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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Technical creativity transformed church stage into Noah's Ark

By Alana West, Special Writer

PUBLISHED: May 3, 2007

Children at Emanuel United Church of Christ in Manchester sang songs Sunday during the musical "100% Chance of Rain," which celebrated the familiar story of Noah's Ark.

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"The kids just really worked hard, starting right from the beginning," said Betty Blue, who produced and directed the production, and who also leads the Sunday school program. "It took a whole church to really have this go."

There was no script for the drama, so Jennifer Blackwell, the church's youth leader, wrote and acted out the script, which included roles for Noah (Tom Ash) and his (Rhonda Ash), his sons and their wives, played by Jay and Kelly Jacobs, Rusty and Jennifer Blackwell, and Carl and Charlene Provey.

The musical score, which was written by Walter S. Horsely, was chosen this year because it had been done at Emanuel in years past, and the church already owned the music.

Blue enlisted the help of church member Teresa Benedict, who recently helped produce the holiday program, "Celebrate the Season," with Brian Myers, who joined the church musical as technical director. Myers also runs Tech Unlimited, a high school club that provides technical assistance during productions.

Myers and Benedict designed the stage, which transformed the choir risers into an ark when they were upraised. They hung a sun and clouds to describe the gathering gloom before the storm. Blue strings of lights, curling in on themselves, became the waves that mounted higher as the rains came down at the foot of the stage.

Nannette Kwiatek, music director at the church, led the children, from preschool age to sixth grade, in such songs as "Who Built the Ark," "Never Again, Noah," and "Arky, Arky."

The children sang to the bouncy beat of "100% Chance of Rain," and pounded out their own rhythm with "Follow the Instructions," a song that described step-by-step how to build an ark.

One song praised "The Admirable Admiral," (Noah) for his virtues in following God's word, while another, "O How it Rained," described the torrents that fell.

Many children sang solos during the production.

At the end of the program, the children, who had been wearing brightly colored T-shirts randomly throughout the stage, resolved the colors into the bands of the rainbow, reminding the audience of God's biblical promise to Noah, and to all people, that there never again will be a flood of the same magnitude.

Following the production, many helped take down the set and technical wiring, restoring the stage to its original state.

Blue said many people worked hard to make the musical a success.

"I am honored to work with the church. They have done an outstanding job putting this together," she said.