NOTES
for the
Family Service
at
St. Augustine's

February 29 2004

These are notes and comments on some of the items which appear in the Family Service script. Links from the script point to these entries; clicking the links in the left hand column of the table takes you back to the corresponding link in the script - or, where more than one link from the script points to the note, back to the first such link.

The comments are typically related to features of the service which are specific to our church or the time of the service, or which for some other reason we think might require alteration for another setting.

For references to the internal geography of the church, it might be helpful to inspect the plan.

BEFORE THE SERVICE -.
Furniture :
  • Set up lectern in front of organ.
  • Five chairs on Hospital side for father, two sons, Critic-1 and Critic-2 and a chair in front of the altar for the inn-keeper;
  • A seat in the front pew reserved for 'buyer' etc.;
Props needed :
People :
  • "Buyer" in front row seat.
Positions :
  • Action "home" is in the area at the side of the altar on Hospital side.
  • Second son action mostly takes place in front of the altar, inn-keeper sits on chair in front of altar and the younger son's room is behind the altar with the ( imaginary ) door at the Hospital side.
  • Critic-1 and Critic-2 carry on their conversations where the lectern usually is.
  • Actors not taking part sit at the side near their acting positions.

JANUARY We live in the southern hemisphere. Make adjustments if necessary.

LEAP YEAR Our service was on February 29th; this bit probably wouldn't work on any other date.

LEAPER'S FRIEND The part of Leaper's friend can be taken by Critic-2. We did that in our production, because we were short of actors.

"LEGAL DOCUMENTS" We used rolls of ( blank ! ) "parchment"-coloured paper, tied with a pink ribbon.

MIMES THIS So long as it looks like shopping, something very simple will do. Our younger son simply moved along by the altar rail stopping from time to time, and miming a conversation with a non-existent shop assistant.

PIGS The pigs are quite imaginary. There is enough in the script to make it clear what's going on, and in practice it worked well.

SEE YA Contemporary colloquial; means "I'll see you again at some unspecified later time, maybe", with a strong hint of "goodbye".

UNPACKING All mimed. An alternative would be to have "servants" take boxes into the "room" while the younger son was shopping, but that could be very distracting. The mime worked well.

YOUNGER SON'S ROOM Anywhere visible but reasonably out of the way will do. We used the space behind the altar with the ( imaginary ) door at the Hospital side.