A THRILL OF HOPE Production Notes By Claire Cloninger PRODUCTION APPROACHES A Thrill of Hope is a Christmas musical that draws the audience into an intimate awareness of God s Gift of Hope, His only Son. The musical may be performed as part of a morning or evening service or presented as a special program. But it will be important to carefully plan your event so that it is focused. In this way you will allow time for the response of your worshipers making sure that the presentation remains free of outside distractions. ABOUT THESE PRODUCTION NOTES These production notes are suggestions, which may serve as a guide for you. You are the production technician. You know your church, its spatial arrangement and lighting capabilities. It will be your job to take these suggestions and adapt them to your setting. We also encourage you to bring as much creativity to your production as you desire, using your talents and gifts as well as those of your co-workers. ABOUT THE NARRATORS The narrators are listed in the book as Narrator #1 (a man) and Narrator #2 (a woman). However, the musical may be presented just as effectively with only one narrator. You may choose to reverse the lines given to the man and the woman. There are also places in which a Worship Leader may be used, if desired. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CAST Worship Leader (optional) Adult Choir Children s Choir Elderly Man and his Family Nativity Scene (Mary, Joseph, Infant, Shepherds, Kings) Soloists 1 or 2 Prayer Leaders 3 Scripture Readers to speak the Acclamations POSITIONING THE CHOIR Choir members should be positioned on the risers before the initial music for Season of Hope (Opener) begins. Be sure to spend time rehearsing the choir s entry/processional. First impressions make a tremendous difference!
SONG-BY-SONG STAGING SUGGESTIONS Season of Hope (Opener) with O Holy Night! Lights should be down on the choir and remain down during the words A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,... Lights gradually come up to full (like a sunrise) on the words a new and glorious morn! Season of Hope and For unto Us a Child Is Born *Songs remain up on these two songs. *This song is filled with joy. *They invite the audience to celebrate, to receive the gift of hope and to be filled with the Father s joy. Lights down on the choir and spotlighted on the narrator saying the Following: Narrator #1: Into a world without hope, God s Hope was born. Not as an idea or a principle God s Hope was born as a baby, and the birth of that baby changed the world forever! Sing Noel During the up-tempo Sing Noel, the soloist is spotlighted until verse two, when the whole choir joins in. Then the lights come up on the whole choir. There should be great energy throughout the whole song! (Be sure to time the entrance of the Children s Choir. If it is longer than the narration, delay the narration and the music an appropriate amount of time and then have the children enter enthusiastically, but not noisily.) Narrator #2: Children just naturally love Christmas. They count the minutes til school is out for the holidays they watch for the first light frosting of snow. They wait breathlessly for the morning when the family gathers and presents can finally be opened. But the children who love Christmas the most are the ones who have learned its true meaning. The Baby (The narration below could be read with a maudlin feeling, but I would hope that the narrator would keep the reading joyful and upbeat as he or she presents it. This is meant as an invitation to listeners to relive well-loved moments in their lives.)
Narrator #1: It s true that Christmas has a special appeal for children. But no matter how old we are, all of us find a childlike joy in the season. As we put up our decorations, sometimes we may find some of our favorite memories hidden among the ornaments, inviting us to come as children to the celebration. Take Me Back (The narrations below set the mood for a poignant moment in the musical. Since the song Hope In His Heart tells a story, you may wish to act out what is taking place as the drama of the song unfolds. The singer of Hope in His Heart will not be part of the drama. For this reason you will be free to use actors who are not choir members in the roles of the Elderly Man and his family. Make sure that the drama portrays the love of a family gathering, celebrating and praying together. This is a key point and one of the most important elements in the musical! It is this hope that often holds us together in an uncertain world and during the uncertain times of our lives.) Narrator #1: Every Christmas arrives with its own emotions. Some holidays are crowded with laughter and loved ones, overflowing with activities. But not all Christmases are joyful. The loss of a family member, the break up of a relationship or a move to a new location can color the season with sadness. Narrator #2: But whatever our feelings this Christmas, if we ll keep our spiritual eyes focused on the One we celebrate, He will give us courage to hope and a reason to rejoice. Traveling back again through time on the road to Bethlehem His grace will meet us there. Hope in His Heart (The following narration acts as a bridge from the drama of the modern day family celebrating Christmas to the events of the first Christmas and the holy Family in Bethlehem. You may choose to have the modern day family scene set up on one side of the stage and the manger scene set up on the opposite side. For instance, as lights go down after Hope in His Heart, stage right, they could come up on the manger scene, stage left.) Narrator #2: Mary was only a girl when she heard an angel s words telling her that she would bear God s Son. Those were the words of hope she held on to through the long months of her pregnancy, and the long miles of her journey to Bethlehem. But when she and Joseph arrived, they found no place to rest. Every inn was crowded with travelers. And still she hoped. God had promised, and Mary believed Him. Finally the couple found an innkeeper who agreed to let them stay in his stable. And there, among the animals, the Son of God was born. There the Child of heaven became the hope of earth.
Jesus, Sweet Messiah with Away in a Manger (The narration below provides a musical backdrop for the entry of the shepherds and the wisemen. You could use verse one of Heartbeat of Hope to focus on Mary and Joseph enjoying their Baby. The shepherds could enter during verse two, and the wisemen, during verse three. Make sure that your actors are well rehearsed and that they know their musical entry lines, as well as how much time they should take to reach the manger. The exact timing will depend on the size of your church. Note: Though many people have the shepherds and the wisemen at the manger simultaneously, for scriptural reasons, it would not be my choice. The Bible leads us to believe that the shepherds were there earlier than the wisemen.) Narrator #1: The heavens above the stable burst forth with song and light. A star of amazing size and brilliance blazed bright. Angels sang glad tidings, and shepherds hurried from nearby fields to find the newborn King and worship Him. Wisemen from distant lands traveled long miles to find the holy Child. And when they did, they laid their most precious gifts before Him. And all who gazed on Him were amazed by what they saw. Heartbeat of Hope (The following narrations present Jesus as the One who is worthy of our worship. They lay out the Good News of the Gospel throughout the Centuries. An effective way to get this across would be to have slides, or video footage of well known and lesser-known Christians through the ages. You might also depict modern-day people, well-dressed and not so well dressed, coming to the manger. Stop the media during Rose of Bethlehem. ) Narrator #2: The few who were called to worship Jesus the night of His birth had no way of knowing that they would be the first among millions who would someday call Him Lord. The wealthy and the poor would worship Him.; the highly educated and the unschooled; the young and the old. Where do you see yourself among these worshipers? Do you see yourself as humble or powerful, grace-filled or brokenhearted? Are you joyfully celebrating with family and friends? Or perhaps, like so many, you are lonely this Christmas, facing problems you never thought you d have. Narrator#1: Wherever you are this Christmas, God wants you to know and believe that your Christmas gift has already been delivered to Bethlehem s stable. Jesus is that gift. He is the Hope who has come into the world. He is the One of whom God spoke when He said to us, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Come now to the stable and receive the Father s Gift.
During Rose of Bethlehem have all worship together. Rose of Bethlehem with Above All (After Rose of Bethlehem and Above All, the following prayer acts as an introduction to the worship chorus, Here I Am to Worship. ) Narrator #2/Worship Leader: Will you pray with me now? Oh Father, our God, You guide us in Your Truth and teach us as we hope in You. We worship You for who You are. We praise You for sending your perfect Son, Jesus Christ, down from the splendor of heaven to bring His Light to our dark planet. We thank you, Father, for the amazing Hope that fills us and changes us when we worship You. Help us to bring that Hope to a desperate world that needs to know you. A world that is lost without You. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. (We suggest that during Here I Am to Worship all kinds of people from the church [families, singles men, women, and children] come forward to worship. Have a good number of people who know that they will be coming forward. Hopefully, this will encourage others to come forward with this group and commit themselves to Christ.) Here I Am to Worship (The acclamations and the prayer following Here I Am to Worship are strong words of personal trust. They lead from the moment of praise in Here I Am to Worship to the proclamation of worship in Mighty King. You may wish to have church leaders speak these lines, or you may choose those who are gifted at speaking, whether members of the choir or not. Make sure they are well rehearsed and that the microphones are well-placed in order that they may be adequately heard.
ACCLAMATIONS and PRAYER: Reader #1: Reader #2: Reader #3: Reader #4: Reader #5: Narrator #1: But as for me, my hope is in You, O Lord. My trust is in Your unfailing love. I will hope in You forever. I will praise You in the presence of Your saints. We put our hope in You, Lord, for with Your love is full redemption. We will praise You forever for what you have done. In your name we will hope, for Your name is good. O God our Savior, You are the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas. We call on You, and You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness. O Lord Jesus, we worship You for the amazing hope to which we re called and for the resurrection power that is our inheritance in You. The power that brought You to earth as an infant is the same power that raised You from the grave to be seated in glory at Your Father s right hand. Now we proclaim that You are our God, our King and the Hope of our hearts. As we come into Your holy presence, as we gaze into Your face of mercy, we see You as our Messiah, our Mighty King.
Mighty King with Crown Him King of Kings (The Finale is one of the most important moments of the musical. In it, favorite songs of the work are revisited. Keep the energy level up and. give it all you ve got. It is the exclamation point to the entire ministry you have presented to your church or audience.) Finale includes O Holy Night!, Season of Hope, Sing Noel and Mighty King