by Simon 9 Replies latest jw friends
Our congregation never once did a drama at an assembly.
My wife's congregation didn't either.
But some seemed to do them every year!
Was this favouritism or 'simony' do you reckon? (a terrible word )
Someone mentioned an 'old boy network' in another thread - there may be something in that ...
Simon, I guess you want to see if this new threads per day thing works? If so, you hit your limit already.;)
I don't want someone in my life I can live with. I want someone in my life I can't live without.
That was the case during the 70's and most of the 80's in a circuit in southern Indiana, also the same elders from the same Vincennes, Ind. cong. always had the assembly parts as well until most of the group of elders either stepped down for personal reasons or were removed because of scandal.
I remember that as well.
I remember that in the District Conv. it was always the same cong. from Virginia doing the dramas.
It was funny when an elder friend of mine moved down to virginia (I did'nt know which cong.) and wound up having the "lead" role in the following years drama.
It was incredible. As if to point out that the only way we would ever have any part of that was to move down there to a "spiritual" cong.
Our hall never did dramas, but the same 'gang' year after year, did the food 'prep'. (pleasant memories of the aroma of Bacon barms)
Latte
Was thinking about the dramas the other day, and how diabolically bad they were, the acting? Streuth!! And those wide sweeping gestures with the arms flowing emphatically, ahhhh those were the days.
The congregation here got to do a few of them but never offered me a part, how unusual.
Do you remember the fake face paints to give the tanned look and the turbans made from second hand curtain material, honestly, if any of the public had seen any of the training sessions, they would have fallen about laughing at the daftness of it all. Amauratish? (oops) You never likely to see something as funny again, on telly it would be brilliant.
Peace
celtic
I helped do makeup and facial hair for one drama in 1976. My brother has been in at least 2 dramas, my dad only one. It does seem like the same folks are involved. Think it has something to do with who is assigned the as director, how close they are to the convention city, how many pioneers (some more of that service time they get to count). My kids loved the dramas, even tho some of the acting was corny. Its all lip synced, of course, for that united in worship thing, sort of like the canned music. I've missed the last few years of conventions but don't think the dramas are what they used to be. More of a modern flavor, not as long, like everything else - not terribly spiritually enlightening or encouraging.
Mrs R
It amazes me now to think that the amateur play with people wearing fake beards and curtains miming to a US voiceover (which sounded daft in the N.W.England) was the highlight of the whole assembly.
It really was a case of ANYTHING to break the monotony.
How bad were assemblies if that was the best bit?
I could never figure out why they stopped turning off the lights. My dad was in one. I never recognized anybody in the dramas since. I heard people kept making out during the "lights out", but not sure if that's true or not.
We were in a couple of dramas, and my husband was in three, actually. The overseer of all these dramas was retired.......it takes an unbelievable amount of time to put one together. I think they choose people who are available to devote the time needed. Everyone was told that under no circumstances were they to count any of the time as service time......and if they were behind in their hours, they had better not take the part. They also needed to have the money to get costumes made. I made lots of them, but the people paid for their own fabric and stuff. Not cheap. Especially the soldier costumes. The Israelite costumes were easy to make and less expensive but some were elaborate and expensive. My husband was Joshua in the Rahab drama in about 1987 I think. I was a woman in a crowd. He was Jehu in another one......can't remember that year. In 1995 we were in the modern drama about helping the elderly. Our teenage son was in that one too, as a boy helping do yard work. Hubby was in the WT in January 1996, in a photo from that drama. What a shock, as we were making our exit plans.
But, yes, it was usually the same brother doing the overseeing.
Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)
"No one can take advantage of you, without your permission." Ann Landers
