Nunc Licet, the stage play, management notes

The following material was taken from one of the AOL web pages before they closed Hometown. The material is being reorganized under different subject headings within the IMS Virtual Studio. Please bear with the parts that I have not yet been able to review& edit or relocate. AG


Distribution of Production Materials

Persons who specifically identify themselves as serious investors, vested creative/managerial partners, producing organizations/facilities, or parties to the ancillary markets will be provided with contract or script materials. A CD-ROM is being produced for distribution of the script materials. This CD-ROM will be provided to partners or it may be purchased by persons simply wishing to read the script. The a cost for the CD-ROM is $15 + $2.50 S&H and a printed version of the script willbe made available at a cost of $25 per script plus $5 S&H. These material will be generally available when the PayPal shopping cart is set up.

Reporting to Vested Partners

Vested partners will receive the appropriate reports when they are issued. The reporting requirements of Nunc Licet Productions, LTD will be managed by a vested board position responsible for that function. I will not be engaged directly in that activity. Therefore, the Front Money required for the foundational work of the production will be required to finance that aspect of the production, (in addition to securing the balance of principle board members who will also serve as Vested General Partners) before the Limited Partnership is filed with the Security Exchange Commission. Board members who are not vested can only sit in a secondary role, as they are positioned to perform in a limited fashion to a specific degree. (ie: organizational representative placed for oversight & reporting functions) Contracts specifying secondary functions allow for a limited return to the organization from the net receipts.

A Summary of the types of Productions

Workshop- a closed reading environment designed to supplement the writing process

Developmental production- a staged reading, script in hand, in black, one actor for each character, open to invited guests and test audience. Designed to establish timing, blocking, inflection & delivery, and to initiate necessary changes as a result.

* NOTE: The implementation of A Documentary film project begins at this stage and continues until union contracts cause a hindrance. This may be encompassed in an Academic Production or lead to it.

Refer to the note under cinematic production.

Academic production- produced in partnership with a university or college as an educational tool for the students and a refinement tool for the production. May also be used as a networking and training tool with multiple universities in a touring scenerio between Performing Arts Departments. Involvement in an Academic Production would have income producing implications for the university involved. However, all creative and managerial control remains with IMS, but may be modified upon approval so long as such modifications do not adversely impact the presently implemented contract terms.

Limited Regional Production- release into the regional theatre environment which brings into the mix the union contracts required by The League of Regional Theatres. This arena may work in conjunction with, supplement, or replace, the out-of-town tryout venues. This arena involves the not-for-profit theatre and may likewise fall into the Developmental Agreements depending on the type of production being presented.

Out-of-Town Try-out Production takes place in the professional arena, under the umbrella of a developmental try-out production, thereby allowing for reviewers imput to contribute to the development of the show without the destructive stain of a bad review from the New York critics.

Off-Off Broadway- is basically equivalent to an out-of-town tryout or a regional theatre, with the specific intent on traveling to New York. The Off-off Broadway theatre is closer to New York and draws the sophistication of the New York audience.

Off Broadway- is in New York but, allows for further development.

Broadway/London- are the premiere venues and the presentation is expected to be the best it can be. The cost to make this presentation is in the millions and the reviews are critical to the success of the production as a whole. Bad reviews will likely kill aproduction. It is advisable to stay out of New York until a demand has arisen for the production to move into the city.

Cinematic Production is best reserved for after a successful run on Broadway although in recent years successful films have made the transition to the stage, so film may become the most viable way to proceed.

* NOTE: recent decisions regarding the viability of this show as a whole and the difficulties with maintaining the actors and crew who will likely be available, indicate that a film production must take place simultaneously to the world premiere production in Bryn Athyn. Numerous production logistics & supplies can more easily be co-ordinated and shared if both efforts take place at the same time. The film materials gathered at this time may or may not be used for general release and it is possible that a different film production may occur.

National & International First Class Touring Productions- are a result of demand thathas been generated by a successful Broadway or London run.

National & International Second Class Touring Productions- are for a second run on a four-wall or for a run into the regional theatres.

Release of Performance Licensing- for revivals at regional not-for-profit, dinner & community theatres and for the festival environment. May include numerous performance variations on a case to case basis.

Investment Notes; discussions on money matters

Front Money - The minimum investment at this stage is $10K. This money currently falls under the Front Money Agreement, however this offer may be withdrawn or changed at any time, depending upon the advancement of the project's economic status. Any changes in this offer will not effect Investors who have contributed and have a signed Front Money Agreement. The Front Money required to enter into the offering stage of the Nunc Licet Limited Partnership is not fully determined, but should be expected to be in the neighborhood of $100K, due (in part) to the expectation of establishing a communications network for the proper & full implementation of the reporting requirements. This network must include a paid Director for the Partnership. This role may be filled by the legal firm assigned to filing the partnership, or the accounting firm on contract with the partnership, depending upon the agreements entered into. Discussions and a budget outline regarding the cost of mounting a production will be conducted on another page. Those materials are being reviewed and I expect to provide a brief synopsis and partial budget online for your review.

Front Money is money that is made available for the producers to apply to the pre-production development at their own discretion. It encompasses all the funds necessary to set up the management (and accounting) structure for the individual production and to establish & maintain the production office and key personnel in that office. It also is used for pre-production development of production materials and the adjacent materials needed to market the Limited Partnership and to make the filing with the Securities Exchange Commission. Front Money is recoverable from the proceeds of the Limited Partnership. There is a profit margin cap of 300% on the principle investment, derived from the net income of the Production Receipts and the principle investment buys an equivalent amount of shares in the Limited Partnership. The Limited Partnership shares in only those ancillary rights and markets which have entered agreement with the Partnership, but may be called upon to finance a foray into additional markets under the terms of the agreement. Ancillary agreements entered into prior to the complete capitalization of the LP may be transferred to the Partnership at the discretion of the Producers and/or General Partners on a case by case basis.


Further discussions on these matter will occur.
All proper contracts and management materials must be in place to cover the full range of exploitation.

Regarding the script: the material included in the script is more substantial than usual, because I felt it important to be comprehensive. I felt a need to be assured that, should my death occur before I succeed in producing the play, at least I know that the information will be provided for someone else to proceed.

At this point, it is difficult to say what the actual playing time is. A primary factor in determining the final playing time, is that an audience can only sit in a theatre for so long before the enjoyment of the experience begins to wane. Of course, the level of endurance depends highly upon the content of the play and the presentation of that material, so until we manage to produce the first full timed run-through, we really won't know. An open reading will help us to determine these issues. Clearly the success of the play depends upon the addition of more externals, tangible design elements, such as set & lighting, costumes, and properties. I believe conveying the period nature of the piece will add greatly to it's appeal. The subject matter has an substantial degree of depth to it, although I've tried to spread it out and present it in a casual way. I believe the play requires the creation of a total experience, in order to ease the mental strain of the concentrated challenging thought which sometimes does come forth.

For those of you who have, or will read the play, I am certian that in reality it is much shorter than it appears in writing. Some of the written text is not actually intended to be delivered as lines. It has been placed in the script as a resource for the actor to create a fulfilling characterization or to present semi-directly.

I do expect further refinement, as a result of imput from the performers who convey the 23 characters.

Look for other pages to appear regarding this production, as renewed effort to produce this play is beginning to ocur.

The Film

This script lends itself well to a film production and as the stage play begins to move into a Developmental production, work will likely progress on a film version as well.

As mentioned above, the film production ought to proceed in conjunction with the stage version. In addition to the narrative film, there is a documentary film, about the making of the play and a filmed version of the theatre show. Sort of an American Playhouse thing. So each of these productions is viable in itself, but together they support each other and access the same resources in terms of production personnel and costumes

I expect all this activity to take place in Bryn Athyn. There are sufficient resources as a whole- in terms of theatre facilities and shooting locations and there is a plethora of talented people there to achieve the goals that would be set forth. Additionally, I am considering expanding my facilities in Southampton, since I have become resolved to the fact that I am not going anywhere else and I'm not about to move away from the church. As always: Inquiries are welcomed. AG

Studio Operations

Details regarding  

IMS Studio Operations  

are available on the 

IMS Producing Partners Membership Site

General overview;

IMS was founded in 1977 and has gone thru many changes both up and down. The studio has been set up in nine different locations over the years from Boston to Hollywood. The last scene shop was on a ten acre farm in Solebury just out side of New Hope, Pennsylvania and that was shut down in 2005. The office location in Southampton has been in use since 1985 and has served as a private work space for most of that time.

Expansion of the facilities is quite urgent, because the limited facilities are severely impairing our capabilities. The concept of an animation studio fits in quite well with "The Gnomes of New Hope" project and so the new facilities will be oriented toward implementing the animation objectives of The Gnomes, but any expansion must also accommodate the known requirements for office, studio & design spaces, assorted stage & fabricating spaces, a recycling yard, a vehicle maintenance bay and loading dock and storage space for inventory. Even this set-up will require the potential for expansion.

Numerous buildings have been considered and rejected for various reasons, not the least of which is financing. Because with expansion of facilities comes the expansion of personnel and therefore a whole plethora of other aspects of the operation, aspects which I have consciously tried to avoid.

If Image of the Mind Studios is to become better and more productive than it is, it will need to be completely re-organized and managed under an improved corporate structure. For the most part, it has been a proprietorship and it has been a victim of my own deficiencies, one of which has been trying to avoid becoming a personnel manager.

I have chosen to opt for dedicating my energy to developing new works, writing & designing . I have found that business management takes so much energy that it tends to take control of my creativity, leaving less for conceptualization.

As a result, the organization of Image of the Mind Studios has gradually become more disorganized than I care for it to be.   My focus of concentration has been on the development of these new works and I've found that: completion is itself, a difficult task, and refinement just seems to go on and on.  So because of this continuing process,  I've concluded that production must begin before the core material is fully refined. This will will assure that the material does not spend an eternity in development.

In the instance of "Nunc Licet",  the material is as refined as it can be, although I do expect changes to occur in production. "Grael" can work as an animation, but it needs quite a bit more work for a live action film to be fully implemented, although scenes can be shot and I am intending do do so at Tamanend Park in Southampton.  The core material for "The Gnomes of New Hope" is sufficient to begin production in various ways. You can read about these projects in other posting on the IMS Virtual Studio.

Each of these three projects requires investment and facilities in order to effectively move ahead and these funds need to come from external sources that are not directly tied to the banking system in the form of loans.  Thus, those funds need to be coming from investors who can tolerate a longer term return or from the sale of ancillary rights.

There are many other projects on-the-boards at IMS all of which, not only have, but yet still require substantial investment in time and money.

So it is that: the only practical way for this to happen is for a re-organization of IMS to include a corporate board of directors who are capable of managing the larger financial needs of the studio.  I am doing this by building IMS Producing Partners: wherein the corporate structure of Image of the Mind Studios will be defined and implemented.  

Detailed information regarding those operations will be posted there and not be available on the IMS Virtual Studio.

IMS Producing Partners is a subscription site available only to our partners who contribute financially the the studio's growth and long term success. AG

A Synopsis of "Nunc Licet" the stage play

A portion of the synopsis materials regarding Nunc Licet;
(posted for your review, this information is not yet refined due to the shift to this new site)

The play "Nunc Licet" is essentially about the thinking and experiences of the man Emanuel Swedenborg. It is set in a fictitious social gathering to which the gentleman has bee invited.

By Emanuel Swedenborg's own word's, Jesus Christ appeared to him in his room and essentially instructed him to write the things he would show him. From that day forth, Swedenborg's spiritual sight was opened and he was able to commune with the infernal spirits in Hell and the angels of Heaven.

"Nunc Licet Intellectular in Arcana Fedei"
Now it is permitted to enter intellectually into the secrets of faith. 

These excerpts from Swedenborgs writings are taken from 
The Arcana Coelestia #'s1634-1637 1634. 

CHAPTER 14 CONCERNING THE SPEECH OF SPIRITS AND ANGELS

It is known from the Word of the Lord that many persons formerly spoke with spirits and angels, and that they heard and saw many things that are in the other life; but that afterwards heaven was as it were shut, insomuch that at the present day the existence of spirits and angels is scarcely credited, and still less that anyone can speak with them; for men regard it as impossible to speak with the unseen, and with those whose existence they in their hearts deny. But as of the Lord's Divine mercy I have now for some years been permitted to hold converse with spirits and angels almost continually, and to be in companionship with them as one of themselves, I may now relate what it has been given me to learn concerning their speech with one another. 


1635. The speech of spirits with me has been heard and perceived as distinctly as the speech of man with man; indeed, when I have spoken with them while I have been in company with men, I observed that just in the same way as I heard the men speakings sonerously, so also did I hear the spirits; insomuch that the spirits sometimes wondered that others did not hear what they said to me; for as regards the hearing there was absolutely no difference. But as the influx into the internal organs of hearing is different from that of speech with men, it could be heard only by myself; to whom of the Lord's Divine mercy these organs have been opened. Human speech passes in through the ear, by an external way, by means of the air; but the speech of spirits does not enter through the ear, nor by means of the air; but by an internal way, into the same organs of the head or brain. Consequently the hearing is the same. 


1636. How difficult it is for men to be brought to believe in the existence of spirits and angels, and still more that anyone can speak with them, has been evidenced to me by the following example. There were certain spirits who when they lived in the body had been among the more learned, and had then been known to me (for I have spoken with nearly all with whom I was acquainted during their bodily life, with some for several weeks, with others for a year, exactly as if they had been living in the body). These spirits were once brought into a state of thought similar to that which they had had while they lived inthe world: in the other life this is easily done. The inquiry was then suggested, whether they believed that any man can speak with spirits. They then said, in that state, that it was a fantasy to believe any such thing; and this they asserted very persistently. From this it was given to know with how much difficulty a man can be brought to believe that any speaking with spirits is possible to man, for the reason that men do not believe in the existence of spirits, and still less that they are themselves to come among them after death. And at this these same spirits then wondered greatly; and yet they were among the more learned, and had spoken much in public concerning the other life, and concerning heaven and the angels; so that this might have been thought to be most fully known to them as a matter of memory-knowledge, especially from the Word, where it is frequently met with. Emanuel Swedenborg

History of "Nunc Licet" a stage play

1. The current production script, revision G-VII is printed but awaits binding however, the current CD ROM Edition (Revision H-VIII) contains important changes and will need to be refered to in production. In the revision numbers, letter refers to the text modifications (design, dialogue, story) and the roman numerals refers to changes in the publishing format. The CD will be available on request and will be available thru the New Church Book room at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral. A bound edition will be published on demand. Look for information on that elsewhere.

I began writing Nunc Licet in 1985. The play has been work-shopped three times, once in California and twice in Pennsylvania, each time bringing refinements to both the text & the technical structure. Thus far, the play has gone through a total of 14 revisions. Some minor adjustments, some major. It has been presented to people in the fields of Literature, Academia, Theology, and Theatre for their review of the content, structure, and viability. It has been proof-read countless times, always returning with something that needed to be corrected. ( Probably due to one of the Gnomes of New Hope.) The revisions have included: moving from a single act in another play (titled I am Alpha& Omega) to a three act play of a very elemental style- from being enthralled with the word processing possibilities of the Macintosh, to realizing that assorted text styles interferes with the material.

As the play progressed, I was encouraged to expand upon the details of the subject matter. This necessitated the expansion of the character structure, which led to the addition of events and subtext. At one point it became necessary to re-distribute the subject matter amongst the characters, leading therefore to a re-evaluation of the depth of the characters to accommodate their new interests (particularly the women) And so it goes... For the most current production notes refer to the Production Approach Summary (I expect to reformulate this for this new web site)

Discussions; Admittedly, at first glance, "Nunc Licet" appears to be a long play. This is mostly because of the production notes that are included in the script and that the publication has been spread out for ease of use in production. My recent return to work on this script has surprised me with how easy it was to read compared with how I felt about it when I put it down and stopped working on it in 1997.

The script includes technical notes for both the primary & secondary actor's performance, blocking instructions, as well as other pertinent notes for backstage operations as well as design references. It is currently designed as a "realistic" theatre piece, something that I hope to change, by adding abstract elements of space & time to the piece. Because of it's philsophical nature, other aspects less heady of the production need to counter-balance what, in one reviewers opinion, was the didactic nature in the drama. This review is certianly a remnant of earlier versions of the script, but it also is a result of lack of theatrical vision.

It has been my intention to first produce the play in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, the Ecclesiastical seat of The General Church of the New Jerusalem. This fact shaped the form of the play during the rewrites. My goal has been to have this creative effort become a unifying tool, which can go forth to key locations around the world as a means of bringing awareness of Swedenborg in an entertainment environment, as opposed to that of a church environment. The next level required is a developmental production. This involves a staged reading , in black, with an open house for observers. This reading and all the activities leading up to it will be documented for both promotional and analysis purposes. A developmental production is a non-union effort, with the expectation that the show will be going into a union house at some point in the future. The developmental production may lead to a management structure that accommodates moving the production through the academic circles before it moves into any professional arenas.