Seminole students minister through drama - Chickee Christian Academy's Resurrection Ensemble Theatre dramatizes on stage problems unique to Indians - Brief Article

Barely two years of age, tiny Chickee Christian Academy (total: 21 students) has made a huge impact on the Hollywood Seminole community.

Through original dramas performed by the Resurrection Ensemble Theatre, the school's drama company, problems unique to Indians are dramatized on stage. The audience is comprised largely of parents, students, school staff and other members of this South Florida reservation community.

The performers come from the school's two learning centers, and range in age from 10 to 16. "It's a challenge to write for such a broad range of age levels in one play," she says. "But one of the pluses of writing the drama is that I can create characters and situations that work for us."

Chickee Christian Academy culminated its performing season with the world premier of "Mr. Presence," held May 22 on the church stage. It was reprised with understudies in lead roles on May 23.

A one-act play performed in three scenes, "Mr. Presence" challenges unbelievers, especially young people, who believe that they have all the time in the world, to repent.

The lead character, Robby, a shrewd, street-wise kid (Gus Baker, Nick DiCarlo), believes that adults are outdated, and that he, Robby, has all the answers.

He has also dropped out of the Christian school where he was enrolled. His doting mother (Lauren Lyttle, Talena Castillo), however, is unaware that, when he leaves for "school" every morning, he is really spending the day with his friends, shooting hoops and experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

Though his friends, Clint (Levi Battiest), and Lena (Allyson Billie, Austina Motlow), try to convince him to turn his life around, he is steadfast in his belief: school--especially a Christian school--"ain't 'bout nothing."

Robby "mouths off" at a strange old man (Zachary Battiest) who calls himself "a presence" when he hands him a tract, and tries to witness to him. Robby also pokes fun at his shabby clothes and the gospel he presents. But later, it is no laughing matter when the old man visits Robby in his dreams.

The stern and terrifying warning from the book of Revelation, complete with a fiery pit and screams from the damned, make a believer out of Robby.

"I think the high point of the drama was the fiery pit," Schaller states. In Robby's dream, his clothes hamper becomes the pit, and he peers down into fire to see the unrepentant in torture.

"We put our heads together to figure how we'd create the illusion of burning coals. We used a red floodlight that reflected on Bobby when he took the lid from his hamper. Together with the moans of the damned (voices of RET players), it got the audience's attention," Schaller states.

Schaller holds a Bachelors degree in performing arts and a Masters degree in intellectual disabilities. She is a Cherokee/creek/Seminole member of the Cherokee confederacy Tribe, has performed with a traveling actor's company, organized and directed community theatres, and taught technical theatre in Palm Beach County's Performing Arts Summer school for artistically gifted youths.

Schaller has also organized and directed community youth theatres for minority students, for teenage parents (the performers were single, pregnant teens) and, perhaps the most unique, a group in which all the players had some type of intellectual disability.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Intertribal Christian Communications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group