CHRISTIAN THEATRE IN SHOWBIZ PIZZA? #4

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, October, 1986.  Bracketed information has been added to clarify some items for the blog.  I have no pictures from our time at ShowBiz Pizza.  If anyone has some and sends them to me, I will add them later.)

 

Even though we had experienced difficult times during the first year, we began our second season [of Stained Glass Theatre] full of hope and expectation. We felt sure that we had learned from our mistakes and that things would be easier the second year. Ah, yes, we were such foolish dreamers! As we look back now, we can see that it was not our first year that was the real testing—our wilderness—no indeed! The nightmare struggles of the second year made the first year seem like a pleasant dream. Satan began to move against us with full force. The battle was on! Unfortunately, we were not prepared. We had not put on the full armor of God of which Paul speaks (Ephesians 6:11-17). We were greatly lacking in faith and righteousness. Therefore, when the battles came, we tried too often to fight with our own power and strength. It was not enough; it never is. Nonetheless, we fought on without the spiritual maturity to see why we were failing.

The first major crunch of the second year was the worsening of an old problem—finances! As the rent increased to $600 per month and attendance remained up and down, we had to let two of our paid staff go, which left Pat [Edmonds] to carry the load alone. This proved to be too much for one person, so other problems began to surface. Then in November, just two months into the season, we were informed that we would have to vacate the building. The owners of the restaurant wanted to install a bar in the basement where we were. Ironic, yes? 

We quickly began a search for a new home. We found that a small theatre inside ShowBiz Pizza was for rent. The rent was more than we could afford, but we felt that it was an answer to prayer since it met our needs. 

After the move, things did not take off the way we had hoped. We lost some of our regular patrons, or they lost us, we were not sure which. We also had trouble attracting new patrons. Attendance remained generally low all winter and spring. We faced new and ever greater financial difficulties. During that period, it seemed to me that we lived from crisis to crisis. But God kept us going. We had some good nights plus some good gifts. 

By late spring, we felt that someone needed to help Pat. But who? Who would even consider what we could offer? With the qualifications and talents we needed, who would work with a company that half the time could not even pay the salary of the one employee it had? Pat and I had a talented young man named Terry Beasley in mind. Terry was just graduating from college with plans to teach. He had been performing with SGT for over a year, and we knew he was the one we needed. It all seemed like an impossible dream. Then God worked another wonderful miracle. He placed a call in the heart of Terry to serve Him through SGT. Terry accepted the call, for at least one year’s full service. He did this at great personal sacrifice and against the wishes and concerns of many who felt he would be wasting his education and abilities. Now we had a new warrior in the battle for survival. Praise God! It was a battle that we believed was all but lost. But God knew the battle was not over. Victory was ahead! [Thank You, Father! Praise Your Holy Name! Jehovah!]

COMING NEXT: DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN
When we were defeated in spirit, God worked a Spiritual miracle in our hearts and gave us new hope and vision.

SEEDS OF JOY # 3

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, September, 1986.)

Yes, God had given us a building rent free! However, there was much work to be done. We began working day and night to turn the basement of a restaurant into a theatre. It seemed a monumental task for a few young artists (and one old one) with limited funds and time. Seats had to be found and installed, a stage, scenery, and seating risers had to be built, carpet found and laid, lighting and sound systems installed, letters, news releases, programs and publicity written, printed and mailed, interviews and commercials recorded, and costumes made. 

Pat Edmonds directing rehearsal

All of this and more, plus one other small detail—a show had to be rehearsed and readied for production. Yes, the task seemed too great, and I often found myself asking, “Why am I doing this?” Somehow, through sleepless nights and exhausting days, God gave that little group of dedicated actors and technicians the strength to get it all done on schedule.

Pat Edmonds and Ward Franz

Denise Boutwell and Ward Franz

October 27, 1983, Stained Glass Theatre, the Midwest's only full-time Christian theatre, opened its doors for the first time with a special premiere performance and dedication ceremony. The play that night was SEEDS OF JOY, and because of that, “SEEDS” has a special place in our hearts.

Seeds of Joy clown tent

Nate's office

The first season was underway. As it turned out, it was a season of ups and downs, blessings and disappointments, good nights and bad, and always (and I do mean always) a financial struggle.

Our biggest disappointment of that first season was attendance. It soon became evident that Springfield had not been holding its breath, waiting for the arrival of a Christian theatre. We did have some overflowing nights, but those were the exceptions, not the rule. Many times we played to less than ten people. It was hard not to get discouraged and want to quit, but God kept our spirits up most of the time.

With low attendance and little (if any) pledge support, there was the ever present specter of having to close down simply because we couldn't meet our bills. Even before we opened, the restaurant sold, and with the new owners, the free rent soon went to $100 a month, then $200, then $400, and finally $600. There were many times when we couldn't pay salaries for the three who were working for us. The times were hard, and we just didn't see how we could keep afloat, but just when it would seem that all was lost, God would give us another miracle. I recall one such miracle. After a show one night, a man and wife heard us say that we had to have at least five hundred dollars or we couldn't open the next show. They left and came back a few minutes later and handed us five one hundred dollar bills! They told us God spoke to their hearts and told them to give us the money. Needless to say, we all cried tears of joy and praised God that night. We know that God kept Stained Glass Theatre going that first year, and we give Him all the praise and glory. Thank You, Father! Praise Your Holy Name! Jehovah!

COMING NEXT:  CHRISTIAN THEATRE IN SHOW-BIZ PIZZA?
We are forced to move and face many trials but God calls a new warrior to join the battle for survival.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS # 2

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, August, 1986. Bracketed information has been added to clarify some items for the blog.)

Where, when and why did it all begin? The where and when are simple—in the fall of 1982 in Bolivar, Missouri. The why, as with all dreams, is a little more difficult. In trying to answer the why, I can only tell you that I believe God planted the dream for a full-time Christian theatre in Springfield in my heart as a call to serve Him with the gifts and talents He gave me. And likewise, to provide opportunities for young Christian artists to use their talents to glorify and hold up the name of the Lord before the world. I believe that theatre is a powerful tool for influencing lives and should not be left just in the hands of a secular world.

So I felt His call, but even so it was only a dream; how do you make a dream a reality? How do you begin when the task seems monumental? Perhaps the wise man says, “You don't.” However, being more a dreamer than a wise man, I reasoned, “Just start. Once you tell everyone what you want to do they will be so excited they'll jump on the band wagon by giving of their time and money.” I told you I was a dreamer! At any rate, with the blessings and encouragement of my wife, I did begin.

I felt that God had given me the names of several others to join me. The first name was Pat Edmonds. After talking with Pat, I was sure, for as it turned out, Pat had a similar dream. I also talked with my daughter, Denise, and a school teacher friend, Peggy Turner. They, too, wanted to be involved. So together we agreed to contact some others we felt would be interested and called a founders meeting for October 17, 1982. That very special first meeting was attended by myself, Pat, Denise, Peggy, and three other theatre students at SBU—Doug Austin, Ward Franz, and Mike Shew. The group covenanted together to form the Stained Glass Players. We developed a plan of action. We would spend the first year planning, organizing, performing in Springfield area churches, and raising the $2,000 plus that we thought it would take to get going. The plans also included finding a building the following summer (1983) that could be renovated into a theatre to give the Stained Glass Players a home. [Stained Glass Players is still the legal name of our ministry even though we have done business as Stained Glass Theatre almost from the beginning.]

The plan went as scheduled through the winter, spring, and early summer. Then in August, when we began to look for a building to rent, we hit our first “brick wall.” We had hoped to find a building we could rent for around $300 per month. We soon discovered that we really had been dreaming. We could not even find a burnt out fox hole for that. We were really discouraged until God led us to Bill McClure and his Plantation Restaurant. [The Restaurant was located at the corner of Sunshine and Grant Streets in Springfield where Perkins Restaurant is now. It may have been known as Springfield Family Restaurant.] We had heard that the basement of the restaurant was empty and that Mr. McClure had had Christian singing groups perform at his restaurant before. We didn't think there was much of a chance, but we decided to at least talk to him.

After seeing the basement area of the restaurant, we were both excited and sick—excited because it was so right, sick because we knew there was no way we could afford it. It was one hundred times nicer than anything we had looked at. It met all of our needs—performance area, seating space for one hundred [we had to install the actual risers and seats as shown here], office space, lobby and restrooms, good heating and air conditioning, even a parking lot. It seemed to be perfect; however, compared to what we had seen, I knew we were looking at somewhere around $1200 per month or more. I was embarrassed to even tell Mr. McClure what I thought we could afford ($300-$400), but I did tell him our situation. He said, “Let me talk to my wife and see what we can do. We'll let you know in a couple of weeks.” We did a lot of praying the next two weeks. I kept thinking he would try to give us a reasonable price, but that it would still be more like $800-$900, which was much more than we could afford. If he got as low as six hundred, maybe we could find a way. Two weeks later, we called him, hoping for the best and expecting the worst. And God “blew us away” with the first miracle on our journey—Mr. McClure told us that we could have it—rent free! Praise God! 

We had our first home and we could begin our ministry in Springfield!  [This picture shows our first sign with our first logo attached to the post below the restaurant sign.]  

Thank You, Father!  Praise Your Holy Name! Jehovah!

COMING NEXT:  SEEDS OF JOY

The first season begins, our first show, and another miracle.