Regarding Copyright

• Due to a previous copyright violation of this work, I need to comment on this subject.

• It is most critical that those who would like to contribute to the refinement of "Nunc Licet" do so as part of the production process, being a confirmed member of the production team, and offer their contributions and perspective in the appropriate manner.   

• I have been put in a position of needing to say this because - during the last production effort, someone took it upon themselves to re-write the entire script without my knowledge, participation or approval.  They did this by using the internet posting of the play to copy all the script and re-write it.

• Besides being a copyright violation and plagiarism, the alterations, caused a great deal distress to myself and numerous other parties involved. 

• I will state that the initiative shown by this person involved a phenomenal amount of energy. I am in awe of the willingness to do that, but the approach was quite inappropriate.

• The writing was creative and well thought out, but made assumptions and alterations to the character relationships and edited the text in ways that were a blatant violation of protocol, to say the least.  Under the right circumstances, the work of this person might have been accepted to some degree, but being what it is, and having been approached in the way it was,  it became totally unacceptable.

• I honor this person's ability, but I do not approve of their disrespect, of not only the work itself, but also of the production process and the complete trust and respect that is required between the participants. 

• But  more specifically, their disrespect of the far greater degree of effort & forethought that went into the writer's work, for which this production effort was intended to bring to life, was shocking to me as a writer.

• The effort on their part was a blatant violation the copyright that is and was specifically and clearly stated in the front of all copies of the script.  

• On my part, having no idea that such a thing would happen, I am sad that I have been put in a position to reveal these events here and reiterate that this work is copyrighted and any changes or use of this material must be approved of by me. This should be understood and respected, especially by people within the new church. 

• I beg your forgiveness that I must reveal these events here, in this way.  But I have been forced to do so by the inappropriate actions of another person.  I just hope that it ends here and I do not have to further defend my work from theft or from other infractions upon the many years of difficult effort on my part in writing "Nunc Licet" and the work of seeing this play produced as I have envisioned it.  I am completely open to alterations after that occurs, but not before.  

• Be it understood that "Nunc Licet" took twenty-five years of my life to write and that I will defend it with my dying breath.

Arthur Greisiger

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 been 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.

Update 6/24

  Not too much has been happening with "Nunc Licet" lately. My focus of attention, creatively is on "The Gnomes of New Hope". But in terms of advancing NL, I have been upgrading my video equipment to a three camera HDV set-up. I know it's not "the latest and greatest", but it quite sufficient for your production purposes.

  My goal is to finish constructing a 20'W x 18" D green screen/sound stage in building four of my studio. Once this is achieved I will be planning another production, basically rehearsals, of "Nunc Licet" and recording them on video. 

   As a filmmaker, coming up doing 16mn, I want to call it filmming, but that's not the case anymore. I can't remember the last time I ran film through my Bealieu R16 cameras, or any of the other ones I have.

   In any event, I have an assortment of video equipment that I've gathered over the years, now it's Canon XLH1, and XHA1.

   This XLH1 is intended for handheld shots.

   While these two cameras, on dollies, are for the sound stage set-up. I expect to acquire one or two jib arms for these two cameras. These cameras are matched to my editing systems. I will be looking for operators familiar with these cameras, since I will be directing the actors on this project.

   So we are getting there, in terms of being set up for implementing and capturing a stage presentation. The goal is to perform the script, as written, for the cameras. Sets and costumes will come after we have a solid crew and run the show through. 

   Refinements are inevitable, but they will only take place after we run it as written. The current Revision is 14.

   Anyone interested in participating, in any degree, contact me through the Image of the Mind Studios Virtual Studio 

AG

Most Recent activities 6/23

The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

You may read (herein) that my intention is to shoot a film documentary of Nunc Licet on the Sound Stage in my studio. I have recently upgraded my video equipment to shoot with HDV. It's older equipment but quite sufficient to do a good job. I already have upgraded my editing capabilities and now I am matching the video cameras and editing to accommodate HDV.  This job is almost complete, but I have not begun building the sound stage. There are facilities issues that need to be resolved first. The studio does have a scene shop and the foundations of a costume shop are in place. For now I have other matters to tend to, not the least of which, is publishing the Illustrated Storybooks for The Gnomes of New Hope.

As much as I have wanted to advance with "Nunc Licet" is is not yet practical to proceed, at least, not until The Gnomes of New Hope gains literary representation and is moving forward with distribution of the books. Once that begins, I will have more freedom to work on Nunc Licet again. Although, I have to say that 2024 will bring another Assembly in Bryn Athyn  and that might be a prime opportunity to mount another production. I would do that if I had another one or two producers onboard, as I do not think I am up to it just yet, being quite swamped with other work.

If you would like to discuss that opportunity, send me an email; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

Arthur Greisiger

Artistic Director/ Proprietor 

Image of the Mind Studios

The Next Production Effort

If you need a history of "Nunc Licet" there's plenty already posted in this Archive. 

As the title implies, there will be another go at it. This play has been Workshopped at least five times. Each time there have been rewrites, designed to meet the needs of each of the limited readings that have taken place. None of those readings has been able to achieve what I was really looking for. They were worthy efforts and they gave me much to think about in terms of restructuring the material as a viable stage play, but truthfully, those readings were conducted more by committee than under my direction. Why is that so? Well, because the people participating were volunteering their time and energy. On that basis, people want their opinions heard and collectively, that can get out of hand.

    The last reading was performed for an audience of around seventy-five or so. Overall it went fairly well, but it was under less-than-desirable conditions, and the script was chopped up, because I tried to accommodate numerous opinions about what should or should not be included in the reading. We had severe limitations placed on us, which could not be avoided, due to time and space.

    Well, the last experience has led me to conclude that the next time this play is to be performed, it will be completely as written and documented. My plan is to install a sound stage in my studio and conduct full rehearsals there, which will include blocking and business as written, sans costumes and sets. Oh, and everyone will be paid to follow the script as it is written. No changes, no discussion. I certainly will discuss the material under the right circumstances, but I need to see this performed as it is written, fully, before I can ascertain what changes, if any will need to be made. If I do it for film, I can edit it in the that format and make adjustments from there.

So, I am not certain when that will take place, but that's how it will go.

As always, if anyone wants to get involved in this, at any level, let me know.

image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

Producing "Nunc Licet" as a Stage Play

"Nunc Licet" was written as one of my endeavors at period drama. Another piece I have is "Grael", a medieval romance originally titled MiLady. That project was specifically a story for film, but I may rewrite it as a novel.

Now "Nunc Licet" was originally the third act of 

"I Am Alpha and Omega", 

my Magnum opus theatrical presentation. I'm not sure what the status will be of that piece, but I do know that the missing third act, which became "Nunc Licet" will be replaced with an opera that is based on the Apocalypse.

So, "Nunc Licet" became a dramatic representation of the philosophy of the Emanuel Swedenborg founded in the Bible.

I can say that creating a social interaction with the characters that is based in some very complicated philosophical concerts was not easy. A big part of easing the burden on the mind in regard to the larger concepts has been creating a lighter and more playful sub-text, which is combined with blocking. I have found that few people who have read the play understand this concept. Some people cannot grasp the philosophy, while other are drawn to the philosophy and cannot brook with the superficiality of some of the subtext, or even dialogue, that was designed to distract the mind. They just don't get it. The only way to prove it viability as a play is to produce it as it is written.

You might say "Of course", however, that is not the case. Artists, being who they are, want to put in their two cents. I tried to allow for this in the worshops (there have been four) and the abrieviated staged reading, but that has been disasterous. From my point of view, I wanted to allow creative input, but then end result has been that the persons giving the input have been unable to see the bigger picture. I am not denigrating other people's input, rather, I am speaking the truth about the overall structure of the play. Moments in the play that seem superficial to one person, are intended to be a relief to another person in the audience.

Theatre is an art that deals with emotions and it should take the viewer on a roller coaster ride through an array of feelings. It doesn't have to be extreme, but it must be variable. Likewise the actions in the play must be justifiable and believable. 

In Nunc Licet, there are sections, maybe moments, maybe motivations that do need further development, but the material for that development is in the sub-text. That development is left to the actors to explore as they craft their character, based on the material set down in writing.

The script to Nunc Licet has inserted in it, motivations, blocking and business. In large part these are intended as a guide to develop the final craft. This must be understood when reading the script. I have found some actors resistant to these notes, somehow being insulted that I told them what to do. Too bad. I put those notes in there so that the written material contains as much of my vision as possible. Why? Because when I'm gone, I will have left the material with as much of my intent for the piece as possible, leaving little room for interpretation. If a future production chooses to ignore my intention, well there's nothing I can do about that. But if a future production wants to mount the show as I designed it, then they have that information.

I have worked on well over 350 shows. I have seen plenty of scripts that give little more than dialogue and a description of the setting, leaving it all up to the director and the artists to finish the play. That's all well and good, but what you end up with is a wide variety of versions of the play (assuming it's good enough to be produced multiple times) I wanted to avoid this. I wanted the script to define the production as much as possible, at least in writing. How the show is actually mounted is up to the production crew. For my part, I gave them as much information to work with as I could. That makes the script quite a bit longer.

I have versions of the script that have removed the blocking, business and motivational notes. That reduces the size of the script, but it does it a disservice. I also have edited out sections of action and dialogue to accommodate other person's desires in regard to the material. Doing this damaged the overall flow and broke up it's continuity. Yes it shortened the play, but I don't think it was worth it. I did this for the last staged reading.

Now I've come to the conclusion that I need to pay people to do the play exactly as written; No editing, no creative commentary about changing the story or the character relationships, just do it as written.

I expect that the next production will be for cameras and possible a test audience. I have been setting up a sound stage (which is stalled because of other work on The Gnomes of New Hope) and I may do that in my present location or I may wait, because I am considering relocating to the Pocono Mountains.

So there's an Update on Nunc Licet.

AG

12/20 Update

I have spoken to a few people about Nunc Licet over the past few years. As you can read in this blog, we attempted a presentation at the World Assembly in 2011. There were a few occurrences that took place which were... discouraging. At that time I needed to take a break. I determined that the next production effort needed to take place within the confines of employing the actors to do what they were told, not what they thought they should do. I have A LOT of production experience over the last forty-five years and I have found that volunteer theatre is not an arena that works for me. I won't go into why, suffice it to say I want to pay people to do what I tell them to do without argument or them believing they have a right to impose their opinion into the process.

So now I have a different approach to the play. It is my intention to produce the play in my studio. I have been setting up Image of the Mind Studios, Southampton location for a few years now. My work in the studio is primarily centered on publishing The Gnomes of New Hope Storybook series. All else is secondary until that is completed. 

Part of the studio facilities that is under development is a sound stage with a peanut gallery and a video control booth. So, in terms of Nunc Licet, I intend on building the show to go on that sound stage, which will allow for constructing a show for "little theatre" (16' stage depth x 20' procenium). The blocking on the show will be adapted for that space. If need be the stage size can be expanded to 30' x 20' by eliminating the wings and upstage crossover, but I don't think that will be necessary.

So my goal is to rehearse the show in the studio. I also am setting up a scene shop and costuming, so we can avail ourselves of those capabilities. I already have film, video and editing capabilities, and although they need to be upgraded, they will suffice for documentary purposes.

I will address this subject more later. AG

Copyright Notice

PUBLIC NOTICE

All materials on this blog belong to Image of the Mind Studios/Arthur Greisiger, who holds the sole copyright to these materials. They are presented here for your personal review and may not be copied, reproduced, printed, or disseminated in any way, other that to provide the link to this blog. 

Any use of these materials, in any way beyond reading, must be pursued in cooperation and by permission of the same, one; Arthur Greisiger, who is the Artistic Director and Proprietor of Image of the Mind Studios, located at 1325 Industrial Boulevard, Southampton PA 18966 email; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com and may also be found on Facebook and LimkedIn.

A New Approach

A number of ideas have been posed regarding producing Nunc Licet. So that has gotten me thinking. I started a FaceBook page titled "Nunc Licet" with the intention for that to be a place for people who want to be involved to post ideas and discuss various things. These blogs are more for me to post updates than for any interaction the way FaceBook is. So that's a New direction in trying to mount a production.

As I have said elsewhere, the upcoming Assembly is a prime opportunity to mount a production of some sort.

At the last Assembly we conducted a reading, which was nice and very productive for advancing the show, but the next reading/workshop/production needs to be more extensive and include blocking and business. I am also very firm on the position that we need to perform the script as written without any changes (unless it is a glaring error to the anticipated result). The last reading resulted in chopping the daylights out of the script. I can't say I was happy about that. It was only done because if the limitations on time, space and personnel.

The next presentation needs to be documented with a multiple camera video shoot. I have older equipment and we can use that if necessary, although I'd rather upgrade. Depending on the budget, we may have to rent. We did film the last reading, but there are problems accessing the footage from that. The digital files seem to be impaired.

So for now, I am going through the script and changing the font to one that is easier to read when the script is posted on the web. The earlier font was nice and fancy, but not practical.

I guess I'll publish that version and put it up for sale to raise production funds. Hopefully that will work.

I made an effort to encourage a production thru community theatre, but that's not going to happen unless I raise the budget, which is exactly what I didn't want to have to do. So if anybody wants to jump in on the producing team, do let me know!

AG
image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

A Film Version

Part of my plan is to set-up the green-screen in the studio for various purposes. I expect that stage to be a rehearsal stage as well. I had it in mind that we might install a set for "Nunc Licet" to produce a film version.

The truth is that the stage area is smaller than I'd like, but it could work. The plan that began to foment over 35 years ago, was to shoot the film at Cairncrest in Bryn Athyn. Stanley Rose was hot on that idea, in fact he is the one who suggested it. At that time, Carincrest was closed down and needed to be brought up to code. I've tossed that idea around for years and have thought about how to adapt the play for film.

Someone else made the effort to do a film adaptation of the play, but unfortunately it was without my participation or approval. I was distressed about that, so I never really studied her work. But from what she told me, she altered the premise of the relationship between two characters, which, although interesting, created an underlying deviousness that I found unacceptable.

Anyway, if we do build a producing team on this project, the theatre production needs to include documentary film and ultimately lead to a narrative film production. So the producing team needs to be committed to this degree.

AG

Editing the Script

I've been reviewing the script for "Nunc Licet". As it turns out, I am clarifying some of the text, adding blocking and business to areas not so well defined, and eliminating some text and or actions that I think interfere with the flow.

It's funny how this round of refinement is going so well. I guess that is due, in part, to my changing life's perspective, probably some of the responses I got from previous workshops, and from looking at this with a bit more of a cinematic eye, but still primarily theatrical.

I found that other people have conveyed their opinions about changes, but it's clear to me that those opinions are not founded in a solid understanding of the material. Most people skip over the staging instructions and draw their conclusions from the text. There are very subtle emotional and motivational elements that build up to create the drama from the minor text, in terms of both dialogue and staging notes. Inferences in the dialogue and business are critical, while the blocking (including the asides) crafts the dimension of the piece.

There is a limited amount of space on the stage, therefore, especially in a piece with many complexities and a wide swath of characters, it is important to create definitions of time and space that give the piece greater dimension. That is the purpose of, not only asides, but also segmenting the character relationships with an assortment of intimate moments both in the present sense and with an inferred historical sub-text.

More on this later. AG

Script Review

I have been reviewing the script for "Nunc Licet" again. This time from more of a director/writer rather than a writer/technician/director perspective.

I'm amazed at some of the subtle changes I'm making. I'm not altering it from a need to cull it, rather I am clarifying some of the dialogue and action. I'm reevaluating the blocking and sub-plot. Mostly I want to gain a clearer vision of the sub-plot that is manifest by the women. Most of the dialogue was given to the men. I did try to shift some over to the women, but the challenging nature of some of the text does not sit well with the feminine mindset, so I have mostly wanted the feminine elements to paint a backdrop for the maculine meanerings in the abstract ideology. I'd rather paint a picture of the feminine being a stable foundation upon which the masculine intellectual fantasies rest. I see that as being present more in the sub-plot, with only and occasional foray into the immediate action and dialogue of the piece.

The main objective is to make a proposition and then to offer challenge and support of that proposition, thus building a foundation for the larger propositions that rest on those resolutions. You see, the larger propositions must rest on a foundation before they are put forth, otherwise they become absurd.

That is the whole point of "Nunc Licet", to establish a premise upon which certain "unheard of" concepts/ premises can rest.

This allows us to proceed into a whole array of other dramatic circumstances that are conveyed in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Without establishing that foundation, it is, irresponsible, to attempt addressing those circumstances dramatically.

That is the point.

AG

Most recent thoughts about NL

I've sent out some inquiries about Nunc Licet and producing it for the 2020 Assembly in June, when people from around the world will be in Bryn Athyn.

Well, one of the things I have said is that my interest is to focus only on the directing aspect of producing the show.

I have to confess that producing work is also taking place, but I have been reviewing the script from a director's point of view.

I have found that there are blocking and performance items which were not considered before. In all probability I will transfer those notes over to the next revision of the script.

I want to convey that I have included a plethoria of technical notes in the script, under the presumption that future persons will attempt to produce the show (after I'm gone) and will want to know what my intention, as the writer, was for the production of the show.

Being a theatre technician for many years, I came across some very scant scripts, which basically gave no idea what the writer intended, other than what could be presumed. I wanted to eliminate the presumption for future generations. I think George Bernard Shaw made a comment in that regard that struck home with me.

Anyway, I'm encouraged to shift my attention away from producing on this show and over to the real job of directing. I have no delusions about my abilities as a director, but clearly, I have the most familiarity with this piece and can, without a doubt, offer the most pragmatic approach to bringing the vision of this show to the stage.

So in this regard; the last effort was a reading " script-in-hand". It was a heavily edited version of the script. In that regard, I was not very satisfied with what we presented, but I know we were limited in terms of time and we were not able to present the show as intended. We "were not able" for a variety of reasons, but I do not want to attempt a reading under the conditions we were faced with the last time we presented the play.

I am convinced that the show " as written" works. And after further review, I am even more certain if that. The only variable factor there is the audience's span of attention.

I do believe that; that variable was taken into account when structuring both the text and the blocking, but more than that; the sub-text.

During the last reading, we were not able to address sub-text, let alone craft it's a backdrop to the action or the text delivery. So I am anxious to have the  dictates to freedom to craft those elements that are written into the script. In fact, I have to say, I am unwilling to advance into a production effort without the freedom to craft the performances, without the constraints of time limitations or the imposition of external dictates to edit the script.

As I have said, I think that, on average, a two hour sho is tolerable, but I don't know just how long it takes to deliver the due text with the appropriate pauses, music and blocking. I need to find that out, by directing a fully cast and blocked reading, at the very least.

I'll continue these thoughts later.

AG

Transfered from Virtual Studio

6/19 Update

I'm adding to this post so it shows up as recent and moving it to the NL Archive.

There's been some talk about producing "Nunc Licet" for the Assembly next year. I'm looking into building a producing team. That means raising the money to make it happen. So anyone interested in Producing is invited to communicate with me. Even if we can't pull it together for next year, the idea of producing it as an environmental theatre piece at Cairnwood, sounds like a very good idea.

You will be able to locate a link to the script here on this blog. Also, there is a Nunc Licet Archive blog. I'll try to add links here in the future.

AG

ARCHIVE

I had a dream last night about producing "Nunc Licet". So I am starting the search for a Production Manager and other crew members. Discussions about this are not compensated, but we will pay people once we begin actual production. If you are interested let me know.  I will be shifting the old posts on Nunc Licet up on this blog but I think I might have a blog by that title. It's been awhile since I worked consistently on this blog. I hope to bring things up to date in that regard. If you search for information about Nunc Licet below you can that all the previous activity was taking place six years ago, so that information is not current, but it is applicable. I suggest you use the file folders to locate the posts.

I checked the links in this post and it does seem that the script is posted here. That version is not the most recent, but it is close enough. It is a PDF, so it almost is an e-book, so I think I'll set it up that way. Nothing to loose, especially if I can make a few bucks in the process.  Feel free to download it if you want to have it. I only ask that you do not attempt to alter it is any way or lay claim to its contents, or produce it without consulting with me first. It is copyrighted and any such use is a violation. I will pursue my rights if I discover any such violation. Plans are underway to produce this for film cameras.

If anyone wants to join the producing team, do inquire. If you'd like to kick in some bucks, then you'll become an Executive Producer. The management for this project will be taken from the Business Plan for IMS Management and The Gnomes of New Hope Productions, so the layout for that is already done, it only needs to be adapted.

Work continues on the Gnomes of New Hope so watch that blog for any information about that project.

I expect I will restructure the blogs to be more pointed toward the specific activity that is relative to specific projects, so bear with any changes which seem odd.

That's All Folks... to coin a phrase  AG

A presentation for The Assembly?

I'll develop a collection of thoughts here in this post.

1) I'm inclined to only seek a full production of the script as written.

2) We've had four workshops while it was being written and one abrieviated reading before the public.

3) It's clear to me that only a full production will produce the results intended, even if that appears to be a significant effort. The truth of the balance designed into the script cannot be determined any other way.

4) Although it is written in script form, it is not a Literary work and cannot be assessed from a Literary point of view. Nor can it be reshaped or refined any further without an active fully developed production, giving it a sense of reality.

5) There are elements that have been given clarity by the previous efforts, although those possible adjustments are not written in the current script.

6) I'm not sure about Directing a production. I've had a strong vision of how it should be, but with a coposetic partner, I might prefer to sit it out. If necessary, I would be willing to do it.

More later, AG

An e-Book Version and some other thoughts

    Well, it is interesting how well an e-Storybook has been working out for The Gnomes of New Hope: Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure, even though it hasn't been released to the public, the preparations and the way it looks on an e-pad are amazing.

    So that leads me to believe that preparing a readable version of "Nunc Licet" as an e-book might be a good idea.

The Forth Reading of the Play

   For those of you who did work on our "psuedo-stage" reading we had at Bryn Athyn College during the last Assembly there, you know how laborious it seemed doing that. I have to say - THANK YOU for your efforts and blame whatever difficulties we felt during the process, in part on the environment and the way in which a reading was presented. I confess to being somewhat rigid in my desire to present the material as I wrote it, but I also have to say that I chopped it up miserably at the various requests by folks, to only present parts of play. It really became disjointed because of that. The accouterments which seemed so inconsequential at the time were designed into it for a purpose and without those elements the core material lost it's levity. This is why I will wait until I can present it in full before I make another attempt. I am not a fan of theatre by vote. The calculated structure of a piece cannot easily be seen or modified without the composite of it being presented to view.  But it was a gallant effort on the part of all those involved.

    Liz, I have to say thank you for your effort. But I want to say that the writer's work is sacred and only he or she has the right to make any changes whatsoever... and only, if and when, he or she wants to. That is paramount and communication on that front is not only essential, but the creator's right. Everybody needs to be on the same page with that.

    The play was really not written to work as a simple reading and that was obvious to me. There was also the issue of being pressed for space, time and the awareness of the attendees. Thanks to the planning people for putting us right up against a long day and supper time in a space with no air conditioning in the middle of a hot summer. Those things didn't help either the audience attention or the patience of the players. But Oh well, we did it. Thanks again.

An e-book

    I'm thinking that an e-book version of this play, with the technical specification taken out (or provided in appendix) might be a good idea. I'm not quite sure how that would look just yet, but Revision 1 of the e-book might be as simple as providing the same digital text that is on the CD with no modifications. I'm going to look into doing that and will report the progress here.

A Film Version

    This was alway part of the plan, but not until the core material gains a few refinements to condense it's presentation. I really do not want to change the premise around, as was suggested art the last reading. However I do need to refine some of the relationships so that the social inferences can be presented in a more subtle way. That is less possible on stage than it is in film, because the setting doesn't change as readily and I feel that can effect the way these inferences are presented. I'm probably the only one who knows what I am talking about here, but those are some of my internal thoughts on that subject. I do think that alters the perception of what the play is presenting in terms of the divergent subject matter which shapes to overall feel of the piece. I think that is unique to the film presentation because it involves subtitles which can only be presented that way.

So if I move to reshape an e-book version, that may lead to a screenplay, even without the stage version going up. I am sure that my more mature mindset will and a significant effect on that.

That's all for now. Look for some updates. AG

The Script

I had posted the script for Nunc Licet as a PDF on line (accessible below) but it seems as though only some of that is available online. If you are interested in having a copy of the script I can provide you with one on a flash drive. Contact me with that request. If you are a producer, I will provide that to you free of charge if not the cost will be $25.

Some recent thoughts

I have not been posting on this subject for some time, but just to bring some thinking up to date. We did a reading of this play at the assembly (probably posted somewhere below) and what I discovered from that process is that I need to employ the actors to implement the script fully as I wrote it.

During a reading like this, everyone has an opinion about what should be done. I was open to listening to peoples perspectives and I appreciated hearing those thoughts. But I know this much - I need to see this produced exactly as I have written it, without any adjustments. Once that is done, then I can proceed to edit if necessary.

So I have put this project on hold until I have the funds necessary to implement a full production as I have written it. All the dialogue, all the costumes and all the sets. Anything other than that is unacceptable to me, given the years I put into writing this.

Now when we did the reading, there was one participant who took it upon herself to rewrite the entire script and alter the character relationships and plot line without even so much as mentioning a desire to do so with me. Imagine the sense of invasion I had over someone doing such a thing without my permission. Well that just settled my mind even more firmly on the belief that no changes can occur until I see it done exactly as I have written it.

How I will feel about that if and when I actually have the resources to do that, may be different. But for now that is my objective with this project and I base that entirely on making enough money from The Gnomes of New Hope: Zach & Zebby's Adventure to do that.

A Film Version of the Play

  

   Making a film version of this play has been on my mind for years and a number of people have been discussing this with me lately. So I thought I'd post a photograph of the location that I would like to shoot this film and I have discussed this with a few people.

(I do not have the photographs on this computer just yet, so I will add them later)

Here is a link to their web page;

Cairnwood Mansion

   If it is agreed that we can use this location, it is only because the subject is of particular interest to the community where this property is and the fact that the building is owned by The Academy of the New Church. Our conversations on this subject have led me to understand that the property is generally not available for film work, but we may be able to use it because the film is about Emanuel Swedenborg.

   Should we move into filming at this location, we will need to have already established a relationship with a major film distributor, because the cost of shooting at this location will be significant. I will be looking to associate with producers who are capable on managing a major production. Such a production must be able to accommodate both union workers and members of the community who are not union.  We will be attempting to provide work for the community as a primary goal, so this will be a foundational requirement.

   As it stands now, participation in this project is on an individual basis and any theatrical producer who mounts, in whole or in part, a stage production of this play has the right to participate in the film. Of course all participants in the proceeds of this film must be vested.

UPDATE 6/12

Recent thoughts -

   When we did the reading during the 2011 Assembly last year in June, we recorded the reading with video. I paid little or no attention to that process and so it was implemented by other filmmakers. The principle filmmaker ended up reading for us and also not paying too much attention to the filming.  I would say that as a result of that, the footage we got was somewhat disjointed. This fact leads me to think that only clips of that reading will be useful, but it did serve the purpose of allowing me to see how a staged reading, without any blocking or business works for this show. Well, it doesn't.

   This has led me to conclude that I am not interested in doing a staged reading of this piece. There are too many elements which work against such a presentation.  There were individuals involved in the reading who were very much interested in seeing this presented and worked very hard to help that to happen.  During this process much discussion took place about culling the play down to fit into the time-frame and the circumstances of the events of The World Assembly of The New Church.

  As a result I cut a great deal out of the play, and all the material I cut out was the secondary sub-plot events which at the time seemed expendable.  After reviewing the video footage, I have concluded that although this material may seem expendable, it is not.

   These sub-plot elements were designed into the play for a very specific purpose and that purpose is to alleviate the intellectual tension brought on by the complex ideas presented in this play.  There is admittedly an apparent didactic nature to the play as it reads, but it is a play and not a novel or a narrative. That means that the material presented on the page is designed as a guide for developing the characterization and the events of the play.

   It was very clear to me that the actors in this play need to be fully committed to the characters, their lives and thinking and not their own aggrandizement.  There are clearly moments where an uncommitted actor would be frustrated by not having the material spoon fed to them, but the potential for developing the sub-plot is there and needs to be drawn out. This is what I expected at the time when I was writing this.

   I do know that I would like to expand upon some of the character's material, but I would like to do that in association with my actors.  This expansion is not an expansion of material that adds to the time-line, but rather it is an expansion of material that enriches the character's presence on-stage. Some of the lines can be shifted around and I am certain that some can be eliminated, not by cutting them, but rather by using them to create actions by the characters that are not conveyed by using the words.  This circumstance needs to be discovered in the production process.

  There was some discussion about condensing the characters in the play, but the need to convey a social gathering dictates that we must have sufficient characters and a sequence of events that would take place at such a gathering to make that legitimate.  Admittedly, the secondary characters need a greater presence, but it was my anticipation that this background presence would be developed as a not only as a backdrop to the principle characters delivering the more complex philosophical ideas, but also as another level of action which takes place around the core material.  This backdrop is intended to build an atmosphere around this core which is equally important in shaping the sense of "period" and real human experience, not just the heady theoretical aspects conveyed in the philosophy.  This is created in part by the costumes, the business and the sub-plot actions of these secondary characters that take place without the delivery of lines.  This is why the actors need to be committed and to see that their characters are equally important even when they are not delivering lines.

   Also, I do intend on producing this as a film, so any organization who wishes to produce this as a play on stage will participate in the film, if they like.

   All this being said, I have determined that I do not want to produce any variation from the script as it is written. Once I see this fully performed as written, then I will consider changes, but not before.

  If it is not performed as I have written it, it will never be performed while I am alive and that fine with me. I have other fish to fry.  AG