Sunday, February 21, 2021

Seventy-five years since Eric Liddell broke the final ribbon

Today marks the 75th anniversary of Eric Liddell's death. He was known more for his actions as an Olympic champion and missionary than for his prayers, but I'd like to share something I discovered about his death that shows how close his intercession brought him to the Lord. 

I think all the biographers share that his last words were about "complete surrender." I've been performing my one-man play about the second half of his life, Beyond the Chariots, since 2004, and in the course of telling his story I discovered something about his final moments on earth that's not included in any biographies I know about. 

Now, I recently mentioned his name while leading a workshop at the Content2020 Film Festival and Media Summit, and then it dawned on me that there may be several in the room who didn't know who he was. A show of hands proved my suspicions, so let me give you a bit of a biography:

He was a rugby and track celebrity of the 1920s, and his fame was renewed when his story was told in the film Chariots of Fire, which garnered four Academy Awards in 1981. 

Reporters throughout Great Britain were looking forward to Eric proving he was the fastest man alive in the 100m race at the 1924 Paris Olympics. But when Eric discovered that one of the heats was going to be held on a Sunday, he chose to honor the Lord that day and not himself. 

The press berated him and called him a traitor, but though they tried to cancel him, he shifted gears.

He trained for the 400m, and he later told his daughter Patricia that the choice forced him to discover he was really designed to run the 400m distance. In the final heat he took off like it was a sprint, and everyone thought he'd hit his wall. Instead, he picked up speed! His second 200m split was faster than his first! He beat the next runner, Horatio Fitch, by five meters, a distance that wouldn't be broken at the Olympics for three decades. Eric broke the world record, and then the press celebrated him again. 

Later, when he graduated from Edinburgh University, after reading Eric's name, the provost broke into the standing ovation to say, "Mr. Liddell, you've proven that none can pass you but your examiners." He had offers flooding in for playing rugby, coaching, and for speaking engagements. Once there were a thousand people outside one of the largest halls in Edinburgh trying to hear what he had to say. 

But he left that all behind to be a missionary to China, where he'd been born in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion. The Boxers attempted to push all Westerners out of China, focusing on the Christians. They killed 133 missionaries and 30,000 Chinese Christians. 

So Eric left fame and fortune behind to serve where people didn't want him to return! 

I sprinted around a track
Eric Liddell designed in Tianjin.
He served as a science teacher and track coach in Tientsin, which is now Tianjin, a bedroom community to Beijing.

Japan invaded China in 1937, and tensions escalated until Eric's wife, Flo took their daughters Patricia and Heather to Canada, where Flo's parents were born. Their third daughter, Maureen, told me she made the trip in a cab with the windows rolled up. She was born in Toronto in 1941. 

Eric stayed behind to serve the Chinese people. His daughters told me his choice not to join them always troubled them, but time would heal those wounds. 

I portrayed Eric in a contribution to the Getty's Global Hymn Sing, as the missionary might have been, missing his family after their departure (www.RichDrama.com/EricLiddellHymnSing).

On December 8, 1941, Eric woke up to discover that Pearl Harbor had been attacked and he was now considered an enemy of Japan. They came through Tientisin and put a patch of ownership on every person and item of any value, and shortly after that, Japanese soldiers crammed nearly 2,000 people from 26 enemy nations into a small Presbyterian missions compound in Weihsien, China.

I've heard what that internment camp was like from a few people who were there. I was once performing Beyond the Chariots in Hong Kong, and I had asked Jamey Hudson Taylor, the great grandson of the vanguard missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, to speak after my performance. He canceled, because he wasn't feeling well. He said his secretary didn't recognize his voice when he called in. When the time came, he was feeling up to attending the performance, so I wanted to acknowledge that he was there. Much to my surprise he came to the stage, and explained that he couldn't help but let us know that it would have been "Uncle Eric's" 105th birthday. He went on to tell the audience how Eric had been a father to many of the children in the camp. He taught them science and coached all sorts of sports. I first met Jamey after my performance at his church the year before. In the play, at the time, I referred to a baseball game. Jamey came up to me after the play and, before introducing himself to me, said, "It was softball. We didn't have enough room to play baseball." 

With Heather, Patricia and
their husbands Gerald
and Mervyn.
When Patricia, Heather and Maureen began corresponding with Jamey, his sister Mary Taylor Previte, and some of the others who had been children or teens in the internment camp, the sisters realized that the Lord used their father's separation from his family to bless other children, and it reframed their perception of him abandoning them. 

Eric was a bright spot in the internment camp, but one day he lost a race, and everyone took notice. He was having headaches, and they got worse and worse, until he was hospitalized. 

The Salvation Army band would play outside his window, and Heather still has a slip of paper on which her father wrote a request for his favorite hymn: "Be Still My Soul." When you hear that played in my play, it's actually by a family in the Salvation Army, recorded about 15 years ago. 

Portraying Eric's headaches.
The biographies, at least all of the many I've read, tell how Eric slipped into a coma on February 21, 1945, and that his last words were about "complete surrender," a description of how he'd lived his whole life. In the course of performing my play I've read every biography available, including one out of print at the Eric Liddell Centre, thanks to his niece, Dr. Peggy Judge. I've met dozens of people who remember him. Not one of them has ever had a negative thing to say about him. 

Not many know that the Olympic champion actually had a second wind and finished even more dramatically. He came out of that coma for a brief moment. I interviewed Mary Previte, and she told me her sister's boyfriend was in that hospital the night Eric resuscitated. I saw a medical form for Eric in a London museum which indicated that the brain tumor had taken away his strength in his right side and taken away much of his eyesight, but the young man said that Uncle Eric ran down the hall, collapsed into the arms of that young man, and as Uncle Eric tumbled to the ground he told how he was seeing seven angels coming down over the camp. Those were his last words.

About six months later, on August 17, 1945, seven paratroopers were dropped from a B-24 Liberator nicknamed "The Armored Angel." Mary told her recollections from her childhood of those heroes rescuing them. They were ecstatic! They burst the gate and met them before they could get to the camp. That Salvation Army band played a medley of all the Allied nations. Since they didn't know who their liberators might be, they practiced them all... playing the second and third parts only. Those playing the melody only fingered their instruments so their captors wouldn't know what they were playing! 

As an adult Mary hunted down all seven of the paratroopers to thank them. She called them their angels. I got to interview one of them, Tad Nagaki, who was in his 90s at the time. After the interview he climbed on his tractor and got back to work: angelic fortitude!

Beyond the Chariots
ends with Liddell whispering, "Complete surrender," but then it shows what few know happened after he slipped into that coma. You can watch my performance of it in Singapore (www.RichDrama.com/BtC). I didn't add his final sprint down the hallway until two years after that performance, when I brought it to London during the 2012 Olympics, but you will see him watch the angels descend.

After all the years I've run in Uncle Eric's shoes by portraying him in dozens of nations, I had never thought of him as an intercessor, but he certainly was! When he checked into the hospital, he gave his running shoes to a young man named Stephen Metcalf. Earlier, he was challenged by Uncle Eric when he pointed out that they should be praying for the Japanese. In his book Disciplines of the Christian Life, Eric pointed out that the Sermon on the Mount seems upside down when you first look at it, but after examining it, you realize that the world is upside down. He drew often from the right-side-up Sermon on the Mount, including that day when he quoted Matthew 5:44: "...Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." To Stephen, praying for those who were depriving him of his freedom was an upside down concept, but he prayed anyway. He didn't notice a sudden change in the guards, but he did notice a change in his attitude toward them. 

Stephen Metcalf went on to be a missionary to Japan for about forty years. 

I encourage you to take a moment now to pray for our enemies, and pray for athletes and other celebrities to come into Salvation and articulate the Lord's truths to their fans. 
 
See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Have a Blessed Epiphany!

We hope your Christmas Season was a blessing to you and yours!

Registration is now open for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers and Actors Camp!

If you or someone you know is 16-29 and interested in training in filmmaking or acting for film, please let them know.

The main training is in video tutorials to be watched before arriving, so that as soon as students hit the ground, we'll be running into film production. They'll leave with a short film for their reels, headshots, and (if it's like every year so far) they'll have an opportunity to audition for a live professional project.

Also, many projects want cast to have taken a film etiquette course if they don't have a certain amount of film projects under their belt. That happens to be one of the film tutorials, so students will be able to check that box!

We opened registration up to alumni first, so two spots are already taken on both sides of the camera. Move swiftly to secure one (or more with friends!) of the other four spots for each program: www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com. The intimacy of the program means there's lots of opportunities to grow as an artist and as a Christian.

Also, there is an early bird savings of $100 through the end of January, so if you don't have time to register now, be sure to set an alarm.

Here's our Christmas and year-end eLetter:

In a time when darkness, strife, and division seem to reign--very much like the time Jesus was born--we pray Joy to the World!
Joy to the World; The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King:
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the Earth, The Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding Joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground:
He comes to make His Blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the World with Truth and Grace,
And makes the nations prove
The Glories of His Righteousness,
And Wonders of His Love.
As darkness increases, His Light shines brighter. "He comes to make his Blessings flow / Far as the Curse is found." We saw his blessings flow in large measure in 2018! I performed in 15 states and eight nations, and Joyce spoke in six of those nations. Here are a few of the highlights:

January Rich played Walter and served as acting coach, while Joyce was a key crew member, keeping actors warm between takes in "There," a short film that takes place during a rainstorm! Joyce also played the mother of my character's daughter during a sociodrama to help her get ready for an emotional phone call, so we're counting Moriah's character as our 22nd screen child! You can watch "There" now: www.RichDrama.com/There.

February A 20-year prayer was answered, and Rich got to perform at Christian Cultural Center.

March Annual workshop at Princeton University, where we visited Jonathan Edward's gravestone which inspired a post about revival.

April Performed Jonah for a gang unit on Rikers Island.

May Performed in It's a Life Worth Living and The King's Messengers on the same day! That was a first! Later that month I performed several roles for The Adventum, a wonderful audio drama of the Book of Genesis, which is now available.

June Taught, coached and performed at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where we produced "Return on Investment."

A revival broke out in the theatre 
department on our last night of the 
Lamplighter Guild for CreativeDisciplines.
July Taught and directed at the Lamplighter Guild for Creative Disciplines.

August Performed in Denmark and Sweden on the same day! That was a first!

September Performed in Norway, Finland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Iceland.
October Performed at the Hollywood Divine International Film Festival.

November Performed I Dreamed I Was Free in New Mexico, the 43rd state in which I've taught and/or performed. Another first!

December "Milk and Oranges" released, which was our film at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp in 2017 and the directorial debut for Joyce. Joyce shared the Christmas Eve eve message at Westchester Chapel. Here's my prayer for the Mastermedia Christmas party, which is for us all... though we don't wish a broken boiler on anyone! Click the arrow below, or if you're getting this through an emailing, visit www.RichDrama.com/Christmas2018.

 


Registration is now open for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp June 23-29.

Monday, November 5, 2018

Scandinavia and Beyond


During a performance of I Dreamed I Was Free in the Nordic Black Theatre
in Oslo, Norway. 
We had a BLAST in Europe! Thanks in large part to the prayers and financial support of people on this list, we were able to perform in every Scandinavian country and beyond, eight nations in all. We're still trying to catch up after that trip of a lifetime. You can see the reports so far at www.RichDrama.com/EuroTour2018. More to come.

This summer I got to perform in San Diego in a new audio drama that brings Scripture to life with a focus on God's plan of redemption. It's so well conceived and written! I was thrilled to be a part of it, and I was performing with some seriously great actors, directed well by John Fornof (Adventures in Odyssey). The sound design by Luke Guenot is extraordinary, too. It's just a fantastic project all the way around.

Visit www.RichDrama.com/TheAdventum to see the dozen roles I got to play and how to get your CDs or downloads.

While you're waiting, you can watch a short film Joyce and I were a part of, "There," written, directed and produced by William and Morgan Willer, two of my students at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp. You can watch the film now, and find out about their next project at www.RichDrama.com/There.

A whole lot more has happened since my last report to this list, but you can catch up at www.Blog.RichDrama.com, www.Facebook.com/RichDrama and www.Instagram.com/RichSwingle.

We so appreciate your prayers and support!

Here's today's post on Instagram:

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Scandinavia

This outdoor performance
was steps away from what used to be
John Woolman's orchard.
My one-man play I Dreamed I Was Free  (formerly A Clear Leading) has been accepted for the fall lineup at the Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo, Norway!
The theatre focuses on stories about people of color, and I Dreamed I Was Free tells the true story of how John Woolman spoke out against slavery a full century before the Civil War in America. 

In addition to renting the theatre in Oslo, Rich is hoping to offer workshops which will help local Christian actors develop and perform their own dramas.

The Nordic Black Theatre is holding the date of September 1, and they've given us until the end of June to secure funding. 

Please pray about partnering in ministry to the most secular nation in Western Europe. It is estimated that 45% of Norwegians are atheists, as compared with 5% in the US. 
Funds will go toward 
*Theatre rental
*Travel, board and lodging for Rich and Joyce Swingle. Joyce will serve as stage manager and production manager.
*Travel, board and lodging beyond Oslo. 
Our goal is to perform in every Scandinavian country as opportunities unfold.  Visit www.RichDrama.com/Scandinavia to give.

We are not a non-profit organization, so donations are not tax deductible. 





I Dreamed I Was Free tells the story of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Eric Liddell Joins the Global Hymn Sing

Keith and Kristyn Getty have invited the world to a Global Hymn Sing this Sunday, February 25, 2018.


The hymn they've chosen is "Jesus Will Reign," which Eric Liddell led a crowd in singing just before boarding the train which started his trek to China. His Olympic gold and bronze medals, not to mention his world record in the 400m, opened up many prestigious offers in Europe and the U.S. But he left it all behind to serve the Chinese as a teacher, track coach, and missionary for the rest of his short life.

I've been portraying Liddell since 2004 in my one-man play Beyond the Chariots, and I planned to dramatize Liddell singing "Jesus Shall Reign" in a follow-up film to Chariots of Fire, but we were beat to the finish line.

I just found out about the Global Hymn Sing, so I thought the best way to dramatize the event, given the short time constraint, would be to portray him reflecting on that event at a point of his life that gives us a peek into the life he sacrificially chose.

You can download this video to play at your church at www.RichDrama.com/EricLiddellHymnSing this Sunday, or at any upcoming service. Permission has been granted from copyright holders on this arrangement.

Be sure to register for the hymn sing, so you and/or your church can be added to the map.

If your church doesn't participate in the Global Hymn Sing, join me Sunday, February 25, at 5pm Eastern, and I'll do a Facebook Live hymn sing. I'll say a bit more about my connection to the story, and then we'll all sing with an Olympic hero well before the closing ceremonies to the Pyeongchang Olympics begin in the Eastern Time Zone, and hopefully in time for you to get to an evening service. It will broadcast from www.Facebook.com/RichSwingle, but if we're not Facebook Friends, I'll post it at www.Facebook.com/RichDrama by 5:15pm Eastern.


See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Henry Box Brown answers a 20-year prayer request

A prayer of my heart twenty years ago is about to be answered!

I heard about the Christian Cultural Center, the largest church in New York City and one of the largest independent churches in the US, shortly after moving here in 1993. As I started to develop my own one-man plays it was on my heart to perform there some day.

I play an abolitionist in Henry Box Brown, a musical that tells the story of a slave who ships himself in a box from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia and freedom in 1848. Though it's not one of my one-man plays, this musical is answering my prayer of two decades, because we'll be performing at CCC three times:
February 10, 8 AM and 10:30 AM
20-minute version
Directions at www.CCCInfo.org, where you can live-stream the 10:30 AM Eastern service.

February 15, 10-1pm
Full musical
Click here to register (first come first registered)
Hope you can see this miraculous production live or online!

You can see my Facebook Live announcement by clicking here.

Since recording that registrations were opened for the performance on February 15, and you can find all the details on this page, which you can find at www.RichDrama.com/HenryBoxBrown.


Another reason I'm excited to be a part of Henry Box Brown is that I've been performing my own one-man play about an abolitionist since 1995. A Clear Leading tells the story of John Woolman, a Quaker who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp Deadline Extended

Rachel Marley (left) and McKenzie Harris experienced another blessing from their association with the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.  They just performed in a God-honoring professional audio drama for Lamplighter Theatre that they learned about because they had been students at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

Our camp is more than a fully immersive training experience. It begins before students arrive on campus with online tutorials we've put together, so that once they arrive we can immediately jump into production on a short film. All four years that I've taught at Film Camp I've been able to coach our students for an audition for a live film project. Several of our students have landed roles or been hired on crew because of that process. 

But the benefits of Film Camp extend beyond our week together. Whenever I hear about film, stage and radio projects that are planning to honor the Lord I send out casting notices to all of our acting camp alumni.

 If you or someone you know is interested in acting now is the best time to register for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

 Due to some logistics issues we were not able to get the word out in a timely manner about our early bird special to some of our potential acting camp students. In order to be fair with all who are interested in attending either the acting or filmmaking camps we have decided to extend the $150 early bird discount until the end of the month.

The registration website has already been updated to the full price since the early bird discount expired on January 15th. However, we have created a special discount coupon code that you can use to get the same discount. Here’s how it works. Register for either the 2018 Rocky Mountain Christian Acting camp or the Filmmakers camp from our regular camp registration page and enter the following coupon code on the payment screen to receive the discount.
Coupon Code: EB2018 Acting Camp Registration SiteFilmmaking Camp Registration Site
The discount coupon is only good through January 31st and only while we still have space available. Once the camp is full registration will be closed so register now to assure your spot and to take advantage of this extended discount.

 If you choose the 3 payment option the $150 discount will be applied to your initial payment. So the first payment will only be $150, the second and third payments will be $300 each.

 Hope to see you in the Rockies!


Join us for the 2018 Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.