Ministry Beyond Westchester Chapel

[Rich & Joyce Swingle's Itinerary] What's coming up for the Swingles

2012-01-13T09:27:00.001-08:00

Sunday, January 1, 11am

Views of the Manger, part 5
The New King: Wise men cross the earth to worship Him
Westchester Chapel
White Plains, NY
WestchesterChapel.org

January 10
Presentation Skills Workshop
Short Hills, NJ
GraceworksInc.com

January 27-28
Adjudicating and teaching a workshop
Secondary School Theatre Festival
Christians in Theatre Arts
Greenville, SC
CITA.org

February 24
NYC College of Technology
Brooklyn, NY
GraceworksInc.com

March 1
Early Application Deadline for The MasterWorks Festival

March 5
Chapel and a workshop
Bethel College
Wishewaka, IN

May 4

Lord's Prayer Dialogue with Mac Nelson

District Assembly

MNYNaz.com

July 27-August 2

Available for performances in and near London during the Summer Olympics: RichDrama.com/Booking

London, England

August 3-27

Beyond the Chariots

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Edinburgh, Scotland

October 19 and 21
Available for performances in Southern Oregon
RichDrama.com/Booking

Dates TBD

Voice-over for two upcoming films

Dates TBD

Daystar Academy

Kenya, Africa

Dates TBD

Friends University

Kenya, Africa

Periodic
Westchester Chapel Players
Westchester Chapel
White Plains, NY
WestchesterChapel.org

For booking information contact Dale Savidge: RichDrama.com/Booking.

--
Posted By Blogger to Rich & Joyce Swingle's Itinerary at 9/11/2011 05:59:00 PM

The Marvelous Month of MasterWorks!

2011-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

[To share this page, send people to RichDrama.com/MWF.]

We're constantly amazed by the depth of growth spiritually and artistically that happens at MasterWorks, and this year was no exception!

The schnoz Brandon Langeland used for the title role of our MasterWorks production of Cyrano de Bergerac cast a long shadow.

We produced Cyrano de Bergerac, the story of a swashbuckling hero who won't dare to express his love for Roxane because he believes that his long nose makes him too ugly for her to love in return. Here are my closing statements after the last performance:

The level of professionalism our students brought to it was astonishing. We've been so pleased with the steady artistic growth in the program that next year we're taking our production of Karol Wojtyla's The Jeweler's Shop to New York City. More on that as details develop.

This year's faculty brought spiritual and artistic insights from several cultural hubs: NYC, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Melbourne, Virginia Beach and Jackson.

Curt Cloninger, who gave the very first one-man play I'd ever seen, inspiring me to make a 15 year career of it, came from Atlanta to share his play Witnesses for the Festival and community. It introduces us to people who knew Jesus first hand: They were witnesses of his walk on earth. Curt has taken his plays around the world and performed them for live audiences as large as 30,000. The way the play was received by our community gives me hope that he has inspired a new generation to use its gifts for the Kingdom.

LA casting director, Bev Holloway, returned for her fourth straight year. She's worked on more than 30 projects, including Like Dandelion Dust with Barry Pepper (nominated for the Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards) and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino. She came fresh from Thailand with stories of casting the upcoming film Trade of Innocents in which Sorvino also performed.

Colin Harbinson, a Brit who makes his home in Jackson, MS, has worked for forty years in the arts, education and missions. He is the creator of the internationally performed musical Toymaker and Son. He preached to the whole MasterWorks community using the story of Lazarus to talk about the death of a vision, and how the Lord resurrects greater things if we choose not to live in our woundedness. The stories he used as illustrations were profound and moving, as was his time with the theatre company the next day.

Susan Sommerville Brown, was back for her seventh straight season. She shared insights gained from decades of professional work on Broadway and in Chicago. She brought Maria Callas to life in a monologue from Master Class for one of our faculty recitals.

New Yorker Patricia Mauceri was also back for her seventh season. She shared stories of taking master classes with Callas that brought new meaning to Susie's work. As always, she worked with our students to build the spiritual lives of their characters.

This was the Festival's 15th anniversary, and to celebrate, we featured two alumni, who recently earned their masters degrees in Virginia Beach at Regent University: Chad Rasor served as fight choreographer for our play and Brandon Langeland, who played Cyrano, taught improv classes which culminated in what is a highlight of the Festival every year, our Theatre Improv Night, which segued into improvised worship and enacted prayer. We also had a Skype call with a MasterWorks alum, Irene Kao. She stayed up late to speak in our first class of the day. She's studying acting in Melbourne, Australia, at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe trained.

Just before MasterWorks started this year I took a four-day course on Whole Brain® Thinking. I used some of what I'd learned with our MasterWorks students to help them understand how they and the characters they played think.

I performed Paradise Lost for the festival with MasterWorks faculty members Terry Ewell and Doris DeLoach. Ewell wrote this new work, based on Milton's epic poem, for the International Double Reed Conference in Tempe, AZ, at which we had just performed. We also performed it in Baltimore, MD, for YouTube.

All our instructors impart not only their expertise and wisdom in acting for stage and film, but they also share their testimonies as followers of Christ. On our final day as a company each student shared his or her purpose statement. We were all sobbing to hear the breakthroughs students had made on many levels throughout the month.

On the final day of the festival the entire community erected a pile of rocks commemorating the decisions we'd made throughout the month.

For a report from last year's program, click here.

Recent Ministry Opportunities

2011-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

On October 23 Rich Swingle reported on recent ministry opportunities in Taiwan, Singapore, Oregon and his recent performance in the film Writers' Block. For photos from the Swingles outreach in Asia visit SwinglesInAsia2011.Shutterfly.com, and for more stories visit blog.richdrama.com (September and October 2011).

On October 9 Pastor Joyce Swingle reports on recent ministry opportunities the Swingles have had: Performing Five Bells for 9/11 in NYC on 9/11, leading Spiritual Life Week at Morrison Academy in Taiwan, and performing The Acts during Homecoming at Rich's alma mater, George Fox University.

These reports are available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

Sending Rachel out to teach in Malaysia

2011-10-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

During our service this morning Rich Swingle prayed over Rachel L., who will be teaching in Malaysia. You can hear that prayer at the end of today's sermon on WestchesterChapel.Blogspot.com (10/23). You can prayerfully follow Rachel's adventures at RachelsESLExplosion.blogspot.com.

[Rich & Joyce Swingle's Itinerary] What's coming up for the Swingles

2011-09-11T14:59:00.001-07:00

TBD

Voice-over for two upcoming films

9/11/11, 8pm
Five Bells for 9/11
The Ellington Room
400 W 43rd St
New York City

September 14
Rich speaks at the
Women of Business Alliance Networking Event
(Rich's 15th presentation for a women's event)
Princeton Chamber of Commerce
Princeton, NJ

September 19-25
Rich and Joyce featured for Spiritual Emphasis Week
Mon: Rich performs Sheepish and Joyce introduces the weeks theme of Trust
Tue am: Rich performs excerpts from Five Bells for 9/11 and Joyce preaches on Psalm 20
Tue pm: Rich shares about a career in the performing arts, Joyce shares about a career in publishing, and we both teach enacted prayer
Wed: Rich performs part one of Journey to the Garden and Joyce preaches on Psalm 22:1-21
Thur am: Rich performs part one of Journey to the Garden and Joyce preaches on Psalm 22:22-31
Thur pm: An evening of enacted prayer and improvised worship, with performances from The Revelation and Big Fish Little Worm sprinkled in
Fri: Rich and Joyce portray shepherds inviting the students into their tent as they explore Psalm 23
Morrison Academy
Taichung, Taiwan

September 25, 7pm:
Rich performs Beyond the Chariots with Traditional Chinese and Korean subtitles
Taichung, Taiwan

September 26
Big Fish Little Worm
Morrison Academy
Kaosiung, Taiwan

September 27
Performing/Speaking
Morrison Academy
Teibei, Taiwan

September 30
Joyce speaks at Women's Retreat
Pittsburgh, PA

October 1
Beyond the Chariots
Singapore

October 7-8, 8pm
The Acts
Homecoming
George Fox University
GeorgeFox.edu

October 14-15
Christians in Theatre Arts Board Meetings
Atlanta, GA
CITA.org

October 16
Available for bookings near Atlanta, GA.
RichDrama.com/Booking

October 20-21
Graceworks
New Haven, CT
GraceworksInc.com

November 5

Department Head Meeting

MasterWorks Festival

Winona Lake, IN

MasterWorksFestival.org

November 6

Available for bookings near Winona Lake, IN: RichDrama.com/Bookings

2012

January 27-28
Adjudicating and teaching a workshop
Secondary School Theatre Festival
Christians in Theatre Arts
Greenville, SC
CITA.org

March 5
Chapel and a workshop
Bethel College
Wishewaka, IN

May 4

Lord's Prayer Dialogue with Mac Nelson

District Assembly

MNYNaz.com

July 27-August 2

Available for performances in and near London during the Summer Olympics: RichDrama.com/Booking

London, England

August 3-27

Beyond the Chariots

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Edinburgh, Scotland

October 19 and 21
Available for performances in Southern Oregon
RichDrama.com/Booking

Dates TBD

Daystar Academy

Kenya, Africa

Dates TBD

Friends University

Kenya, Africa

Periodic
Westchester Chapel Players
Westchester Chapel
White Plains, NY
WestchesterChapel.org

For booking information contact Dale Savidge: RichDrama.com/Booking.

--
Posted By Blogger to Rich & Joyce Swingle's Itinerary at 9/11/2011 05:59:00 PM

Swingles in Asia

2011-09-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Pray for Rich and Pastor Joyce Swingle as they present at the Spiritual Emphasis Week for Morrison Academy in Taiwan: itinerary.richdrama.com.

Five Bells for 9/11 in NYC on 9/11/11

2011-09-11T14:01:00.001-07:00

For about a year it's been on my heart to offer my one-man play Five Bells for 9/11 in New York City on 9/11/11.

Shortly after those tragic events that changed the world, I took a workshop put on by the Billy Graham Association empowering lay people to counsel those who were traumatized. One of the things they told us was that it's important to bring events back to our memories, especially when we can find positive memories that were there, too. That's exactly what Five Bells for 9/11 does.

The play tells the stories of three people that were directly impacted: Bruce Van Hine, a fire fighter for Squad 41 in the FDNY; Lana Ho Shing, a mutual funds specialist for Morgan Stanley, and Father Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest at the Church of St. Francis.

Ann Van Hine, the wife of one of the characters in the play said, "We shouldn't be coping, we should be hoping." It is my deepest desire that this play will bring hope and healing to those who experience it.

If you're in or near the city I hope you can join us. Or if you know of someone that would be encouraged by it's message please invite them.

It will be performed at 400 W 43rd St at the corner of 9th Ave. Tell the security guard that you're there for an event in The Ellington Room. The play will begin at 8pm. There is no charge and no offering will be collected.
That was lovely. Thank you.
--Robert M. Fresco
Academy Award winning filmmaker Checklosovakia 1968

Rich, thanks so much for such a powerful and moving performance and message.
--Melanie M. Jeschke
Author of The Oxford Chronicles and Jillian Dare