The Colour And The Shape...

But If Not...

Penultimate Night

The penultimate night of the first British Pageant of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has come to an end. It was an evening of emotion which began with a cast, choir and crew meeting with Elders Russell M. Nelson, Jeffrey R. Holland and two members of the Seventy. One of the reasons that it was so emotional was that many of the real characters that are portrayed in the pageant are in the ancestry of Elder Holland, who served a mission in his ancestral home as a young man. 

We had a beautiful meeting with them where expressions of love were exchanged. Elder Kieren (sp?) reminded us about the strength we are given to lift others. It made me think about this week and how much of a roller coaster it has been for so many of us. Fatigue and illness and injury and upset: we've had it all. But we've pulled together for support and at the moment we needed the extra strength from the leadership and love of the church, it has been provided amply. 

Elder Evans laughed at the description of our so-called pageant "tent"! He explained to us that in the church leadership the pageant falls under both ''missionary" and "priesthood" because its about both extending our message to those who don't know much about the church and increasing the understanding and faith of the families and members. I've seen this pageant fill both of those roles. 

Elder Holland spoke about finding the site for the Preston Temple 22 years ago and telling President Hinckley about the 26 acres. He told President Hinckley "we'll use it!" It now houses a temple, stake centre, missionary training centre, accommodation block and a temporary pageant theatre! Something that really hit me about what he said was in relation to the missionaries coming to England. He talked about how this was a time of trial for the church which was being persecuted and at that time the Prophet Joseph Smith needed support but instead sent his most able men to Britain to gather souls. It was a huge sacrifice but The Lord called them and they, and Joseph, obeyed. In return, they were rewarded by the 65,000 people who joined the church and emigrated. Elder Holland told us, with emotion, "I'm fully prepared to weep through the whole pageant!" 

Elder Nelson told us of his English heritage from Somerset from whence his great-grandparents emigrated to Ephraim, Utah. He spoke about other historical events within the British isles such as the first area conference held outside of the states which was in Manchester in 1971. My dad was there! He expressed confidence that the best part of the history of the British Isles is yet to be. He said that the allegiance to The Lord and missionary work are increasing here and he's seeing that. He left us with a blessing that we would have continued joy! I loved that. He said so much that was incredibly beautiful and sacred, as an apostle of The Lord. 

It's strange to think that we're going home soon and going further from the temple; the very place that these good British people moved heaven and earth for. I love the temple. I love the fact that Ben and I were sealed in this institution of marriage for all eternity. I'm grateful for that blessing in my life which means that whatever happens to us in terms of mortality, we will stand together one day. Marriage teaches us so much. I love my individuality and want my own identity but I am proud that Ben and I form a family unit. He is my only immediate family now, which is weird when we have so many people around us that we love. 

We've learned so much and met so many amazing people here. One of our new little friends asked me today if we would see each other again after tomorrow. Though I couldn't promise that it would happen soon, I told her that I hoped so. And I do. I feel that these relationships developed through pageant will last for much longer than this week. If I don't see these people again for ten years I'll still love them as much as I do now when I do see them. I'll be excited to know where they're at in life and how they are. One of the places I anticipate meeting some of them again in the temple. 

Like the early Saints, we are drawn here. It is here, at The House of God, that our unity is at its peak. Here is where we focus on the most important things and see beyond the constraints of time to a place where we will be able to be unrestrained in our love, energy and time for each other. This is what will last far beyond this week. This is the message of pageant for me: Zion. I want to be there. And if I can't always be in Zion as a physical place, then I want it to be in my heart. Pageant has drawn me nearer to that, through an increased love for my neighbour and Our Maker. 

It's a great performance; but if that's all you saw, think again! Or better still- come back tomorrow!!! Who knows when you'll get the opportunity again?!

The British Pageant - The Apostle's Arrival

We have had yet another great experience here at the British Pageant. We have known for a while that we were going to have some "special" visitors, but until it happens, it's all a bit unreal.

Today, we had the pleasure of being joined by Elder Russell M. Ballard - one of our Apostles. I have spoken about how being up here is great and that there is a buzz going around, but prior to the arrival of an apostle it ramps up a bit. The rumours that go around, prior to this visit made me laugh such as other church authorities "sneaking in" to watch us (they didn't, by the way!) - it reminds me of Braveheart when the people talk about William Wallace being 8 feet tall and able to take on whole armies on his own!

This time though, it was for real. We began our day by going through the Preston Temple, which as ever was a great way to start any day, then had a fireside scheduled in the afternoon where we were to meet Elder Ballard. We all got ready and in he walked. I am always struck by the fact that the leaders of our church are just men, yet they hold a large responsibility. We love them as people and we revere the call they have as Apostles, yet it is always great to see them in the flesh to remind us that the Lord qualifies the people he calls.

Elder Ballard got up and shared some remarks with us about his connections to the British Isles, including the story of how his family came to find this gospel. It is a great story and I would urge you all to read about it - his great-great-grandfather emigrated from England to America join with the saints and all of his children bar one disowned their parents. The one child who traveled with them ended up having two apostles (M. Russell Ballard and Melvin J. Ballard) in his direct lineage!

Elder Ballard was also a missionary in the British Mission in 1948 and he shared that he "never come[s] to this island without reverence and respect [for those who have gone on before]", which again makes me think about my mission experience in Ireland. I love Ireland and have managed to go there since the mission, and each time I have been I feel a great reverence for that place. I see it as a place where I changed from boy to man - a rite of passage, so to speak - so I always look back on the experience there with a smile, as I'm sure Elder Ballard does when he is able to get back here.

Later on this evening, we had the chance to perform the pageant in front of Elder Ballard and various other general authorities and it was such a good experience. Lately, I have started to tire and although I am putting my all into this still, I felt that my enthusiasm started to wane slightly and the visit of an Apostle could not have been any more timely. As we got ready to perform, I really felt reinvigorated and thought afterwards that it was our best performance yet. It was great to stay on stage after and wave farewell to Elder Ballard and know that everyone in the audience was uplifted by his presence and by the pageant as a whole.

I feel an increased desire to live up to the promises I have made as part of this gospel and I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing it with others through a medium I have never used before. When this pageant rolls around again, which I hope it will, I will definitely be apart of it!

Tomorrow, we have the visit of two more Apostles to write about - can't wait!

Opening night!

I am completely buzzed right now after Blue Cast opening night. Pageant has been such an amazing experience and it has been a learning experience and tonight has been a real reward for the hard work and dedication we have put in so far.

From my perspective, the spirit took hold of the hearts of all of the people who were on that stage. One of the things you quickly realise about this experience is what we are often told "change is the rule" and it is so true. Things change in the schedule, every night up on the stage things change... and hearts change. One thing I'm learning is how to respond and adapt to that change.

I'm the kind of person who likes structure. I like things to be done right. Unfortunately, my definition of the word right is very often to set an unachievable expectation that disappoints me when it isn't met. That is one of the challenges of how my brain works. For example, during the dress rehearsal I felt a bit deflated that there wasn't complete silence backstage. But, tonight, something changed in me. I felt, all of a sudden, that things were being done right to a higher standard than the standard I was using to measure by in my imperfect understanding. As I looked around me and I saw the parents  shepherding four children I didn't hear the noises they were making; I finally heard and saw with my heart the perfection of the consecration of time, effort, energy, money and love. I've always felt the children added a lot of good but I saw the noise as a bit of a compromise. Now, I don't feel that way. The children are beautiful because they add enthusiasm and the spirit and that comes hand in hand with all the noise... Suddenly, it's great that they're noisy sometimes. I know Heavenly Father is so glad they are here.

Feeling those things changed everything for me. Tonight was pure joy. Nothing was half-way. I tasted Zion tonight and it was so delicious. It was exactly what Lehi described in his vision of the tree of life. It was glorious. It was triumphant.

It's always great to have it confirmed when you feel that something that happened was miraculous and incredible. Our confirmation tonight came through the news that we don't have to rehearse tomorrow. We are meeting at 6pm for our pre-pageant fireside. That means I can spend the morning in the temple and doing things that will be of great worth to me. I'm just so excited to go into the House of The Lord and be able to thank Him for the incredible spirit that I've felt tonight. It was an outpouring of love that I've felt before but I don't think it's ever come at a more poignant time for me.

I opened the Book of Mormon on stage earlier and read the following passage which reminded me so much of the early Saints of Britain who we are portraying:

"Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them. And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not. And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved."

I love this gospel. I love the way it changes and forms us as we follow the Saviour more perfectly each day. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share the things I know and love. I'm grateful that He lives and is my daily teacher through the Holy Ghost.

First day of performances...

The British Pageant - First full run-through

At the time of writing, we have just come back from dinner and previous to this we (the whole cast for the second week) did our first full run-through of the whole pageant.

We have spent the last 5 days working through each scene and dance, trying to learn everything and make sure we know things like our cues, where we're supposed to be on stage, the dance moves and much more. It has at times felt a little overwhelming with the amount of learning we have had to do (especially for complete amateurs like me!), but today when we went through the whole thing together I finally felt that we could actually do this.

As we went through everything in order, a couple of things stood out to me:

First, the pageant is a lot shorter when you're in it! Harriet and I have quite a large gap between scenes at one point, yet during the run-through it shot by. Thankfully for me, Harriet was aware of how quickly time was passing and we got on in time.

The second thing I noticed was that it is quite a powerful experience being on stage. As I have written previously, I have never done this kind of thing before. I definitely felt the "buzz" from being up there and can see how actors and actresses get a kick out of it.

Since I wrote the paragraphs above, Harriet and I have just participated in the proper dress rehearsal in front of a couple of hundred people. The information above still applies and now that we've had a proper audience, the feelings in the previous paragraph in particular are even more poignant. What I was saying was that I can see how professionals get a buzz and possibly can become addicted to it, requiring more and more.

What is different about this experience as a whole is that there is something else there. On top of the buzz you may feel from the appreciative audience there is an extra, more satisfying feeling that lasts much longer. Because of the nature of this production (or "experience", as the creative team are calling it), there isn't just a storyline and plot. There is truth being taught and because of this, the spirit testifies to all who are open and willing to feel it. People can come away feeling inspired by the plot, while they can also come away with a desire to come closer to Christ, which is what we want to happen!

Anyway, tomorrow night is our first performance before a full house (around 1,700 people) and I am massively looking forward to it. As the pageant testifies: Truth Will Prevail!

No Show

The British Pageant: Choir View

The British Pageant 2013 - Ben's Perspective

The British Pageant 2013 - Ben's Perspective

When I married Harriet, I knew I was marrying into a musical family. I knew they had all done something theatre-ish to some extent, so I knew that at some point I would feel obliged to take part.

I must admit that joining Lichfield Stake Choir was something I felt obliged to do, but the fun I had taking part in that was something that has changed my whole attitude towards performing as a whole. I loved taking part and for the first time in my life, I looked forward to singing in front of a reasonably large group of people. When we performed as part of a choir, we performed in front of an audience of around 150-200, which to me was a pretty daunting task. The performances went well and I felt the buzz that comes from performing, while those familiar feelings of the spirit came as we shared the gospel through song.

After doing other musical things (Harriet and I sang a duet at a baptism – something else I never thought I would do), I have become more at home with singing in front of groups, so when the opportunity came to be involved in the first ever British Pageant here in Chorley, I knew we would be taking part in some way.

Harriet and I signed up to be a part of the Family Cast, which in a lot of other performances would be known as the ensemble. I have become more and more excited about this role and today took part in the first of what I assume will be many practice sessions where we do some singing and… wait for it… dancing. Another thing I never, EVER dreamed I would do in front of people. Just as before with singing, rather than denying myself the chance to see if I’m perhaps good at something else, I decided to just throw all caution to the wind and go for it. And guess what?? It was FUN! Fun? Dancing? Moi? And I even managed to get through a whole practice session without injuring either myself or some other poor soul unfortunate enough to be in my immediate vicinity.

Now that the fun side has been talked about, I want to talk about the other experiences I have had at the Pageant so far. Those of you that know me will know that Ben’s serious moments are rare, so here’s a chance to witness one.

Last night we were able to sit in what is now called “The Pageant Theatre” to watch the cast perform on opening night. I had already seen run-throughs of the plot, but when I first saw it performed properly, I connected with the characters portrayed so well by the volunteers on stage. I thought about when I moved over to live in Utah while at university and about how easy it was for me to do that. I traveled over on a plane, was able to speak to my family regularly and I even got to travel home at least once a year.

One scene of the pageant shows the main families bidding farewell to their home as they traveled by boat to a land they knew next to nothing about. I can’t imagine what they were feeling. I knew when I went over there that when I got homesick and missed the green, rolling hills of Rutland that I would just have to wait for a few months and I would see it again. I even moved back there when I finished my studies. The early British saints were leaving this beautiful country never to see it again. Some left behind whole families and sacrificed everything because they had faith that in the grand scheme of things, all would indeed be well, as the hymn goes.

I feel so humbled to be a part of this pageant in celebration of the first baptisms here in England 175 years ago. I feel my testimony of the truth of this gospel being strengthened daily, while I also feel so proud to be British. I feel proud of my heritage and immensely thankful to those who sacrificed so much to make my life so easy. I am grateful that I don’t have to endure the persecution they had to endure, but I am most proud of the fact that I get to share this gospel with others.

I loved the time I spent out in Utah – the “Zion” that was established for the most part on the backs of these hardy British souls – but I always kept a part of my country in my heart while I was there because I knew that my heart lay at home in England. Now, almost a year after being married to Harriet for time and all eternity, I know why the pull to return home was so strong!

The British Pageant: Audience View

 As you will not have escaped hearing, there is a pageant going on at Preston Temple in Chorley. Ben and I have been excited about it for weeks and have been finding as many ways as we can to get involved. This excitement really came to the front yesterday when we heard the recordings of the choir that we were part of a couple of weeks ago.

We were astonished at the sound that came through even on my little mobile phone adding all its distortions. We were touched to hear the music with the instrumental and choir combined – partly because we didn’t get chance to hear this as we recorded. It sounds strange, but we actually recorded in complete silence with only our conductor, Beth Trebilcock, able to hear the pre-recorded backing from the orchestra. As such, we had to follow with exact obedience. When we did exactly as Beth directed, we got it. When we tried to lean to our own understanding, we failed. It’s amazing the lessons you can learn from this pageant!

Last night we had the opportunity to be part of the pageant audience. This meant a certain amount of frivolity before the show including dressing up in period costume and having our photo taken. Rest-assured, when I have it so will you! ;)

I want to give you my views on the pageant as a spectator and as a participant. Firstly, though, let me put the whole thing into some perspective location-wise:

The “Pageant theatre”, as they are calling the enormous semi-permanent ‘marquee’, is on the temple grounds and from it, through the trees, you can see the spire of the building that for 15 years has made its mark on the Chorley landscape. It is the perfect setting for the pageant that leaves as one of its closing and predominant themes the LDS doctrine that families can be together forever. The temple is the place that we believe the authority can be exercised to ensure this.

On stepping into the Pageant Theatre you are transported to the Victorian period and the first character we meet is Arthur Ashton, a man full of humour and energy despite many hardships and uncertainties. Though part of the fictional family (unlike most of the other central characters of the show) he is the vehicle through which the story moves. He is a widower with four children and one of the elements that I found surprising and poignant in the show was something I had not seen in rehearsal – that when he talks aloud to his beloved wife who has passed on, she is there on the bridge of the stage where the choir stand, promoting the feeling that the choir are ancestors looking on.

Arthur’s relationship with his daughter Sarah Ashton (played by my sister: Rebecca Maclean) is a pivotal one to the story. It was moving and well-acted throughout the pageant. Sarah hears the preaching of Heber C Kimball and gains a testimony of the truth, leading to her asking her father for permission to be baptised and eventually telling him that she will go with the Saints to America. The interaction between Arthur, Sarah and the other children of the Ashton family are among the highlights of the show.

Which, leads me on to the children of the pageant. The cast had a variety of ages that I would say must be unrivalled in theatres anywhere. I can’t imagine where else you would get this volume of children performing on stage with adults of all ages, including the ‘more experienced’ as the over 70s were politely referred to during rehearsals. Not only did they have the cute factor – they were good. It’s one thing to see children behaving themselves and a completely different thing to see them display actual ability and in this case there was both. Of note was the performance of “Suo Guan” (sp?) by the two boys who were travelling to Liverpool from Wales to join the Saints there; and a beautiful rendition of “Fair in the Sunshine” by a group of children portraying the Saints of Downham.

The set was another thing that kept evolving and was incredibly well done. Particularly the ‘ship’ that comes on as the final set looked fantastic and was very convincing.

The audience particularly enjoyed the character of Twiselton Turley (sp?) and his wife. With their cheeky charm and cockney accents they had the audience laughing with them and rooting for them. Scotsman Ben Hunter’s character was also very well received.

After one of the big dance numbers there was a spontaneous eruption of clapping and cheering from the audience. As part of this body, I felt energised by the cast and wanted to jump to my feet with them – which is as well because I may well get to be part of that this week!

As a member of the LDS church, I tried to consider how the pageant would have come across to me if I was not of the same faith as the people on stage. Even if you don’t believe as we believe, it is an incredible and enthusiastic performance showcasing the real talent of lots of young people. It is a story well-told and the story of the faith that the Canons, the Benbows and the other noteable families showed is a true story. If you want to understand the historical importance of events that took place here in England, this pageant is a fantastic place to start.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed throughout was the music. Sometimes barely audible even under some dialogue, the music for me provided the atmosphere and the authenticity to the retelling of the events.

There’s so much going on in this pageant I could tell you about character after character, scene after scene that were note-worthy and excellent but I’m sure you’re getting bored of reading: in this case, it’s better to see it for yourself. Me? I’m excited to be part of it!

In conclusion: beg, steal or borrow a ticket. But don’t steal, because that’s wrong. Either way, get there, get your family there. It’s a great night out with a fun atmosphere and characters you can really invest in. And there’s a message of family and love. Above all, those are the things that the LDS church and the rest of the world can certainly agree upon as being the foundation for happiness.

Us, ready for pageant.