The Cast Is Company!

A cast (aka: company) quickly becomes family during the run of a show.

The cast of Alice began in February to work on this production and we've quickly learned that in being together as much as we have, we've become family.

Yesterday we celebrated (in the midst of a performance run) the birthday's of 3 of our cast. So, as any family would do, we had a cake and celebration last night after the performance.

The theater is the perfect place for artists to come together to collaborate on short term projects. In the midst of these short term runs, new ideas are exchanged, relationships are built, friendships are formed and the artistic community is strengthened as all work to achieve the goal of presenting their craft with excellence. The sadness comes in the parting of company at the end of the show, but the realization that more of this can take place with the next show.

You always learn something about artists when you are around them. I'm so glad I shared this journey with this company (family) of Alice!

How To Build Community With Twitter

This is an excellent article in how to build community using Twitter.

The raging debate at the Church Tech Camp I attended last week in Irving was "Can you build community with online social media?". You can read some responses here how Twitter has impacted lives because of community:

Fred McKinnon/

Joel Klampert

/John Voelz/

Nathan Gaddis

The Benefits of Online Friends

Mark Batterson

I'm reading this book now and have set up an account for us to use in the future (unfortunately I'm the only Twitter bug on staff and by Twitter Grader--I'm the only one in my town!). Hopefully in 2009--more will join me.

So, do you Twitter? You can follow me here.

What Is Twitter?

For many on my blog readership the word Twitter conjours up some thought that I have developed some involuntary tick or muscle twitch.  Twitter is an online social media where you connect with people around the world.  You follow these people through their "micro"blogs each day as they describe what they do, what they see, how they feel, and any other moment that they capture.

This is a video that simply describes what Twitter does.

Through Twitter I have made some life long connections. I've met some in person and some are only known to me virtually.

Do you Twitter?

KALEIN--The Artist Community

Our final adventure yesterday was an excursion to some land just east of here about an hour. It was an amazing journey not only into some great scenery, but into the large dream that Randy Elrod has for an artistic community/retreat center near here. We boarded our buses with sack lunches and headed out. A beautiful crisp winter day met us. After the terror of Tuesday night and the storms, you were taken by the clear spring like quality of the day. We made our way on 2 charter buses on roads that probably never have seen a charter. Once there we were greeted with 4 or 5 hayrides. As this was the only way to get everyone to the property. We were met there by 4 bonfires, hot chocolate and some more adventures. We made our way to the top of the property to see the rolling hills of Tennessee. Randy dreams big. He dreams of a large lodge here for artists to meet in disciplines (music, art, dance, poetry, drama, writing) and to meet here for master classes. Ulimately the place will have 15 cabins for the artist to stay with the large lodge the main gathering space. We ended the time there listening to Randy talk about the dream. I couldn't help but believe that somewhere he had read THE DREAM GIVER by Bruce Wilkinson. I marveled that he had never given up on this and now (as soon as May 2008) he will begin to see it come to pass. We closed with an Indian (Blackfoot) friend of Randy's who is a Christ follower showing us a Native American Dance of blessing for the land. Circling the fire, we all marveled at the simplicity of the dance and the deep meaning. It reminded me of the old hymn "This is my father's world." We seem to think that since we own title to land, that it's ours. But it's not. It's God's world. This was a truly emotional day--to challenge myself to the dreams that God has given me. Would I be so tenatious as Randy in following and finding my dreams. Amazing.