Bethany Britz

 Stage Function in Tandem to Storytelling Acts

When the tubes telescope-collapse, so does the entire machine: the flat alcove and cubby section can fit behind the red dome. The black, sphere fixtures and support arms can move in any direction independently, and there are fixtures for the arms to lock in at many levels.

The idea is that the stage expands and the effects occur with the progress of storytelling.

Within the lowest section are the earliest stories - featuring Isaiah getting sawed in half (action/sound), then slightly higher up are Isaac and Esau (half portraits/action). Abraham and Sarah are told about Isaac (possible sound effects). For these stories, the stage is laterally collapsed to hide the tubes, and the scenery and gold mask are arranged as necessary.

The next story is first to invert the machine. Isaac’s great-grandson, David is played by a jointed puppet, and Goliath is a portrait in two halves that separate at his death. The act is in the same part of the machine, but now it is the top. After David takes Goliath’s sword, the stage partially grows and exposes the covered cubby. Saul battles the Philistines - chemical reactions are initiated to provide sound effects. The cubby door opens, Saul falls out as a hangman; and the stage grows to expose that within the alcove, there sits King David as the carved ivory king. Scenery is arranged into landscape at the foot of the machine to represent Jerusalem.

When King David dies, two doors emerge from either side of the alcove and close. The stage wings partially expand to create Jachim and Boaz, the pillars of the First Temple; the red dome is set infront of the temple doors as the Bronze Sea, half of the scenery is landscape; the gold mask configures into a demon, and the carved ivory angel is set as needed. A gold ring is in the alcove - it might be attached to the cross fixture that joins the dynamic arms. When the doors open, the carved ivory king is Solomon. Scenes occur with the demon to precipitate the birth of Jesus. The edges of the temple doors are painted purple to represent a column that held the demon Ephippas. King Solomon’s act concludes with the sound of locusts.

Temple doors close - it is possible that the doors are painted on both sides, one with the First Temple, the other side with the Second Temple.

King Herod is a big face under the circle stage, and his sons are half masks that come together in front of him under the circle stage. As the scenery is reconfigured in front of the stage, the masks, puppets, and cubby hangmen act out how Herod murders those close to him. Marc Antony, Octavian, his mother and advisor; are introduced as pop-out portraits on the sides.

Meanwhile, the stage is expanded laterally to accommodate the architectural accomplishments of King Herod. Half of the scenery is arranged landscape style, the gold mask becomes a stage and two carved ivory figures are attached to be Colosi. Scenery painted on the stage (which is the floor to the arrangement) completes a diorama of Ceasarea Maritime.

Quicklime juices up the power, and the chemical chambers now glow red. Herod knows something is up.

The second half of scenery is configured figuratively to be the Magi, they visit King Herod on the circle stage, then join the nativity at the bottom. Roman soldier heads at the top animate, sound effects handle the Massacre of the Innocents.

John the Baptist wears a camel skin in the cubby.

The stage is fully expanded, fully grown, tubes exposed. All of the scenery is made figurative and set into a nativity scene, the angel is positioned in the upside-down alcove. A cross that connects the dynamic arms has a baby fixed to the back, and this is laid onto the mask baby-up.

Scenery is arranged into landscape to represent Egypt, and the final act of the upside-down stage concludes.

The stories of Isaac’s son Jacob and all of Jacob’s sons are not a part of this set. These ARE available from other frames in the CGS fresco - in detail, including perhaps new stories about Naphtali and generations of descendants - but this set either excludes them entirely or requires significant reconfiguration to tell them.