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16th / 17th December 2011 A Nativity Pantomime by Michael Forster	SWORD are busily preparing for a nativity with a difference - a pantomime by Revd. Michael Forster.  “A Lad in a Manger” is being performed on 16th and 17th December in St. Wilfrid’s Church (7.30pm start).  Last performed in 1998, the script has been updated, but the message remains the same. I had wondered how, on earth, the Christmas story could be turned into a pantomime and retain any credibility?  I was very pleasantly surprised, that for me, it succeeds in combining some genuine humour without losing the impact of the message that God entered into our mess to transform it. SWORD hope to fill the church with laughter as Mary, Joe and Rover the donkey meet Widow Swanky, the Innkeeper with a secret (ssh! don’t tell wicked King Herod what it is), and they receive a visit from the three Wise Guys and their naughty camel, Desmond. Lots of amazing characters, songs and surprises make the production one for all the family. Tickets (suggested donation of £4 each) will be available at the Angel Fayre (10am to 2pm) on Saturday 3rd December in St Wilfrid’s Church, after church services, or at Lunch Stop in the Church Hall on Thursdays. Do come, and tell all your friends!
22nd April 2011 "Christ in the Centre" - Good Friday - Leicester City Centre	Biggest news is that for 2011 we have a new Jesus - James Burke-Dunsmore will be playing the same role in Trafalgar Square this year, so Walt Kissack will be joining us. James is still directing the production, and we have a cast of over 50 this year - many of the regulars are back and we've got some exciting new talent to join them. The new Christ in the Centre website has details of rehearsals (started 8th January in St Andrew's Church Hall, Jarrom Street, Leicester) and contacts.  There are still some vacancies for parts.
2nd April 2010 "Christ in the Centre" - Good Friday - Leicester City Centre	Some 6,000 people gathered in the centre of Leicester on Good Friday to witness the eighth annual staging of ‘Christ in the Centre’, a highly dramatic recreation of the events of Holy Week that culminates in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. After an opening blessing from the Bishop of Leicester, the first act of this year’s performance was staged in St Peter’s Square in Leicester ’s HighCross retail and leisure development. As in previous years, the intensity of the drama during the finale, especially the crucifixion scene, was highly emotional and brought the huge crowd to total silence. Director James Burke-Dunsmore – who also played the role of Christ – was the only professional in an otherwise amateur cast of 40 people: “The people of Leicester and Leicestershire have really taken this event to its heart, and it is now an essential part of the county’s Easter celebrations”.
17th April 2009 "Christ in the Centre" - Good Friday - Leicester City Centre	Another fantastic performance on Good Friday 2009.  Please visit the "old" Christ in the Centre website to see photographs of all the previous events since 2003  which have been watched by thousands on several stages around the centre of Leicester City.
"Jesus Christ Superstar" - November 2007	Following on from the hugely successful production of “Joseph” in 2004, SWORD produced another Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" in St Wilfrid’s Church on 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th November, with a special performance on 25th November to over 1,100 people and excellent reviews.
Harborough Mysteries 2005	After a five year gap the Harborough Mysteries were performed again in a new format which includes the Creation, Flood and Christmas stories as well as the Passion and Resurrection. For details of the 2000 Mysteries click here. SWORD drama group, who put on 'Christ in the Centre' were again involved, as well as other actors, musicians and children drawn from the local schools. Mystery Plays started in the Middle Ages and gave people the opportunity to witness the battle between Good and Evil. This was an unique opportunity to see street drama performed locally - and it was FREE!! Performances were:  Saturday 21st May, Bosworth Hall in Husbands Bosworth at 4pm (gates opened at 2pm); and  Sunday, 22nd May, repeated in central Market Harborough, at 4pm
DOUBLE EDGE	Some young actors have now formed a Junior SWORD group called "Double Edge".
March 2005 - Good Friday	SWORD created a dramatic presentation of the trial, and crucifixion of Christ at an open-air production on 25th March 2005.   Please visit the Christ in the Centre website to see some photographs of the event which was watched by thousands on several stages around the centre of Leicester City. You can also relive the 2004 & 2003 events by looking at those photos too.
Easter Activity Day	This is the Year 5 Activity Day when children from the Kibworth CofE Primary School spend all day in church and the surroundings carrying out various activities to help understand the Easter message.  One such activity undertaken annually by members of SWORD is an interpretation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - a visit to Narnia.  The east end of St Wilfrid's is transformed into a wintry forest of pine trees and the children meet Aslan the lion, the White Witch and many other characters in 40 minutes. For photos from previous years click here.
May 2002	The St. Wilfrid's Church website was selected as the recipient of the DramaShare exceptional Christian web site award

Recent SWORD productions:

Christ in the Centre (5th year in a row) Good Friday  6th April 2007 Leicester City Centre
	See the Christ in the Centre website for overview and more photos from all the events since 2003

Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Jesus Christ Superstar   on 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th November 2007 More photographs will be available through www.paulferraby.co.uk

Jesus Christ Superstar – An Act of Faith Louisa Feltham has plenty of faith, and she needed all of it in order to commit herself to the months of work this latest SWORD production entailed. She had to persuade the eighty-five people listed in the well-produced programme to give up a lot of their time in preparation and rehearsals. Among the off-stage staff were Bryan and Pat Porteous who were largely responsible for publicity, ticket sales and design and production of the costumes – a far bigger task than most of us could imagine. While the skilled seven-piece orchestra, directed by Rod Iliffe, played the overture, a young Jew pulled down the Roman banner signalling the spirit of rebellion of the time.  Judas (Mark Wood) was the first singing character and demonstrated a strong, wide ranging voice with plenty of acting ability and believable malice. Jesus’s (Galore Wisebort) character and demeanour were the opposite. He could not respond to hate with hate and radiated love and goodness. Mary Magdalene’s (Claire Evans) good looks and graceful movements were combined with a clear, true voice that suited the part. The apostles and crowd, ranging in age from seven to seventy were well trained in singing and action. There was plenty of acting for them to do. The scene in the Temple with the gamblers, roisterers and dancing girls being castigated by Jesus was a good example. Crowds do not stand still; the old ones mooched and exchanged opinions, the youngsters scampered, chased and laughed, while singing with excellent intonation and timing. The drama built up in the second half with the apostles enacting the Last Supper and sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane while Jesus prayed. Their outrage at Jesus’s arrest and Peter’s (played on our night by Eddie Beardsmore) shame at his denial of Jesus were palpable. The Herod scene (with Andrew Dawes in Alice Cooper guise), where he was aided by a snake and choreographed dancing girls, was a lighter moment before the closing scenes of Jesus’s dreadful punishment and crucifixion, which were sensitively handled and avoided the raw horror shown in The Passion of Christ.  Pilate (David Sadler), the doddering Elders and the arrogant, cruel soldiers all played significant parts.  The overall stage design, sound and lighting all added to the drama, with the title song before the final crucifixion being a splendid showcase for them all. We and our guests were left with a feeling of pleasure, thoughtfulness and admiration for the professionalism that typified this show. Roger Whiteway

 

 

Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice's musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat   on 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th 8th February 2004 See www.joseph.kibworth.org.uk for more news and many more photos. A thousand people saw SWORD’s production of the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice musical, Joseph and unanimously pronounced it a knockout. Once again the Director, Louisa Feltham showed off her famous arm-twisting skill in enticing a cast of 32, a choir of 35 and a pit orchestra of 11 to rehearse for four months and perform five times. All these performers were supported by a score of engineers, ushers and managers and such an array of technical equipment that one wondered where the audience were going to sit. The costumes, particularly those of the main characters, were exquisitely made by Pat Porteous, Rosemary Webb and their eight helpers. Among the highly creditable performances, deserving special mention were the narrators, Lizzie Grant and Beccy Johnson, Phil King as Joseph, whose voice and clear diction were ideal for the part and Mark Wood whose portrayal of Pharoah/Elvis had the audience cheering loudly. Elizabeth Cox trained and led the choir to sing out joyfully, tunefully and accurately. Anne Flower coached and conducted the orchestra to play with the zest that the show required. There is sure to be a lot of useful fall-out from all this training. It was an experience that no one who took part will ever forget. Roger Whiteway

Pictures from performances:

A Christingle Pantomime was performed on 15th December for St Wilfrid's Church, Kibworth, and on 12th January for St Mary's Church, Lutterworth.  The story of a greedy toy factory owner who has taken all the Christingles from the surrounding churches and demands that his staff make the best ever toy included all the usual pantomime antics - oh no it didn't ... oh yes it did!  Some photos were taken of the production and examples will be included on this website when they are available, so watch this space .....

November, 2001  “In the Line of Fire” A series of dramatised stories compiled, written and performed by SWORD about the persecuted Christian church throughout history.   A powerful & dramatic Christian experience True stories of the persecuted church from the past to the present The power of God breaks through when His children stand ... in the line of fire Jesus IS alive! Review by Wendy Davies (December, 2001) SWORD have done it again !  “In the Line of Fire” is a series of dramatic scenes about people who have paid the price for their faith.  Touching, sobering and inspiring, ranging from biblical times to the present day each scene has a relevant message. Dramatic interpretations of the faith of such people as William Tyndale, Stephen, Saul and Pastor Richard Würmbrand – beautifully acted by Mark Wood, brought home to the audience the fearsome dangers that Christians endured for their belief. “The Light of the World” was portrayed exquisitely, simply costumed with the most poignant choreography. “The Reluctant Evangelist”, a hilarious performance from Hazel Taylor, came as a welcome release from the scenes of suffering, however amidst the laughter how many of us recognised ourselves? “Vanya”, a young Russian soldier murdered for his faith, left many of us with tears in our eyes. The whole evening was packed with thought provoking episodes, but it is in the short, telling scenes such as “A Girl’s Last Prayer” and “Coming with the Clouds” that SWORD excels. The whole company, actors, back-stage crew and producer, Louisa Feltham, are to be congratulated on another wonderful Christian experience.

Just some of the photos from this hard-hitting production

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St. Wilfrid's Organisation for Religious Drama (SWORD) was formed in 1982 to present Christian drama within church services and as outreach to act out the word of God. SWORD consists of amateur and professional enthusiasts who put their talents to challenges both small and large. Short sketches are performed regularly in church services to illustrate talks or themes using either published material or their own scripts. They have extensive experience of performing the Christian message to audiences around the diocese as well as within their own local community. SWORD frequently invite members of other churches to extend the numbers of actors, singers, musicians and dancers etc. for larger productions. 

Once a year St Wilfrid's invite children from Year 5 of the Kibworth primary School to an Activity Day and SWORD members provide an introduction to Narnia.  Some photos of the 2001 event on 4th April are available.

An extensive wardrobe consisting of costumes and accessories (many Biblical) has been built up over the years and has been used to great effect around the Diocese. The group have provided the entertainment for the last four Diocesan Mothers' Union Triennial Rallies at the De Montfort and Granby Halls to audiences well in excess of 1,000. SWORD have helped with drama and workshops at the Bishop's Lay Congress in Leicester Cathedral. The group have also put together larger touring productions in collaboration with other South Leicestershire Churches such as Pharaoh to Freedom by Roger Jones.

SWORD meets every Monday evening during term-time at 8.00 p.m. in St. Wilfrid's Church Hall, Kibworth Beauchamp. Large productions and small sketches undertaken if sufficient notice is given. A charge to cover out of pocket expenses is usually levied. Contact through St. Wilfrid's Church, c/o 25 Church Road, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leics. LE8 0LN

When presenting large productions SWORD often extend their boundaries to invite other churches to help.  This is always a positive experience and it is great to meet new Christian friends and to receive their prayers and support. The churches involved in the "Hopes & Dreams" project were Fleckney New Life Fellowship, Smeeton Westerby Christ Church, Kibworth Methodist and Oadby St Paul’s. We were delighted to welcome them.

"Hopes & Dreams" is a special musical production written to celebrate the millennium (Sir Cliff Richard’s Christmas 1999 release – Millennium Prayer – came from it). Rob Frost, the minister who heads and promotes "Hopes & Dreams" had the vision of productions taking place nationwide and many churches have taken up the challenge. We responded to the suggestion that the script can be adapted, so our version performed in St Wilfrid’s Church in February 2000 was different from the original; probably no two versions will be the same!

Photos of the "Hopes & Dreams" production in Kibworth can be viewed (click here). The production was also presented at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester on 15^th June 2000 at the request of the Mothers’ Union for their Diocesan Rally, and included Fiona Castle as guest speaker. Videos of the evening (price approx. £10 each plus p&p) can be ordered from .

Our hopes and dreams are that audiences enjoyed the message - that no one’s hopes and dreams can ever really be fulfilled without Jesus at the centre of their lives.

SWORD also took part in the Harborough Mystery Plays at Easter-time in 2000 on Sunday 16th April at Bosworth Hall, Friday 21st April (Good Friday) in Market Harborough and on Saturday 22nd April in Kibworth. Read the write-up page.

SWORD took part in the Bishop's Lay Congress in Leicester Cathedral on Saturday 30th September 2000 and provided material for drama workshops.

If you wish to subscribe to our SWORD-Net Newsletter which is electronically transmitted to subscribers' via Email, please send us an Email: putting the words:   SUBSCRIBE SWORD-Net  in the Subject area, or just send us your news.

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Harborough Mystery Plays
(April 2000)

SWORD took part in the Harborough Mystery plays this Easter. Three different locations were used for these inaugural performances by five different groups. The first was in the gardens of Bosworth Hall in Husbands Bosworth was on Sunday 16th April. The weather was fine and the different groups got to grips with their first actual performance in front of a crowd of some 100 people. 

The second performance was on Good Friday in the centre of Market Harborough. The weather was changeable (one minute raining, the next overcast, then some sun) but over 500 people crowded into Adam & Eve Street and around the old Grammar School to watch the story of Jesus from Baptism through, entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, betrayal and capture, Trial, Crucifixion, Resurrection and finally the Ascension from the roof of the church in clouds of billowing smoke.  The rain made it difficult for the audience to see or hear but many stayed on to see the full performance.

The final performance was the following day inside St Wilfrid's Church, Kibworth. The organisers had decided that, as the weather forecast was unclear, to use St Wilfrid's stage and sound equipment. Over 150 people crammed into the church for the two hour performance. The final Ascension scene was at the top of the steps leading into the choir vestry and the lighting and smoke effects were magnificent.

SWORD members involved in this magnificent production were:

Eunice Ball (Mary 3 and Cleopas), David Briggs (soldier 1 and a disciple), John Feltham (soldier 3), Kevin Feltham (Annas), Robin Hollick (soldier 4), James Ireland (Pontius Pilate), Tim Kearney (Jesus), Andy McQuaid (disciple), Michael Pearce (Caiaphas), Ann Perry (Angel and disciple), Marilyn Pinger (Mary 2), Hazel Taylor (Mary), Bill Turner (soldier 2 and disciple), Mark Wood (Centurion), James Hunt (Stage Manager) and Louisa Feltham (Producer & Director). Sponsorship was provided by Barry Ellwood - thankyou.

Also try visiting the BigFern Website (a local site well worth visiting)

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Some photos of the School Activity Day 2001

Kibworth Primary School (Year 5) children spend one day before Easter learning about various aspects of the Christian faith and about the Easter story.  A favourite activity is the visit to Narnia, the story of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by CS Lewis.  9th April 2003 is the next activity day and there is an opportunity for adults to have a preview on the evening of 8th April from 7.40pm.

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  Last updated on Monday, 28 November 2011 by Webmaster

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