Dramatic Truth Newsletter
Artistic Director: 767-9222 (Liz Dimmel)
May 2011 #34
School Administrator: 353-2461 (Anita York)
Studio: 816-767-1234
10510 Grandview Road, Kansas City 64137
www.dramatictruth.org
The Director’s Corner
We live in perilous and yet exciting times for the
believer. Just watching the news, we see many
prophecies of the Lord’s return being fulfilled daily.
Whether it is in our lifetime or our children’s
lifetime, most Christians agree that time is short, and
we must be doing the Lord’s work. As a co-founder
of Dramatic Truth, I would like to restate our mission
and how it relates to our work in 2012. Our mission
is to glorify God by developing performing artists
and presenting quality, life-changing productions
with global impact.
For the past four years, I have been developing a
Christian rewrite of the full-length ballet, The
Sleeping Beauty. Although it will be filled with the
challenging, beautiful music and choreography of the
original ballet, this rendition will definitely have a
twist. When I thought of The Sleeping Beauty, I
immediately saw the parallel of Christ’s beautiful and
glorious bride (the church), who has been drawn
away from her first love, but is slowly awakening to
His deep love for her. Christ’s passionate love for
her is relentless, and He will stop at
nothing to reclaim His bride.
I feel that God’s purpose for this
ballet is to present a wake-up call to
the church that time is short. It is
time to press into a deeper
relationship with our Lord than we
have had in the past and allow Him
to purify us. What an awesome
privilege it is to be alive in this season and to partner
with our Lord in His purposes! Please be praying for
our ballet company, Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre,
as we begin work this summer for the production’s
presentation in the spring of 2012. Thank you again
and again precious families of Dramatic Truth. I
love, cherish, and appreciate who you are and all you
do more than I am able to articulate.
Firstborn from the Dead Coming June 3rd and 4th!
Firstborn from the Dead (Firstborn) is choreographed
and directed by two sisters, Hannah Anderson and
Sarah Roberts, and was first performed in May 2009.
“The idea for the production really began with the
name,” Hannah explained. “We wanted to tell the
story of Jesus’ life with a variety of dance styles
using John’s (the Beloved disciple’s) perspective as a
narrator.”
“The purpose underlying Firstborn is to open
people’s minds and hearts to see Jesus in a new way.
We want the audiences’ focus to be on the response
He causes in people,” Sarah said. “The production
shows Jesus growing up; most stories show Him as
an adult. It impacts people to see a sweet boy grow
into a loving Man, pointing to the Father’s love.”
that is unusual in portrayals of Christ. Stanton Smith
returns to perform the character of Christ this year.
“We’ve changed this year’s production to deepen the
development of supporting characters and added
several pieces, such as the baptism and temptation of
Jesus. We enhanced visual aspects, such as the
lights, costumes, and sets, to make the supernatural
realm come to life. The opening scene is extremely
(Continued on page 2)
In this Issue:
Summer-Fall Updates (pages 2-3)
Summer Workshops (page 3)
Performance Notes, Directions to Bell Center,
and Summer Tuition info. (page 4)
Based on the first performance of the show two years
ago, people experienced a depth in Jesus’ character
Vision: To glorify God by developing artists and presenting quality life-changing productions
colorful and visually stimulating,” Sarah described.
“The natural world is depicted in neutral tones and
muted colors to depict a contrast between the two
realms. We also wanted to emphasize the power of
the resurrection and added a piece to strengthen this
portion.”
“The expertise of Scott Wasson, the school’s mime
instructor, has been extremely helpful in adding a
texture and depth to several of the group scenes in
this production,” Hannah added. “We are watching
cast members grow and change in both their dance
and characterization abilities. We’re looking forward
to seeing what the Lord chooses to do with this
performance.”
Hannah and Sarah have masterfully woven Scripture
and narration throughout the show to support the
storyline and have drawn upon the powerful lyrics of
International House of Prayer worship leaders and the
captivating scores of Hans Zimmer among others.
The production promises to be a rich portrayal of the
greatest Man who ever lived. Don’t miss this
opportunity to invite those friends, family, and
neighbors to get to know Him in a new way.
Prayer Point: Pray for audience members to receive the truth of Jesus Christ and for unity and strength among the
performers, staff, and families involved in the production.
NEW for the Fall! Theatre Classes
Alice Scott, parent of Wee ballet student Emma, will
be offering theatre classes this Fall for both children
and adults. Watch the website,
www.dramatictruth.org this summer for class
descriptions and details.
From stage experiences beginning in childhood to a
college degree in theatre, Alice has a passion to
incorporate Scripture and worship in fine arts
instruction. She has done so a number of times,
bringing quality productions to several communities.
Her directing experience includes Through the
Looking Glass, Schoolhouse Rock, Clue the Musical,
and Godspell. Alice created Curtain Call, a fine arts
children’s camp, that has become the largest
children’s theatre camp in the state of Mississippi
with a Biblical and worship emphasis.
Prayer Point: Pray for the Lord to bless this new
beginning at the studio.
Summer Intensive-A Few Openings Remain for Week 2
While the first week of the intensive is full, there are
still a few openings for Week 2, July 18-22, of the
Summer Intensive. Experience is required for this
week (Beginner 2, Intermediate, and Advanced);
slots are filling quickly!
Register at
www.dramatictruth.org.
Guest Artists include Ballet Instructor Aaron Chen
and Hip Hop instructor Ryan Warren. Mr. Chen is
on the Belhaven University Dance faculty and
choreographs for the department. He has taught for
the Vanderbilt Dance Program as well as set
choreography on numerous schools and companies.
Mr. Chen also teaches kung fu and dance at
workshops and conventions around the nation. Mr.
Warren has traveled the country with the Adrenaline
Dance Convention, taught for the Dupree Dance
Expo Convention, and currently teaches hip-hop for
Dance Revolution. His individualistic choreography
style has earned him national recognition, and he is in
demand at studios across the country. Ryan recently
graduated from Dallas Baptist University where he
has a degree in Psychology with a minor in Biblical
Studies. Ryan gives all the glory and thanks for his
dancing career to His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Prayer Point: Pray for deeper heart connections with the Lord and for all attending.
Vision: To glorify God by developing artists and presenting quality life-changing productions
Upcoming Senior Recitals, Sunday, July 24, at 4
Hannah Chipchase and Bridget Doty are currently
preparing for their senior recitals scheduled for July
24 at 4 P.M. at Truman High School. Both girls are
graduating from the school’s classical ballet track.
Hannah has trained at the studio for three years and
plans to be a choreographer. “Dramatic Truth has
taught me so much about technique,” she explained,
“and how to put life into my dancing. When you
dance for God, it’s so much more meaningful than
dancing in a secular studio, where it’s all about you.
The competition and pressure to be perfect is so
much less.” Hannah’s most fun memories at DT are
from her first Level IV class with Mrs. Dimmel.
Bridget Doty has trained at the studio for 7 ½ years.
She looks forward to continuing to dance with the
Company. “The best part of DT is that the people are
nonjudgmental. The spirit here is uplifting without
being competitive. I have also really appreciated my
teachers-even if I had them for just one class.”
Prayer Point: Pray that the Lord’s will would be done through these gifted young women.
Summer Workshops
Dramatic Truth is pleased to offer the following new summer workshops! See times and dates below for
opportunities to develop or fine-tune skills as well as have a great time with old and new friends.
Prayer Point: Pray that this time would be a great time of growth for all involved.
Classical Ballet Workshop June 24th-26th, $100
Dancers will fine-tune their technique, learn challenging
traditional variations, pas de deux work and choreography
from the ballet Raymonda.
Art Workshops June 20-23, July 16th and 23rd, $50
Like to fine tune skills you already possess? Come explore the differences between
drawing and sketching; offering youth and adult workshops.
Theatre Workshops June 10th-11th, July 8th-9th, $100
June's workshop for teens will offer students an opportunity to explore many aspects
of the theatre; July's focus will be more on acting as it applies to evangelism and
film.
Princess Training July 29th-30th, $50
Your little princess will be treated like royalty while she learns the art of drama and
dance in Princess Training.
Modern Workshop June 17-19th, $100
Dancers will learn key concepts and movement from three pivotal modern
techniques and how to apply them to other styles of dance. Performance may
change to Saturday night due to Father’s Day.
Vision: To glorify God by developing artists and presenting quality life-changing productions
Performance Notes for Firstborn and Sleeping Beauty
Detailed performance schedules are available on the website or at the studio.
All rehearsals are at The Bell Center, Mid America Nazarene College.
1. Make-up: natural foundation, earth tone eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, wine/burgundy lipstick
2. What to Bring to Rehearsal: Hair accessories, safety pins, cooler of food and snacks
3. Saturday Schedule: All students stay at theater between shows unless given special permission to leave.
4. Videos: Videos of the show will be available for $15 for family members; $20 for general public.
5. Cast Party: Watch for upcoming details.
6. Ticket Prices: $10 for Adults and $5 for students.
Directions to The Bell Center at Mid America Nazarene College
435 W to 35 South. Go L or East at the Santa Fe exit.
Take an immediate R on Clairbourne and go 1/4 mile.
Left on College Way (There is no big sign at the college). This takes you straight onto the
campus. At 3rd stop sign, turn Left to the Bell Center. The theater is inside the Bell Center.
OR Go to Mur-Len Road and turn south or right. The campus is on the right and is well marked.
Summer Class Schedule and Tuition
Summer classes run June 13 through July 28,
Monday through Thursday. See the website or pick
up a schedule at the studio. For performers in
Firstborn, June tuition is the same as May. Students
not in the production pay the regular per month
tuition or $14 per class for June. For the month of
July, normal rates apply.
New this summer: Hula Class!
Kristene Skeele will be offering Hula classes this
summer on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 for ages 7-10
and 7:30-8:30 for ages 11 and up. Check out this
opportunity from a native-trained Hawaiian dancer.
Congratulations to Fund Raiser Winners!
Congratulations to Kaitlin Pennington, First-Place
winner in our Fund Raiser. Kailtlin sold 50 books
and won CoCo Key Water Passes. The Coe family
placed second, selling 48 books. Second prize was
Cool Crest golf passes. Avonlea Hiltbrunner, who
sold 45 books, received third prize, a gift certificate
to Expressions in Dancewear.
Thank you students for your hard work! At this
point, we have raised $3,700 with some funds still
outstanding. Families-Fundraiser monies are due
now!
All Aboard for GT and The Halo Express!
Kids Camp is coming June 27-July 1 and is for ages
5-12. Give your children a fun-filled, action-packed
week of learning how to express God’s Word through
the arts!
Younger campers (5 – 8 year-olds) stay from 9:0012:30 and can attend for $100.
Older campers (9 – 12 year-olds) stay from 9:004:00, and the cost is $175. The week will culminate
with a Friday evening performance.
Prayer Point: Pray that the children will experience
God’s love through creative expression.
Vision: To glorify God by developing artists and presenting quality life-changing productions