Black Nativity 2010

Black Nativity 2010
Performing Arts Collective of Savannah

Well it's been a journey getting this project done. It began last spring when the other founding members of PAC and I started planning over spaghetti, & salad. We got the script and started editing and envisioning how we wanted to do the show..We got started.. then Clinton got sick, reallly sick! & we wondered if we would, or could pull it off still...We decided to keep it rolling! I had performed the show several times in the distant past and had a good idea of how it was traditionally done..but wanted to infuse it with some new music that would make the best use of having such an awesome choreographer (Muriel) as well as adapt the staging... the script itself is pretty bare bones as it stands and actually had a section that i was not fond of at alllllll with the Shepherds downing one another about being lazy, and good for nothing.. ironically after considerable amount of editing the text to make it instructional rather than derogatory, and writing new music for it a la James Brown meets the Temptations... that became one of my favorite parts of the show..The song "NO GOOD SHEPHERD" was a hit every night. Another cast favorite was the old standard "SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY", I merely changed the rhythmic setting and added a few lyrics to make it a heartfelt Reggae/ Bob Marley type song by using musical thematic material from his "No Woman no Cry" and it worked out great!!! The rehearsal process was lengthy but in the end it paid off because every cast member knew every song inside and out. What awesome singers we found in the auditions and they showed out like crazy every performance!!! Most rewarding for me was us using so many little kids in the show. The rehearsals were a joy for me...the family village atmosphere everytime we met for rehearsal made my heart sing!!!! With all the negativity and insanity i see every day, my hope for the future of our community was renewed with every smile, hug, and fit of uncontrollable laughter from these children...I endeavored to be as patient , supportive, as possible and display excellence consistently no matter how i may have been feeling, so that these little ones would model that for the rest of thier lives. Everything about this show was a significant blessing to me and i hope it was for everyone involved!!! Looking forward to the DvD and cast recording we will do very soon.