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

Continuing Production efforts for "Nunc Licet" : link to script

UPDATE 12/11 - Celebration of Swedenborg's Birthday:

A proposal that "Nunc Licet" be prepared to use in conjunction with the celebration of Swedenborg's birthday has been made to the Bryn Athyn Church and such an idea seems nice as a diner & a show kind of thing.   

That celebration takes place in January and his death took place in March, so something presented anywhere in between will serve the two purposes overall.

This presentation thus far has been not well received by the church event planners, either because of the length of the show, or the way in which Swedenborg is presented in the play. Yet such a presentation  remains a very interesting concept, with or without the church's involvement.

If anyone is interested in developing this concept, anywhere around the world, then I invite dialogue on the subject.

The readers edition is still something that will be further developed, when the time can be allotted to do so, and it is likely that such an edition will be the first stage of the diner & a show project.

We have video of the Assembly presentation and after editing I do expect to post it here and on the IMS YouTube Channel.

"Nunc Licet" was presented with some success at

The 2011 World Assembly of The New Church

For the advancement of the play, I offer the most recent edition of 

entire script of Nunc Licet for your review.

12/11 A revised Assessment of the presentation at the Assembly, with other thoughts; 

During the Assembly, we drastically edited the script, reducing the size and eliminating much of the subplot elements, in order to fit it into a two hour time frame.  Of course this two hour time frame was for the overall program and not strictly the on-stage material.  On-stage material amounted to just under one and a half hours, not quite enough to squeeze in the essential material. or develop the wide range of characters before jumping into the core material.  Which leads me to begin thinking in terms of film.

It became clear to me that making the presentation, as envisioned, will require much more in-depth working with, not only the actors (on an individual basis) but also, production elements that do need to be included (but were disallowed  for various reasons, under the circumstances available to us.)  Certain aspects  of the period nature of the play need to be more carefully constructed as an integral part of the final product, because they really do provide an external shape to the piece that is quite necessary due to the concentrated material within the core of the play.

We felt that since we were addressing a New Church audience, that certain points in the play did not need to be dealt with, since most of our audience already had a foundational knowledge of who Swedenborg was.  So some material was skipped over which gave a somewhat choppy effect (in my mind).

In addition, we were limited in our rehearsal time and production values,  so a significant number of subplot elements were removed.  I was not too please about needing to do this, but it had to be done.  Being faced with certain realities of production resources, time and the (much respected and valued) input of persons involved, I relented to cut out large sections that were initially designed to craft an atmosphere around the players and shape the persona of the characters.  

For the Assembly presentation I should have cut more out, which I ended up doing during the reading, jumping forward over (rather necessary) parts.  All of this was amplified by the fact that the presentation took place at diner time, at the end of a long day of workshops, in a space that was very hot and without air-conditioning.  People were very tired and their attention spans were considerably shorter than they might have been if the work was to have been presented at a more opportune time and under better circumstances.

I remain under the opinion that the script can and ought to be presented in full as written, although I do believe that the design elements that have been conceived, but not written, should be included. I recognize that the length of the play as it reads (presented here for you to read) is an issue, but the edits of the Reader's Edition will rectify most of that.  

My future approach will be to start with the Reader's Edition and then slowly and carefully include selected elements that were removed, to embellish the areas in need of such action.

You will note that the script provided here for your review has all of the staging instructions included. When I removed the assorted descriptions, instructions and the directions to the actors, leaving only the lines to be spoken, the script is reduced to 126 pages (with some of that material removed simply by crossing it out bringing it down close to 100 pages double spaced).  

So here is the unedited script for your review.

Please use the search function above to locate other posting on the subject.

I do hope that we can that we will present another reading sometime in 2012.

If you are a producing organization and would like to consider mounting this production as a reading or a full production, please do feel free to contact me in that regard. 

I am removing the postings which refer to the production efforts for the readings that have taken place. If you need that information let me know. I expect to move it to the "Nunc Licet" Archive.

 Nunc Licet... a stage play

 Download a READ ONLY copy of the full script

On-line Synopsis of Nunc Licet
Slightly different than that provided in the script

Purchase a Printed Hard Copy or CD of the Script

This is a limited production custom order item.

Introduction - "Nunc Licet Archive"

Welcome to  

The Nunc Licet Archive

• You may still find information about "Nunc Licet: a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg" on the  IMS Virtual Studio Home Page , but overall I am attempting to make this the repository of all NL information

• There may be some postings that will allow for comment, but I believe that in order to do that you will need to become a follower of this web site.

• I do not expect this site to have a great deal of dialogue on the subject, because I have said most all that needs to be said.  I will, however, post updates if there is any advancement in the stated goals.

• If you care to comment you may do so here, on Facebook, or you can send me an email at: imagemindag@verizon.net

Nunc Licet as an Evangelization tool

• It is no secret that I desire the stage play "Nunc Licet" to be used on a regular basis as a tool to help people garner an understanding of Emanuel Swedenborg and the existence of The New Church in Bryn Athyn.  

• One of my goals is to create a production of this show that can be presented once or twice a year in conjunction with January 29 (the celebration of Swedneborg's birthday) and/or June 19th (the establishment of the New Church). Charter Day for the Academy might be another opportunity for such a presentation. 

• The reality is that in order for this to happen there must be a solid group of people willing to dedicate the energy to, not only making this happen, but following through to keep it happening.

• I will continue to strive for this goal, although I am no longer obliged to do so, as I feel that I am now free to explore other opportunities. This is due wholly to the fact that a reading of this show was presented before the 2011 Assembly in Bryn Athyn, an event which was my personal criteria for permission to pursue other worldwide possibilities for this show.

• So it is that I am now willing to discuss mounting this show anywhere that someone or some group of people may like to do so.

• As you may see in other postings or documents, I intend to pursue preparation of this show as a film, but I also would like to continue to refine the script material, not only in accordance with my objectives but taking into consideration other people's perspectives in this regard as well. 

PRESS RELEASE, "Nunc Licet"

8/30/11 UPDATE:

• We will begin working on Nunc Licet again soon, with the anticipation that we will do another reading in Pendelton Hall sometime in the fall after The Autumn Leaves Performance Festival in Tamanend Park is over.  If you worked on the reading before and want to do so again, please let me know.  If you have read the script (which is posted on this web site) and would like to be included, please let me know.  We do intend to proceed as best as we can with the goal of a full production.  All the  information posted on this blog still applies, just change the dates. AG

PRESS RELEASE;

Subject: Nunc Licet: a stage play about Emanuel Swedenborg

All are invited, participants or observers, to attend the "Official Workshop" to develop and prepare a script-in-hand reading of

"Nunc Licet" at the 2011 World Assembly of the New Church  (link)

It will begin on this Wednesday, May 25th and take place from 7:00 to 9:00 PM on the campus of Bryn Athyn College in Pendleton Hall.  Entrance to Pendleton Hall can be gained from the North Parking Lot behind the Brickman Centre.

A sponsorship program has been developed for those who would like to help financially, as we try to bring this play up to a full production at MPAC (and ultimately a feature film version) and there is advertising available in the program that will be handed out at the Assembly.

We will be videotaping the Workshop and reading, for which we need two camera operators and other technicians.

Stop by the Workshop to gain the necessary details or check the web site www.imagemindag.blogspot.com.

A very special thank you to those who have already been helping. Your participation is more valuable than you can imagine. AG

Please feel free to forward this notice as you see fit.

Arthur Greisiger
Artistic Director / Proprietor;
Image of the Mind Studios

Founder / Administrating Director;
The Alpha & Omega Society

Founder / Executive Producer / Artistic Director;
The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

"Nunc Licet" Sponsorship program

I am looking for folks who want to contribute to the cost of presenting "Nunc Licet" at the Assembly.

Funding is being sought to assist in: * the publication of 120 copies of the script  *costs of renting the performance space  *supplies required to make the presentation  *costs involved in advancing the production  *operating expenses incurred during the scriptwriting & production management time-frame.

I need to raise a few thousand dollars for this purpose. I don't have the specific budget, simply because whatever I can muster will be a great help and ultimately a full production of this show will be many thousands of dollars anyway.

There will be a program booklet with advertising and various degrees of sponsorship.  Publication will be done in-house.

Advertising and sponsorship will be published in all editions of the Playbill for each presentation of the play produced by Image of the Mind Studios and productions by other companies will be required to make reference in their playbills to those who have helped make this possible.

For this presentation at the Assembly we will be publishing 100 copies of the playbill.  If the show moves up to the next level (meaning a production at MPAC) then advertisers will be included in that playbill as well.

If you'd like to be a sponsor or purchase advertising in the program booklet, talk to me directly, send me an email (imagemindag@verizon.net)  or call me if you have my number.

I have the sponsorship program designed and the details available in hard copy, which I can provide to you, but I need to convert that layout for presentation here on the web.  It is much the same as the program for The Shakespearean Journal and the Cinema Under the Stars program, so you might review those web pages.

It would be a help if you purchased a copy of the script in advance (to be picked up at the reading).

If you care to donate via PayPaL please do so here;

If you do make a contribution in any amount, send me an email to confirm that you have done so and assure that I list you as a sponsor.  I thank you in advance for you help to making this happen.

Look for me to post the Playbill advertising specifications here within a few days, if possible. AG