The Pope's Call to Artists!

One of our board members for Epiphany Studio Productions and The Open Window Theatre sent Jeremy and I this address from Pope Benedict to artists. Our mission and name was developed on JPII's "Letter to Artists" and it is a joy to have this mission affirmed once again by our Holy Father! See a short excerpt below.

Papal Address to Artists of Anniversary Exhibit

Never Seek Beauty Far From Truth and Charity

"...I would like to renew to you and to all artists a friendly and passionate appeal: never separate artistic creativity from truth and charity; never seek beauty far from truth and charity, but with the richness of your genius, of your creative impulse, be always courageous seekers of truth and witnesses of charity. Make truth shine in your works so that their beauty awakens in the sights and hearts of those who admire them the desire to make their existence, all existence, beautiful and true, enriching it with that treasure that never diminishes, which makes of life a work of art and of every man an extraordinary artist: [the treasure of] charity, love..."

Thank you Papa for affirming our mission in this work!

Holy Spirit of inspiration, dwell in all artists so that beauty and truth may be honored in art.

In the Divine Artist,
Sarah

Saint Maria Goretti

Saint Maria Goretti's feast day is today and she has a special place in my heart as well as my home.

When I say she has a special place in my home, I mean it! Jeremy and I are blessed to have a first class relic of this beautiful heroic saint. If you are not familiar with what "first class" means, in terms of relics, it means we have a piece of her body. Wow. Since I have long studied the Theology of the Body the idea of relics has become even more beautiful. God made us both physical and spiritual and the two are united in the body and are blessed.

This morning I picked some of the lovely orange lilys in my yard to honor her with this day. I wanted to also go to mass but Augustine decided to nap right as I was getting ready to leave and so I did The Chaplet of Divine Mercy since her sainthood was pivotal on her desire for mercy towards her murderer. For more on her story click here. To watch a clip of the drama we tour and travel with across the country, based on her sainthood, as told through the words of her murderer, "Alessandro" click here.

Saint Maria Goretti, Pray for us!

Sarah

First Camping/Work Trip

With another weekend of work approaching I began whining to Jeremy about how much I really miss family time with him since work takes up 90% of our lives. We haven't had a free weekend in some time! As I sadly began thinking about trying to figure out a work trip to St. Charles, MO for a performance I considered the delightful options of, A) drive 18 total painful hours to and from the performance with a 1 1/2yrs old or B) getting someone to watch Augustine for the weekend for the umpteenth time this month. Neither option was appealing. That is where camping comes in...

We decided to do what we do best... go with the flow and make the best of it and make the trip a family camping trip. Although leading up to the trip was a bit chaotic as we prepped for the work aspect of the trip and being gone for 5 days we headed off Thursday morning, not sure what to expect.

We drove to a half way point campground "Palisades-Kepler National Park" and set up our tent, pack-n-play and scrounged up some firewood. Augustine was a real trooper and enjoyed exploring the various sticks and stones as well as the new play land in the tent. Once it was dark enough he went to bed like a dream.

The next day we packed up and headed to our final destination - St. Charles, MO. We stayed with wonderful hosts who took us out to dinner on Old Main Street. It was so lovely and reminded me of Boston and Door County mixed together with cobblestone streets and lots of beautiful shops and restaurants. The history in St. Charles is that this lovely city set on the river was where Louis and Clark set off on their adventure to discover West America. It really had a nice cozy quaint feel and I wish we had more time to explore.

We had our show of LOLEK for a medium sized crowd who gave a standing ovation and raved about the performance after the show. I will never tire of people coming up to me after the show saying, "That actor is SO talented!!!!" I smile and say, "Yes, he really is!" :-)

We went to mass the next day and then were campground bound.

Awake                                                                             Sleep

Play

We set up camp in the exact same spot as we were in before. (When you don't have a reservation and the spot is open - why mess with a good thing?) As drops of rain began to fall we pulled out our tent camping rain gear - the laptop and a movie. We watched "Up" in our cozy tent while the thunderstorm raged and it was magically wonderful. Augustine sat alert and wide awake after his bedtime while Jeremy and I relaxed and we all thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was a really great pick and I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.

I am so excited we finally got to go camping as a family and the trip overall went really well. It was relaxing and rejuvenating and a lot of fun! I'm already looking forward to when we will be able to camp again and take our second Summer work trip to one of my favorite places - Hollywood, CALIFORNIA!

Answer to Prayer

My previous post was about trust. It was written in a moment of struggle. And now I have to write this post...

The day after my last post God blessed us in a special way! Attendance has been very low at the performances this summer and after sell out shows it's been a pretty rough transition. Summer is my favorite time of year but the worst in terms of work. It is literally day to day survival. When there are only 5 people in the audience on a given night I can only say, "ok, God we are showing up, we hope you are here with us."

Well Saturday night I went to mass and prayed, surrendered, and trusted. As it turns out that night we had our largest crowd, 20 people! Besides that, the Holy Spirit moved a number of people to donate a pretty large sum of money - YES! We will make it through June! Praise God! I knew He would provide and was so grateful for His Divine providence this day! I have to share this because it is so good for me to remember and remind myself how God answers prayers. Praying really does work! I know it does, duh, but even as a cradle Catholic I need those reminders in a tangible way, thank you God!

Growing up my parents were living on a really really tight budget. I am not exaggerating when I say that my mom kept old bread drying in the oven and we ate it for snacks as kids. (She can't remember that but let me tell you I would remember that!) Or there was that time my mom got a bunch of free baby cereal and all us kids had to eat it. GROSSS!!! Now, that is frugal people. Anyway, my parents kept a book of answered prayers so they would remember God's goodness down the road. The stories they have are really amazing and it's a beautiful testimony to their faith and God's providence and the power of prayer. I too kept a journal as a child and not a single one of my prayers went un-answered. It is so neat to look back at.

In a way I am happy to follow in my parents footsteps and live a life dependent on God's provision. I am also happy God has not seen fit to bless us with gallons of free baby cereal, but if he does, I'll find a way to share the blessing! ;-)

How green is our grass?

So tomorrow starts Production and Performance week for The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe! Get your tickets for this great show in our new space May 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th by calling 651-336-3302.

We have been so busy preparing the space: curtains, risers, chairs, painting, decorating and on and on... The work just doesn't seem to end for my dear husband who is thee HARDEST worker I have ever known. He stays up often until 4:00/5:00/6:00am and wakes a few hours later to keep working. 2-3 hrs of sleep per night is insane!! Sometimes he will even pull that all nighter thing and just restart a day without really ending the other. Where I say, 'I can't go on I have to go to bed,' he says 'ok, you can go to bed' while he plows on ahead. I don't know how he does it but he is amazing! He is doing the work of two full time employees and he somehow has been doing this for 8yrs. It really does blow my mind. He sacrifices so much for our family and this work and I am so grateful. While I go to my beloved book club or out for a 6 mile run with a friend he stays home and works, works, and works some more. Now all this work is not to be compared with workaholic. Jeremy loves taking a break and he knows how to let lose and have a great time. Anyone who really knows Jeremy knows that he is one of the most delightful and fun people there is to be around.Trust me, I know! Its just that he is so often forced into not getting to take a break due to the overwhelming work load.

I often thank God that we work together so that I can share in Jeremy's life so deeply and not feel out of the loop. I wonder sometimes what it must be like to not share in the daily grind with my husband. What would it be like to have just one of those normal lives? Where you can actually take a weekend for what it is - a break from work... Or, imagine this, coming home to a home and not your work place with duties and work needs staring you in the face. I really think the grass always looks greener on the other side and that if Jeremy and I didn't work together that I would miss him terribly and I would miss sharing in his work and passion. I'll take the good with the bad the pros with the cons and enjoy the green grass on my side of the fence. 

Keeping it real,
Sarah

When God closes a door He OPENS a WINDOW

Yes God has certainly Opened a Window for us!

Jeremy and I have been praying for a couple years about whether God would want us (Epiphany) to get our own local space. The dream was big, the shot was long. Can we really use the arts locally as a huge positive force in our local culture? Everyone wants our culture to change... what are we all doing about it? Could this be our next step in transforming our culture in a positive way? This space would provide us to produce high quality, positive, family friendly shows. We would have a home to host original and classic works that all fit within our mission. To educate, entertain and inspire! Besides all that I would now have a home for my own Dance Studio ECHO DANCE!

I have been a Ballroom dance instructor for years but without a home to host my classes. Not only could my Ballroom Dancing Classes and Dances mesh with the mission of Open Window but it would provide an additional source of revenue for this work helping to provide more financial stability.

Could Epiphany afford to take such a big leap of faith? Did we really have the local support it appeared we had? If we jump would we fall? Would we fail?? I guess that's where the whole 'leap of faith' thing comes in. Despite our concerns it seemed that God continued to open the door (or window in this case) towards Epiphany getting its own space.

And so despite many fervent prayers for God to close the door, if it was His will, He saw fit to give us this new space, birthed right out of Divine Mercy Sunday and our Patron Pope John Paul II's Beatification day as well as our 2 year anniversary! The lease was signed on a 24 hr deadline notice (someone else almost snatched the space right from under our noses) at 3pm (the hour of mercy) Monday May 2nd. There were so many beautiful signs from God that this is what he was providing for us. And although it was still a leap of faith for us both we felt strongly that this was God knocking on our hearts to sacrifice more and to continue this work.

And so with all that said I'm including a link for you to check out THE OPEN WINDOW THEATRE and its mission as well as details on the upcoming performances of  our Catholic Youth Theatre production of THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE featuring Jeremy Stanbary, my dear and talented husband, as Aslan the Lion! May 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th  at 7:00pm and May 29th at 2:00pm

Also, I have to throw in a pitch for my Ballroom Dance Classes and Dances! The first Ballroom Dance Social will be on May 20th at 7pm. It WILL include a a free Ballroom Dance lesson for those who are interested and will be a fun social atmosphere to gather with friends, dance and chat! I hope you can come and make this your home to Social Ballroom Dancing in the Twin Cities. Also, I will be hosting two sessions of Ballroom Dance classes this summer... Let me know if you would like me to send you the registration form and more details. Dates below...

Summer Session 1: Monday nights: June 6^th, 13^th, 20^th, and 27^th

Summer Session 2: Monday nights: July 25^th, Aug. 1^st, 8^th, & 15^th

Sessions Available:

·         5:30-6:20pm….Youth Ballroom (ages 12yrs-17yrs)

·         6:30-7:20pm….Ballroom-1 (All ages)

·         7:30-8:20pm….Ballroom-2 (Must have some previous Ballroom Dance experience)

·         8:20-9:00pm….Ballroom-3 (Must have a moderate knowledge/skill of Ballroom Dance)

More info to come but I just want to thank God for making this a reality and for providing for us and blessing us beyond what we deserve!

Sarah

Mini Work Vacation

Shortly after my beautiful baby boy turned one year old April 2nd, 2011.

*see future blog post on the exciting day!

Jeremy and I had to leave him for the longest we have ever left him. 4 days. Four days without my baby, I mean, my one year old. No, my baby. Always my baby.

Will I survive?

We had a 17 HOUR drive to DeSales University in PA for a performance of LOLEK. Not to mention the five hour trip we took to drop Augustine off at my parents house in WI. The drive was long but it was actually pretty fun to have that relaxing road trip feel without worrying about Augustine getting uncomfortable or fussing. I only watched cute videos of him and looked at awe worthy pictures of him.... occasionally. I only called home a few times... a day, and texted, well, a bit over my plan for this month. I really enjoyed spending some unplanned quality time with my fun, silly, and handsome husband, road tripping like the olden days.

After an over night stop in Steubenville, OH with family friends we completed our journey to DeSales by catching their 8pm on campus mass which was quite lovely. Our gracious host led us to an on campus guest house that looked like a beautiful bed and breakfast in England or Ireland that was to be ours for our stay...

...and handed us what she said were food cards that had $5,000 on them, we instantly knew that this was going to be a wonderful stay. She even said, 'go crazy' with the food cards. Starving artists say, 'yes mam!'

When this school wanted to book us a year ago I was due with Augustine and wasn't about to let my husband do a work trip on my due date. This year the booking made more sense and even though the host was not able to pay our full travel costs I just felt we needed to do this show and that God would provide for our needs. Yes the looooooong drive WAS crazy long and left us feeling loopy and half sleeping we made it safely and we quite enjoyed the rewarding perks of being here on a little mini work vacation. To top it off Augustine was doing great with my parents and building a special bond with my family and especially my dad and last night we had balmy summer evening weather.

Thank you Lord for these blessings that help restore our souls and give us peace, joy and hope.

Sarah

Behind the Scenes

Actors live such a glamorous lifestyle. Right?

Hahahhahhahahhha.....not so much.

Ahhh... that's more like it.
Jeremy and I just finished a three day run of shows and it was pretty tedious. The shows went great, but the nature of this work is so very very draining. I think most people do not realize just how exhausting this work is, and while we have a passion for our ministry's mission, some days we wonder how we survive the long days...

Here's a day behind the scenes:

We get on the road as early as 6am, if we haven't already driven right through the night to our destination. We arrive, and begin load in carrying large heavy boxes from the trailer to the performance location. Next we set up the show and equipment which takes as long as 8 hours. If things do not go smoothly that means we are left still prepping for the show minutes before the start of the show. I could go into great detail about what it means for things to "not go smoothly", but I will spare you the drama. We have some pretty crazy stories. The performance then requires us to pour our heart and soul and full range of emotion into every word we speak sometimes requiring full out fight scenes and long monologues packed with emotion and energy. Then, for example, Friday's show of THE SCRUTINY PASSION was followed by a short talk (by Jeremy) and adoration. We then have to tear down the entire set for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. If we have no volunteers to help us it can be pretty exhausting and take as long as 3hrs. Loading the equipment into the trailer can be knee cap dislocating (add a trip to the ER to top off the night) or back breaking (Jeremy has had 2 lower back surgeries). We find it is 11pm or even midnight and we have not eaten in 10hrs, the booking location forgot to pay us, we have been traveling and working for 16 hrs, and on a rare occasion Jeremy has to then drive overnight to the next location to repeat.

It's long and tedious, but is indeed a labor of love. It has many benefits and blessings as well and it is extremely rewarding to hear from the audience or booking host positive feedback on how the performance touched them deeply or inspired them. Sometimes we leave wondering how the next day will be provided for or where the next dollar will come from. I think God really allows us to journey in this way of unknowing to realize, in an acute way, that He is our provider and that none of this is for our own glory. I often think as I choke back tears back at the tech table during an especially moving or touching part of one of the plays... God allows me to do this work so that I can see these plays over and over. So that I can constantly be reminded of holy men and woman who were confronted with great trials and with the power of prayer and God's grace endured them with great faith.

One of the quotes from the play that I remind myself and Jeremy of often is this, "The gospel does not promise a comfortable life to any of us." Its true we are called to carry our crosses, and that is not a bad thing. Taking up our crosses and following Christ is rewarding in ways we don't often even see. When I die I hope God shows me what this work has done for people. Will I, God willing, get to walk through the heaven of pure JOY and PEACE and have Jesus point to people along the way, and as he does, I will know in an instant how my life, my husband, and this work impacted them? I sure hope so!

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise. "

Mother Teresa

Sarah