Onward, Ever Onward

I have been very invaliant in keeping a blog but I have been so tired and the schedule here is intense. I have been keeping a personal journal and would like to share some of my experiences now.

On Saturday we completed our first four performances of The British Pageant to an audience of over 6000 people and the only word that I could find, which still isn't sufficient enough to describe the spirit I felt, would be: beautiful. The audiences have beeb amazing and have been a mix of members and non-members of the church. I remember at the start of the Pageant, our Director Alex told us that we would love the audience so much. If I'm honest I was very skeptical when I heard this. But I can honestly say that I loved 1500 strangers every single night.

I don't leave the stage the whole performance, and I only view this as a privilege; this enables me to watch the reactions of them and to go in the journey with them and what a joy that is. I don't think a single person will leave the Pageant not feeling uplifted. It is truly a joyous piece of work. Although the performances have begun we still continue to rehearse during the day as the 150 family cast changed to a new 150 last Thursday. That meant that we had to begin teaching them all the blocking! All-in-all, us in the Core Cast have ran the show around 12 times in the past week and a half. But I grow to love and learn from it more and more everyday.

The schedule everyday for the past 2 weeks has been 9am (sometimes 8am) to 9pm or 10pm. In fact, one certain rehearsal went on until 1am the following morning but the core cast were advised not to participate. I can honestly say that I am exhausted. Completely exhausted, physically and mentally... But I love it. I am exhausted by doing the Lord's work. I wouldn't have it any other way. I genuinely love going on the stage every night as each performance is different; pertaining to the needs of each different audience.

I specifically enjoyed the Friday and Saturday performance as all the Scottish people were there and they raised the roof. You can rely on them to be rowdy and energetic and it lifted my performance. It was sooo good to see my family and have my parents meet my new role models: Ray Robinson, David Warner and Alex Johns. My parents felt their love. I have been missing my family and it was uplifting to see them and they are coming again this week.

One of the highlights of every show for me is when the missionaries from the MTC just next door come in and join us on stage singing 'Called To Serve'. It is such a powerful moment and is always accompanied by a massive round of applause from the audience to these exemplary young people whom I look up to. I cried my eyes out on Saturday during this moment, joyously of course, as Jesse (who portrays Thomas Benbow) had opened his mission call to Korea on stage during a rehearsal that day and he too was full of the spirit and crying on stage. It was a beautiful moment for each of us on stage. Us five youth narrators felt impressed to share a group hug although it wasn't blocked in the show but it felt great and worked well!

It was a reminder that we should always be pushing onward, ever onward.

Tonight is opening night for the new Blue Family Cast. President Stephen Kerr has just shared his pre-show devotional and we are all excited to get up on stage.

God has blessed each of us here and I have witnessed true miracles. I wish I didn't have to go home. But for now, I will push onward throughout the rest of this final week at The British Pageant.

Pioneer Spirit

Just a short blog to share with you how fantastic this rehearsal process really is. I am currently watching the 150 family cast block the opening scene under the direction of our Director Alex. They are working so hard and bless them, they are so patient. This is the first British Pageant and it is so large scale and there are so many logistics and varied aspects that constantly need tweeked. Essentially, during rehearsals we are still in a research/development stage. Usually in theatre a show has been workshopped to the max, but not here.

We didn't have the time as we are all from different places around the UK and the world. Secular theatre would NEVER be able to pull off what we are doing four days before opening. Most people here are amateurs and the reason we are able to pull this off is because they are completely qualified for this work despite that - and that is because The British Pageant is the Lord's work and that makes us as saints in the gospel so qualified and prepared for this type of work.

God bless everyone who is working so endlessly hard. Whilst we try to figure out with our leadership team (directors, managers, AV/light, choreographers) and the cast, how to make this massive performance be pulled off... I can't help but notice the admirable, pioneer spirit within each of us. It is truly beautiful and relates so closely to the story we share in the Pageant; of the early British Saints who worked themselves to the limit to have the restored gospel stand as it does today. And the contributions of the British people were well... at the very heart of all that was accomplished.

I have attached a picture of my current view.

Family Cast

Day #7 (25th July 2013) finally complete at 0141 the following morning... But let me tell you it's so worth it!

Although we did finish at 2145 many of the cast chose to go over the songs and their lines just to make sure we were truly prepared for run throughs and of course the performances! The Red Family Cast arrived today and is made of up of 150 volunteers, mainly real life families, who will join the core cast on stage to peform with us and add their testimony to the many one's already being born on stage.

They are split into districts of about 12-15 and us core cast members are assigned as district leaders, however we decided we didn't like the term leader so we changed it to district servant or district friend because we are as one with one another, and equally as important in our roles.

Meeting my families was amazing. We have two members of the work crew, and family of eight, a couple who came all the way from Barcelona and another young man who we haven't met yet. The testimonies of the young kids from the family of 8 - the Preston family - were beautiful and humbling to listen to as they explained why they came to the Pageant.

I know that the Lord has prepared each of my families in my district for The British Pageant and they all have a special purpose and reason for being here. I love them deeply already and I can't wait to grow closer to them - to help strengthen them and allow them to teach me just as much!

Rehearsals are continuing at a rapid and crazy pace. The schedule is intense! I am so humbled by the late hours our stage managers, our directors, our set designer, our work crews and so forth are working. It is truly a blessing to have the work here supported by such dedication and faith.

Tonight as a core cast we performed the whole show for the family cast and it was a blessing to finally have an audience. Their reaction was beautiful! I am so grateful that I can be viewed as a role model to others and a light of Christ's Gospel... It's a great responsibility and I know I have been prepared for this purpose. A scripture which completely describes my aim personally is as follows:

"When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men."

This is what it's all about! A love for the truth and a desire to share it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I have attached a picture of the stage which is still unfinished but looks amazing regardless!

O What Songs Of The Heart

Blog for July 23rd 2013

Today was a busy day again and it was just wonderful. This truly is a marvellous work and a wonder unfolding around us: as we block scenes on the stage, the dedicated work crew work hard around us building the beautiful set, inspired and designed by Mike Palmer's, as the creatice team and general core cast offer insight, spiritual promptings and general feelings.

The joy of the Gospel truth is in the air here as we all push on in, this here, the Lord's work. We love sharing the Gospel as a core cast and we are growing closer to Heavenly Father and to one another as we do it. Everybody's faith is amazing!

My favourite experience so far whilst being here in Chorley was the music rehearsal we had, as a core cast, with our lovely musical director Beth Trebilcock. Wow. Wow. Wow. If that is what the singing sounds like with just the 30 voices of the core cast, then I trust that when 250-odd people sing in perfect harmony these beautiful hymns: it will sounds heavenly. We had this singing rehearsal in a small intimate area within the temple accommodation lounge which just added to the close and unified spirit we have all been feeling.

I noticed half way through that there was a beautiful painting of Jesus Christ hanging on a wall in the room. It was hanging in quite a significant spot as well: the centre of the room.

As I joined with my fellow saints to sing the heavenly arrangments of well-known hymns, and as I though about this painting hanging there, I was reminded the Christ is at the centre of all of this. Through his atoning sacrifice we can become as one. This is a marvellous work happening here and I get so emotional as I write about this... I just can't put into words the feelings I have felt and am continuing to feel here next to the House of the Lord.

The happiness I am feeling is something I wish everyone could feel, and this isn't only because of the beautiful spirit that is here and the gospel truth, but because of how friendly and happy everyone is. There is true joy in the air and I guess that stems from the gospel anyway!

Our Story

Day #4 of The British Pageant finally completed!

Today's schedule:
8am to 1am - rehearsals with our pageant director, assistant directors and Bro Rob (Director of Music and Cultural Arts for the LDS church)
1pm to 2pm - lunch
2pm to 5pm - more rehearsals in the Pageant Theatre
5pm to 6.30pm - dinner and Family Home Evening
6.30pm to 10pm - sounds recording for the official Pageant Soundtrack

It has been a fast paced and busy, busy day and I all physically exhausted. But I can testify to one true thing: my cup is full.

My cup has well and truly been filled up today despite the long hours of work. I am just so grateful to Heavenly Father for the blessings He has been pouring out upon each of us and for the spirit He has blessed us with. Without it, none of us would have a purpose or a will to go on. You can feel it in the air here in the Preston temple grounds. You can well and truly feel it. We are growing so close as a cast and crew and it feels like ome big massive family. I especially want to express my love for the other four youth narrators who continue to strengthen my testimony and who set an amazing example for me as to how to live and work as Saints. Our bond is so strong together as the five youth narrators but it is not exclusive! Everyone is becoming totally unified by the love of God in this search for truth we are portraying and experiencing.

I particularly enjoyed today's rehearsal, as the five youth narrators, with Brother Ray Robinson, a lovely American who's official calling is Director of Development. He has been heavily involved in LDS theatre and arts for fourteen years and what a true blessing he is to each of us. He carries with him an influence of love and of experience in the most humble way. He helped us grow closer together and to realise our true purpose in this Pageant. He highlighted something so important:

We are telling our story on that stage.

As saints in the British Isles we are portraying the history of the building up of the church in Britain, from the arrival of the first two apostles and all the way to Nauvoo. And this is our story. He told us that we should feel truly blessed, as the five youth narrators, to be involved in the first ever event within the church that uses youth to tell the story in such a strong and involved way. We were told we were needed for the show! This does not make our role in the Pageant anymore important or commendable than another person's role. It just means that we carry an important responsibility to get up on stage and reveal ourselves; bear our own testimony; and to share OUR story as saints in the Isles.

We can't go on stage and try to be George Q Cannon, or Wilford Woodruff - it's impossible. But we must go on stage and be ourselves and allow our testimony and our love and hunger, for what we know to be true, to flow through us in the most beautiful and expressive way and that is for all the cast - even those with no lines - they are as equally as important as someone with over 50 lines.

We are telling a magnificent story on stage. We are telling our story.

We therefore learned and realised that we should not try to act out the lines in the script - but rather react in the most organic and spiritual way, to the lines.

And our story continues today. We all, as saints in the British Isles, add to this story through our desire to live more like Christ. Our story is still being written by us. The British Pageant is going to change lives as it is so historical and so full of the love of God and the extension of that; which is the love the cast have for one another and for the audience. We can't wait to have an audience; we want to love them.

Five simple words to end this blog:

Come to The British Pageant.

You just won't understand until you come.
I have attached a picture of me and my new "best friend". Caitlin is 11 years of age and is portraying Emily Partington in the show and I have got to say that she does a marvellous job and has strengthened my testimony. The lovely spirit that she carries with her is exemplary and has reminded me to become more like a child: submissive, meek and kind. I am also so glad to have discovered the little sister I never had!!!

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Keep up with my daily blogs here for the next three weeks (pictures and videos included).

Zion, Zion, Beautiful Zion

Day #3 of the Pageant is complete! I am shattered! But, oh what a day it was.

It started off with waking up at 0730 and getting ready to head to the Preston Stake Centre for a special sacrament meeting with the four Chorley words and The British Pageant choir, core cast and creative team combined. What a beautiful 1.5 hour meeting this was. The singing of the hymns sounded glorious - 500 voices strong and the spirit was in abundance from the moment we all joined together and sang the first note of Come, Come Ye Saints with unanimous gusto. We also heard some short remarks from the stake presidency.

Afterwards we all got changed and we got to work! (Ohhh, 'on the sabbath' I hear you say - haha but it's all for a brilliant purpose and it's the work of the Lord so it's fine). The choir spent the full day from 1030 to 2130 recording their beautiful vocals on top of the melodious orchestral tracks from Salt Lake City whilst us as a core cast rehearsed and began to block the show on stage in the Pageant Theatre. We then had the opportunity to visit the choir in the Chorley ward building's chapel and this turned out to be an incredible and enriching experience for each of us.

The sound that this untrained but completely adequate and prepared choir produced hit each of us core cast members in the most glorious way possible. We performed some short scenes for them whilst they filled in the gaps with their singing and we soon realised how much we were lifting one another and there was not a dry eye in the Chapel as Matt McKenzie (who portrays Arthur Ashton) performed the opening scene over the orchestral track.

We love you choir and as the core cast, we join together and show our gratitude to your hard work and effort and sacrifices as your music truly lifts the show to the spiritual level it is necessary to be at. And the fact you guys only took a 1.5hour break at the most is commendable and humbling for me personally. Thank you.

I feel as though what we achieved today as participants in the Pageant (choir, core cast, creative team) is a true vision of the impact this is going to have on everyone involved and everyone coming to see it.

I personally feel that I am drawing closer and closer to all the core cast members (made up of around 29) every single minute of the day. They are all individually exemplary to me in their own unique way. I love each of them. And more especially the other four youth narrators who join together on the stage to not only share the story with the audience but also bear witness of Christ by being and revealing our true selves and not just the character we are playing. I love the other youth narrators.

But as a whole I feel as though the core cast has become a family and being at The British Pageant truly feels like living, beathing, loving and learning...... in Zion.

I can not wait to be joined by the family cast on Wednesday which will bring our cast to around 200! Wow wow wow.

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Keep up with my daily blogs here for the next three weeks (pictures and videos included).

Feels So Real

I'm here in Chorley for the next three weeks for The British Pageant 2013 and I arrived today. The rest of the core cast arrived yesterday but because of my sister's wedding I couldn't come until today. (My sister's wedding was AMAZING by the way and I send Jonathan and Amber Edosomwan my best wishes). Although I only spent about an hour this evening rehearsing with the rest of the core cast, I could totally see how close we were becoming and I could also see that we were beginning to become really unified in our purpose at the Pageant!

Rehearsals continue tomorrow after church at 9am in Chorley ward and continue until late evening and I can tell I am going to love and cherish every moment of it as it brings so much growth and learning into my life and my testimony will surely continue to be strengthened for the next three weeks.

A highlight of arriving at the temple was seeing the Pageant theatre for the first time... One word: WOW. This stage is enormous - I have never seen anything like this in my life. I can't wait for everyone to see it and be amazed.

I know that this Pageant is going to bring truth and real joy into people's lives and have a real positive effect on their lives. Everyone should come and experience this fantastic production.

I have attached a picture of my sister Amber in her wedding dress on a very small section of the Pageant stage.

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Keep up with my daily blogs here for the next three weeks (pictures and videos included).