when the show is ready to Franchise as a traveling Marionette show.  The plan is to develop the Marionette show before the live performance, principally because of the resources required for a live show, but also because marketing the show with ancillary products, is the current modus operandi for gaining those resources required for a live union based show. In addition, the Marionette show will assist in raising the funds at a Backer's Audition and bringing the audience into the live show by developing affection for the material before the live show goes up.

Further advancement for The Illustrated Storybook has taken place, although work on the illustrations has stalled due to the requirement for us to complete the score.  If, as mentioned below, I am able to expand the studio operation, I will be establishing an Art Department capable of pursuing the illustrations and work on the Animated Version of the show.

Work is being done to assure that The Narrative Story, being used for the recorded CD Edition is consistent in their story-telling with the Illustrated published edition, and the stage show versions. A certain degree of divergence is acceptable, but for marketing purposes the story needs to remain as parallel as possible.

All of this runs parallel to my desire to restructure IMS toward a more corporate environment.

8/7/10:

We have been working very hard to achieve two basic goals. One- to publish the score and Two- to remix the music from eight tracks down to two.  I have taken on the responsibility to do the score and Shawn has taken on the remix. Our plan is to go into another, better equipped Studio (Circle Recording Studios) to lay down the vocals.  In order to do that we feel that it is best that we master the instrumentals to the stereo mix, which will ultimately be required anyway.

The publication of the score is something that is required for furtherance of the project for both publication goals and production goals.  Opportunities that exist must be met head on with full preparation and it is my opinion that performance of this music in a live orchestral or ensemble setting will greatly advance our cause. So as a result of my insistence, the job of scoring has fallen to me, which I'm actually rather happy about, even though it is a huge amount of logistical work which does take away from composing.

Marionettes: I am still working on constructing the marionettes and I have now begun an new phase in that construction. 

• I've constructed numerous chassis for the puppets and have experimented with various sculpting techniques and materials to try to ascertain the best approach.  I want the construction to be something that can be implemented in a manufacturing environment for the ancillary markets.  I am anticipating that we will need to be doing that in-house and so I will be seeking a distribution agreement for those products.

• I am now experimenting with two foot high models of human skeletons.  I am not certain if it is required, but my thinking is that the movements of the marionettes with actual skeletons may work the best to emulate bodily positions.  As it stands now I believe that the current approach will be able to serve the two purposed required for both marionettes and stop action cinematography.

• It is possible to move into the television production and the construction of the sets for both the franchised marionette show and the stop action film. We have sufficient material to advance in this regard. 

• I have the opportunity to expand the studio into a larger portion of the building I am currently using. This seems like it makes sense, but only if I garner sufficient resources to do so comfortably.  I have made mention of this elsewhere, to do this will require substantial financing and I believe that to acquire this financing the show will need to be represented by an agent who can involve major industry players.

 We have been discussing the art-work with a number of artists, but progress in that area is moving rather slowly because of other demands on time and resources that do not directly pertain to The Gnomes of New Hope.

Look for further postings or write for more details.