Beyond the Mask tickets could disappear after Friday

 

Hi Everyone,

Time is running out to reserve your ticket to see Beyond the Mask.  Remember you can only reserve your tickets online at www.RichDrama.com/BeyondTheMask.

Beyond the Mask is a Christ-centered action adventure film that you don’t want to miss. Click on the image below to see a video about the message of Beyond the Mask.

See John Rhys-Davies, Stephen Kendrick and others interviewed at https://www.facebook.com/beyondthemaskmovie/videos

You can even watch the first few minutes of Beyond the Mask.

Now it’s time to reserve those tickets online because you will not be able to get tickets at the door.  Go to www.BeyondtheMaskMovie.com/tickets or if you have friends in the NYC area please forward them this email or send them to www.RichDrama.com/BeyondTheMask.

Tickets are not guaranteed after March 27.

See you at show time!

Rich Swingle

(Playing Dr. Bonneville)

For any other info visit: www.beyondthemaskmovie.com

Bev Holloway and John Forbes featured pre-Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp

Beverly Holloway has agreed to meet with students of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp via video conference. She'll talk about her work as a casting director and then field questions from our students. Beverly is known for her work on The Ultimate Gift (starring Abigail Breslin and James Garner), Like Dandelion Dust (starring Barry Pepper and Academy Award-winner Mira Sorvino), and the upcoming Beyond the Mask (starring John Rhys-Davies). 

I first had Bev work with my students in 2008, and I was impressed with her 30-some credits. The list has now grown to 56! Bev is a genius at what she does, and is so filled with joy. She's always a delight. She has often considered my students for her projects, and I know that two of them were being strongly considered for the lead role in a major project. 

John Forbes' performance of William Booth for a reading in an upcoming Broadway musical about how Booth began The Salvation Army was literally put on ice for the recent blizzard, but he was willing to take some time to talk with our students in the context of one of our teaching videos, addressing the critical importance of staying in the present moment when performing. John is an international and Off-Broadway producer, and he's performed on and Off-Broadway and around the world. He even helped the king of the Zulu nation produce a musical in South Africa! 

The online teaching modules, including those with John Forbes, and video conference with Bev Holloway are available exclusively to those registered for the camp.

There are only three days left of the Early Bird Deadline. Save $150 for one week, $350 for two: www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com.

Post by Rich Swingle.

Post by Rich Swingle.

Now taking applications for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp and sign-ups for Engage Rio.

 

Flying back to the Oregon Coast...

Goofing around on the Oregon Coast after performing at The Newmark Theatre.

Last October I performed at The Newmark Theatre in downtown Portland, Oregon. While there I reconnected with a family I'd met in a restaurant a year or more before, the Olstads. As they wheeled their son past our table I noticed a sticker on his wheelchair: "Joni & Friends." I have a number of connections to Joni Eareckson Tada, so we struck up a conversation. When we were kids our mom read from her autobiography, telling how she became a quadriplegic in a diving accident, and how she's gone on to be a painter, international speaker, writer (3M copies of her autobiography in print), and singer. In fact Joni sang the Oscar-nominated song for Alone Yet Not Alone in which I play a land speculator. Her husband pressed her diaphragm so she could hit the high notes.  She personally called our friend, Art Sanborn, who became a quadriplegic in a boogie boarding accident. His story and how he now jogs and does 150 pushups every day is told in his amazing autobiography, Walking Miracle. And one of our friends, a physical therapist, has traveled with Joni & Friends to Peru, Cuba and Poland to help fit the disabled with wheelchairs that have been donated. Turns out the Olstads worked with our friend on at least one of those trips! I'm sure we had many eavesdroppers in that restaurant as we talked excitedly about how the Creator of limbs could work so mightily through those who couldn't use them.

At The Newmark I reconnected with the Olstads, and they invited me to perform at a Joni & Friends event on the Oregon Coast. In fact that event will take place at Twin Rocks Friends Camp, where I served on summer staff when I was in college.  The evening at The Newmark was a fundraiser for Twin Rocks. 

I was pleased to hear that Joni & Friends keeps a lean budget, making sure that most donations go straight to the disabled who benefit from their assistance. The downside is that they can only cover my airfare. I've agreed to do the booking, especially in light of a friend who broke his neck just a couple of months ago while play wrestling. This twenty-something is now facing life as a quadriplegic, but we're trusting the Lord can either bring glory through his healing, as He did through Art Sanborn, or through the disability, as He's done through Joni. 

If you're in the Pacific Northwest I'd love to add to my itinerary! I'll be performing for Joni & Friends on August 11 & 18. I have free dates between those performances and after the 18th. 

If you're in the Cincinati area, the director of Polycarp has invited me to attend the premiere on February 20, so I would love to set up a booking in that area for the 21st and/or 22nd. 

Send decision makers in your church or school (wherever you may be) to www.RichDrama.com.

Here's the newly released trailer for Polycarp, which leads with me in the role of a slave trader:

I could use your help on one more front: I submitted for the role of a lifetime in a major motion picture, and they're basing their casting on each actor's standing on IMDb. If you visited www.IMDb.me/RichSwingle after our Christmas eCard was posted I thank you! There was a great surge in my standing, but now it's dropped considerably, and the submissions deadline has just arrived. Now is the time they'll be sorting through the candidates. If you have a second, click here. If you have a minute, while you're on the page find the Facebook Like button. If you have five minutes, click on each of the films in which I've performed and Like them. 

Watch for Princess Cut in theaters Valentine's Day. I play a suave realtor. And in April you can have a hand in bringing Beyond the Mask to a theater in your community. I play Dr. Bonneville in that one. 

I pray the New Year is off to a great start for each of you. Hope to see you out there somewhere... especially if you're in the Northwest or near Cincinnati. 

in Christ alone,

Rich

Twenty-four days left for the early bird special at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp. And sign-up for Engage Rio.

Have a Blessed Christmas!

We hope that you and yours have a blessed Christmas and a wondrous New Year!

This year has had some exceptional highs and lows for us. The deepest valley was resigning from The MasterWorks Festival after serving on the faculty for 16 years and directing the theatre program for ten. Joyce also had served as director of pastoral care for six years. Though it was a difficult decision we know that the Lord was leading in it, and we are planning to use the connections and experience we've gleaned after being a part of 17 film projects since 2010 to work on our own. Details to come.

Two of those films are coming to theaters on Valentine's Day (Princess Cut: I play suave realtor Nigel Livengood) and April 6 (Beyond the Mask: I play Dr. Bonneville). Click on those titles for more information, and for Beyond the Mask they're looking for people to help promote the film and are offering paid and volunteer positions, and volunteers earn an iPad! I've posted their new trailer below.

I also do not feel called away from teaching, and I will be doing that and coaching actors at The Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp this summer. Registration is opened, and there are only a few places left, so apply as soon as possible. It was through this camp that the feature film In His Steps was produced. I was just there as an actor that year, playing John Gray, who runs a soup kitchen. This summer we helped our students audition for a live project, the feature film Mayflower II. One of our students was cast in the key role of the son of the characters played by Joyce and myself. One of his scenes led up to my favorite scene in my 19-year career!

Speaking of screen children, when Joyce and I went through pre-engagement counseling (something we highly recommend!) we were asked all sorts of things that you just don't naturally bring up as you're getting to know each other: spiritual background, denomination, political affiliation, etc. We were connected on so many levels, and the session was going so very well that I thought I'd throw in a joke when the counselor asked how many children we each wanted. I said twelve. Joyce just about fell out of her chair! Though we haven't had any children of our own, it just dawned on me that we've now had 13 screen children! We've played husband and wife in four films. In Indescribable we had nine children, in The Unexpected Bar Mitzvah we had one, in Rather to Be Chosen we had two, and in Mayflower II we had one. I hope in the future we'll have many screen grandchildren, but we'll be putting the pressure on casting directors (far into the future), rather than on our screen children.

 This was a busy traveling year with numerous performances and workshops in 17 states, Sochi, Russia, during the Olympics, and three provinces of Canada (a personal record for me).

We're planning to take a team of performing artists to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics. If you're interested in joining us, and if you're on Facebook, click here. If you're not on Facebook be sure to watch your inbox for the announcement that registration for the trip is open.

Joyce continues as counselor and lead pastor of Westchester Chapel Church of the Nazarene in White Plains, NY, where we've seen profound connections with each other and with the Lord. You can hear her sermons at www.WestchesterChapel.org/JoyceSwingle and the few that I've had opportunity to share at www.WestchesterChapel.org/RichSwingle.

I just submitted to play the role of a lifetime on a $16M project. If you have a moment, please visit www.IMDb.me/RichSwingle and Like it in the right column. Even if you're not on Facebook, just visiting the page will give it a boost. If you have the time (took me about five minutes), it would be great if you could also visit and Like all the projects in which I’ve performed. If you do undertake that, please make it a time of praying for those projects and others that the Lord wants to birth through his people as he raises us up to tell His stories with excellence.

May the Love of Christ grow in your hearts and lives this Holy Season, and if you don't celebrate Christmas or see it just as just a season of obligation, consider inviting Christ into the manger of your heart. It will radically transform the way you see Christmas and the world. Find out more about that at www.RichDrama.com/MyPassion.

Joyce started Treasure Seekers for the children of Westchester Chapel, and I do short videos for them as Trevor the Treasure Seeker. Here's the video we put together to promote our Christmas Party for them...

Click here for the highlights of the year Facebook picked. And you can browse our blog for more.

 If you're still checking off your Christmas gift list, some of our films are available for instant download: www.RichDrama.com/Films.

Here's the new trailer for Beyond the Mask:



This list is only updated a few times a year. If you got this far you may be interested in more frequent updates, and you can sign up for those here: www.RichDrama.com/Updates.

Amp up your World Cup experience!

For the Glory, in which I play soccer coach to Olympian Kurt Kuykendall, is now available for digital download. Invite World Cup fans over to see this inspiring story of a failed basketball player who became a world-class goalie. 

If you're anywhere near Winona Lake, Indiana (halfway between Fort Wayne and South Bend), Pittsburgh or New York City, I hope you'll attend the MasterWorks Festival Theatre Department production of Much Ado About Nothing: www.MasterWorksFestival.org and www.MasterWorksFestival.org/tour. Our students are hilarious! South Hills Church of the Nazarene is hosting the play as the culmination of their 50th anniversary celebration, putting the emphasis on the celebration of marriage. 

On the way into the theater to see Alone Yet Not Alone I stopped my bride Joyce and said, "We've been praying for years for this moment." So we stopped and praised the Lord for my first nationwide theatrical release!  I play a land speculator, and the Academy Award nominated film is still playing in a few theaters. Catch it while you can. 

Heading for Sochi / Actor Deadlines

As the Opening Ceremonies sweep across the time zones we’re making final plans to be in Sochi during the last week of the Olympics. We appreciate your prayers for us while we're there!

We’re in the process of having translations done for the people we meet from around the world. So far we’ve only completed Spanish, though Portuguese, German, Korean and Simplified Chinese are in the works. If you can contribute to any of those translations or if you’re interested in having an impact on people who speak your language shoot us a note.

We won't be posting from Russia, but watch your inboxes for a report when we return.

February 15, the eve of our departure, happens to be the deadline for two events at which I’ll be directing and teaching later in the year:

The Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp is adding an acting component. I'm thrilled to inaugurate this program as the sole instructor! Many of you know me from my stage work, but I've been in 15 films since 2010: www.RichDrama.com/Films. I’ll be teaching classes and directing the students in a film we’ll shoot in the glorious Colorado Rockies.

I learned much of what I know about screen acting from the fabulous faculty that we've had at the MasterWorks Festival over the years. We're bringing in some more performing arts veterans this year as well.

I wrote about Torry Martin in a recent blog post that went out to those who receive our more frequent posts. Now I’m pleased to announce that we’ll have a second Adventures in Odyssey cast member, Katie Leigh. Katie will coach our students reading sides from… a show for which she’s been a cast member. Sign up for her MasterClass will be based on date of application, so act now. She got her start in Improv, so on July 2, she will join Torry Martin and our students to perform Improv! That night has the potential of being the funniest in the history of MasterWorks!

Our tickled funny bones will propel us into performances of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing in Winona Lake, Bethel Park, PA, and in an Off-Broadway theatre!

Again, the early bird deadline for MasterWorks and the The Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Acting Camp is February 15. So get the application process rolling now, or send this to young actors who might be interested.

I play a quirky clerk in Christmas Grace.

Another place I’ll be teaching and performing is the inaugural Christian Worldview Film Festival and Guild. Five of the films in which I’ve performed will be featured there in full or represented by a short piece. The Guild will be March 11 and 12, and the Festival will be March 13-15 in beautiful San Antonio, TX. Though there’s no early bird special, you can get 25% off all tickets to the Festival or Guild using the code RICHSWINGLE.

Check out my touring schedule at www.RichDrama.com/Schedule and see if I’ll be in your area. I always love to add performances and workshops whenever I’m outside the NYC area.

I'm really hoping to set up performances in San Antonio, TX, Colorado, Tuscon, AZ, and Oregon. Hope to see you somewhere in the world this year!

Have a Blessed Christmas!

Every year that I perform Views of the Manger I'm so blessed to start immersing myself in the Christmas story early. This year my first performance was on December 1, so I started reading through the script early in November. But rather than getting tired of the theme, the impact of what the Lord did for us in sending His Son touches me on deeper and deeper levels as the day we celebrate His birth approaches.

This year I was asked to preach on Elizabeth. Joyce preached on Zechariah the week before. You'll have to listen to the sermons on my blog (Dec 15) to see why she got the guy and I got the gal, but we were both blessed to dig into their story of preparing the Way. As an opening illustration for my sermon I wrote a sketch which portrays Zechariah at the moment his voice returns after nine months of silence. Scripture says the first words out of his mouth were praise. The sketch shows what I think his next words might have been: telling his story of Gabriel's visit for the first time verbally. I hope others are as moved by the piece as I am. I haven't gotten through it yet without sobbing. I've now added it to the Views of the Manger lineup.

December 18 marked 20 years in New York City for me. You can read the first two entries in the journal I kept at the time, Farm Boy on Times Square. It blows me away to think of how that move as a 24-year-old opened the way for about 3,000 performances or workshops in over 40 colleges or universities, hundreds of churches and theatres, 39 states, five continents, 26 nations and more than 20 video projects that have reached out to people in countless nations. Thank you so much for your part in helping us share Truth in creative ways out across the land!

This year I added to the list with about 225 performances and workshops in 15 states plus Puerto Rico and Vanuatu. A highlight of the year was performing my play on Jonah with translation into Nafe, a language that is spoken by only about 4,000 people. Then, I preached a short sermon on Jonah which had been translated into Nafe. I had performed it for our short film on John Paton, and it was a great honor to share it during their worship service. They then performed songs for us in English, Nafe, and Bislama, the language that ties the nation's 83 islands together. I'll never forget that trip.

I also performed in five other films in 2013: In His Steps, Polycarp: Destroyer of Gods, Confessions of a Prodigal Son, Creed of Gold, and Princess Cut.

This year was my last with a grandparent. I was honored to preach at Grandma Swingle's funeral. She lived to 97. For the last few years I was able to talk and pray with her once a week as my schedule allowed, and I know she's enjoying her first Christmas with Christ.

Joyce continues to serve as lead pastor of our church, Westchester Chapel. I've had some wonderful pastors over the years, but she surpasses them all... though I'll admit a great deal of bias. You can catch her sermons on our church's website, my blog and iTunes (search "Joyce Swingle"). Her ability to capture hearts and minds with the Truth of the Word continues to grow. She also continues to change lives through her counseling. We realized the year almost slipped away without a honeymoon, so we're going down to Philadelphia the week between Christmas and New Years for our 17th.

These are just a few of the highlights of a full and fulfilling year. For those of you on Facebook you can see our top 20 posts for the year.

For 2014 we're looking forward to leading a team of performing artists to Sochi, Russia, for the Winter Olympics. In April I've been invited to perform and teach at an educators' conference held at The Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. My grandparents had served there, and my mom and aunt attended school at that academy for about six years. We have invitations in South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda and Nigeria. We'll get to as many as possible. For more information, and to support this trip, visit www.RichDrama.com/Africa.

Have a very blessed Christmas, and a bright New Year!
Rich and Joyce

Now taking applications for the MasterWorks Festival theatre program: www.RichDrama.com/MWFTheatre. Training and performances in IN, PA and NYC, including an Off-Broadway theatre!