When Theology Meets The Stage: An Interview With Richard Klassen

Happy 10 Episodes!

On this special episode of Faithful Fables, we sit down with writer-director Richard Klassen to explore how a small-town drama about Anabaptist convictions makes faith decisions feel real and challenge the audience to think through some of these things in a realistic way. This play, "For Cross or Country" was in celebration of 500 years of Anabaptist history! The talk moves from history and craft to conscience, pacifism, and the role of the Holy Spirit in creating art that lasts.

• Richard’s path from Passion Play to Candlewick Productions
• Why a village setting grounds big theological ideas
• Anabaptist themes of pacifism, conscience, and state power
• Research with Anabaptist and Catholic voices for balance
• How parables and story make doctrine tangible
• Writing without preaching while keeping theology clear
• Casting choices, collaboration, and providence in production
• Plans to release a recorded version of the play
• Current and upcoming projects across community stages

Support Richard by visiting candlewick.ca to see all current projects and future productions

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Chapters

• 0:04 Milestone Intro And Guest Setup
• 1:20 Richard’s Path Into Live Theatre
• 3:22 Candlewick Productions And Community Arts
• 4:39 Introducing "For Cross Or Country"
• 5:56 Anabaptist Roots And Story Frame
• 7:40 Big Ideas In Small-Town Lives
• 8:29 Pacifism, Conscience, And Family Costs
• 11:35 Writing Process And Theological Voices
• 14:10 Honouring Different Christian Traditions
• 15:05 Why Fiction And Parables Persuade
• 20:30 Imaginative Apologetics And Narnia
• 22:56 Accessing The Play And Next Steps
• 23:52 Casting, Providence, And Production Wins
• 25:50 Depending On The Holy Spirit
• 29:22 Current And Upcoming Projects
• 33:20 Closing Reflections

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:04

Hello everybody and welcome to this special 10th episode of Faithful Fables. And today it's gonna be a little bit different. We're doing an interview with a writer and director who uh is very live theater driven. Uh, so he writes and directs for live theater. He started doing theater with Manitoba's Passion Play. He now works for Steinbach Bible College, looking after their theater department, but primarily he works for Candlewick Productions, and that is a live theater company. So this is gonna be a little bit of a different episode. This was uh an interview recorded over a phone call, and so the audio has been mastered, but if it sounds a little bit off, that is why, so just keep that in mind. So yeah, and uh we'll kind of get into it in the episode and we'll talk about it after, but this was kind of very fitting for Faithful Fables, and so I hope you enjoy it. Now, without further ado, Richard Clausen. Okay, so I guess start off by kind of introducing yourself and how you got into kind of writing and directing. Sure.

SPEAKER_00: 1:31

My name is Richard Clausen. I am uh a theater artist, producer, director from southern Manitoba. My my home community is La Ravier, although I do theater in a number of communities, including Manitou at the Opera House and at the Kenmore Theater in Morden, as well as uh in Steinbach with the Bible College, where I am I am the theater adjunct theater product professor there. Um, in terms of um how I came about getting involved with theater. I think when I was a young kid, I I had the opportunity to play uh like it was a passing role. I think it was a deer or a tree in Snow White, uh, and uh that was my first experience with being on stage, and I thoroughly loved the idea of storytelling, uh, the idea of creating um something for the audience to enjoy through drama. Uh and of course, you know, we all enjoyed our movies and the different theater, but I I tend to be a little bit more live theater-driven. I I love live theater. And over the years got to do that more and more in high school. Uh I I went to college, and even though I graduated with a Bachelor of Theology, I still took as many theater courses as I could, and and then from there uh took additional side classes in theater and uh and then eventually just stepped into it. Uh, started doing theater, was involved with Manitoba's Passion Play at the outdoor theater in Larvier, and got hired by Steinby Bible College to look after their their drama and theater department. So that's uh a very quick overview of my involvement and how I am where I am today. All right, very nice.

SPEAKER_02: 3:21

Yeah. No, that's good. Um and you uh work for Candlewick Productions, is that correct?

SPEAKER_00: 3:28

That's right. Candlewick is uh we we do theater in southern Manitoba, both in church settings or or Christian settings, as well as I we run a studio uh out of Morden where and Manitou, where we do a number of uh we teach theater and we have a dance studio. Uh so we are involved with the arts and connecting kids to to being able to get on stage and giving those them those opportunities to to to mount the stage, be able to learn how to to gain that confidence to be in front of people and then to express themselves uh either through theater or through dance.

SPEAKER_02: 4:06

Very nice, very nice. It's kind of nice to have something like that for the communities, I think.

SPEAKER_00: 4:12

Yes, and and something when I was growing up, I know we I had that opportunity through school, um, but um you know there not all the communities in southern Manitoba have that, uh, and to be able to connect kids and and to be uh I I know I get to hang out with young people of all different ages, so it keeps me young at heart to be able to hang out with them and uh to to put presentations on on stage. Oh, for sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 4:38

All right. Well, um I guess the point of this interview was to talk about your your drama uh for cross or country. Okay. Um and so could you kind of tell us a little bit what this story is about?

SPEAKER_00: 4:55

Sure, sure thing. Uh I'll I'm gonna back up with a little bit of a uh a background story to it. Uh when I was involved at the college, of course I teach theater at the college, and uh received uh uh we we were talking about what we want to do in the upcoming years, and I received a bit of a mandate from our academic dean uh Leighton Friesen as something that we could do to commemorate or celebrate the 500th year of the Anabaptist movement that happened. So we asked if I would write a play with that in mind, to get involved with the research and write the play that would that would tell a story. And we weren't necessarily aiming to have uh uh historically, this isn't a historic event that actually happened, but rather a story that would share with our audiences some of the ideas that were and and the the situations that were happening during that time when those first um Anabaptists started coming out and and speaking up for their beliefs uh in a in a point where, well, it started off with the the whole peasants' revolt and where they were trying to um stand up for themselves against this idea of of uh the royalty and uh a higher um class that would dictate what the lower classes should do. And then of course that was more of a socio-economical type of a situation. Uh and then there was also those that were starting to, of course, the Bible was just translated into German, so people were starting to read the Bible for themselves and coming to an understanding of what what it was saying and how they would then um react to that. So instead of having uh a number of theologians on stage speaking about their different different ideas as to uh and their their their struggle with with the church and with some of these ideas like infant baptism and pacifism and some of these other ideas that came out of that movement, um we we wanted to set it in the the lives of just everyday people, um, like the local farmer, the local ironsmith. Um it's in a small town where people connect with each other and talk with each other about day-to-day um life and they live life out, and when they have these ideas then confront them, and they're having to to deal with with these thoughts and these new and and how the the state was reacting to them and how the church was reacting to them. How do you how do you react to to these situations and these new concepts? And so there's a lot of what if and how would you respond in a situation like this? And uh how would we even today respond? Like there's all sorts of there's similar um similar thoughts and themes that uh perked up like even today, how do we deal with our our beliefs in in today's society? So that's a bit of a a background to the overall story of the play.

SPEAKER_02: 8:08

Yeah, no, and and having seen the play, I I enjoyed that it was kind of a small town setting and kind of like now how does this affect uh you know my life and my family? And yeah, like kind of what you were saying, like like how are you going to respond to what's happening? Yes. And and yeah, I think it is definitely relevant in a lot of areas today. I mean, even thinking of my own life, um I do still sometimes struggle with the idea of pacifism and like, you know, how much um should we defend ourselves physically? Yeah and you know, it it is still a struggle for some people. And so I think that it also helps at least me to kind of rethink some of these things and like actually now go study, like, okay, how should I respond? Yeah. And so I think it did a good job uh capturing that.

SPEAKER_00: 9:05

And well, and I think part of it too, we we recognize that when you put it in a setting like that where it's a little bit more I'm gonna use the word earthy, like it's down to earth, right? It's a little bit more grungy. Uh some of the ideas don't always pop out perfect that first time, right? Well, it sometimes takes a few it takes a little bit of time for for people's minds to get wrapped around, like, would I take up arms to protect what about protecting my family? Um how you know Jesus he went to the cross and he did not, you know, he went, he was led to the cross like a a lamb led to slaughter, right? Um how do you how do you translate that into your own life? Um and and then there's other parts of the Bible where yeah, they were commanded to to clear the country so that uh the the sin or the the the lifestyle of certain type of people like that were living in the land and they were sacrificing babies, you know, they they needed to get rid of that so that it would they could be focused more on Yahweh, on on God.

SPEAKER_02: 10:12

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so I think the idea of having it kind of uh in that setting, uh, I think it did a it I got the point across better than and let's say you know you did a a reformation play and you did it from Martin Luther's perspective. I think like something like this, like a smaller setting, small town, small family, like I think that that just gets the point across in a different way. And I think it was probably a better choice.

SPEAKER_00: 10:39

Oh, thank you. And I'm glad I'm glad to hear you say that. Then our job, our our goal was achieved then, right? Uh it's good to hear that. And and that was what we wanted. Uh you can talk about it sitting around a table, right?

SPEAKER_01: 10:51

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 10:51

Uh, but when it hits home, like you're actually asked, like if the government's coming and they're asking you to send, you know, conscription, and they're asking you to send your your son off to war. Um well uh like I I remember stories of the conscientious objectors uh during World War II, right? Uh and they're you know, they didn't just stay home, they actually they had to serve in prison or in work camps to make up for the fact that they weren't going to war. And how does that affect families? How does that affect, you know, I'm losing my boy to not to war, but as a result of war? Um there there's all sorts of things that we it's different when you that happens as compared to talking around the table.

SPEAKER_02: 11:34

Totally, yeah. And so I guess I'm wondering what did the writing process look like? Like did you consult with some of the professors at the Bible college and kind of go from there?

SPEAKER_00: 11:44

Yeah, so at the the very start, I had a few interviews with Leighton, and of course he's uh he's a theologian and he's actually written a book on anabaptism. So I uh a lot of this because I I'm not uh I won't profess to be any stretch of the mind, like a uh uh a historian or theologian to that knows all these details and can can write it down and and know exactly what how the theology should come out. So so we I got to interview Leighton at first, and then from there I started reading uh different books that have been written. Uh I was able to consult a number I tried to consult a whole variety of different types of people for different perspectives. Uh I had a friend who's from the Catholic background who was very gracious and being able to sit down and and come up come at me with ideas and thoughts and reactions as to how the Catholic Church would look at it. And then I also had some friends from who are very Anabaptist who shared some of their uh ideas and thoughts, and then also some friends who they they weren't necessarily uh the theologians, but they they had the I the gift of storytelling. And uh we were able to, you know, they could ask me questions, well, what about this and what about that? And in the end, I had a a very good group of uh some some of the professors at the Bible college, uh, as well as some friends and um and other individuals who and artists who were able to read parts of the script, uh, give advice, offer ideas, which always makes that playwriting process uh all the more like it's what there's often times you can tell a story, and if it's your story and you're telling it, um it's you can often do that without getting other people's ideas, but will it connect with your audience, right? So that connection with the audience and and making sure that I was getting the right thoughts and ideas down, that was important to me. Right.

SPEAKER_02: 13:44

And I think it's actually very a good thing to, you know, consult those different viewpoints. Like you said, you you spoke with your Catholic friend and and that. I think I think that's a smart way to go about it, just to So it's not like it's just you know, just so heavy in the Anabaptist theology, and it's just like that's all you're getting, right? Like it's it's nice to have that other perspective, especially if the one of the goals is to get people thinking.

SPEAKER_00: 14:11

For sure. Like you're if you want a solid argument, you'll need to have two sides to that argument, right? Uh and here I was very grateful to have um uh my this one fella. He was I we texted and emailed back and forth, and I even okay, I'm gonna come up with an idea as if we're having a conversation. So I'd throw him a question and he would throw back a thought or a viewpoint, and we would go back and forth like that. And in the process, we we didn't lose our friendship. It was we actually got together later on and we had a good a good time talking about it, and I sent him the script to read through certain p sections, and he was very helpful, very and and and also to honor like the the Catholic Church, they weren't they weren't evil trying to be evil. Uh these were honest to good people that were sticking up for their faith as well. So um, yeah, yeah. Yeah, oh very nice.

SPEAKER_02: 15:05

And so I guess what would be your view on using, I guess in your case, like uh dramas, but you know, thing like mediums like drama or different kind of art like books or movies, even TV shows, using those kind of mediums to to share like um you know theology and apologetics in like a through a fictional story, like like what are your what would be your general thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_00: 15:35

So I I I'll be honest right from the start. I am I do love theater, uh, so I'm gonna have that that bias, of course. Yeah. Uh but there there is that power. And you even when you read the New Testament and when Jesus is talking in parables, uh, or and and you see the the Bible's filled with all sorts of literary, um, like whether it's parables or metaphors, and and there's the different things that the teachers use to help tell the story. Like even uh I was able to study in Israel for a short period of time, and our our instructor was an archaeologist, uh, he he brought to light certain things, and we were he said, you know, Jesus is talking about this, and you're wondering, well, why is he talking about this at this instant? Uh, for example, uh, I am the bread of life, um, or or I am the vine and you are the branches. And of course, when when you read that in John, you're it's during that period of time, well, it's just during or after the Last Supper, right? And our our instructor said, you know, why what would have caused him to use this analogy? And then he brought us to to the um he brought to our attention the fact that Jesus is talking about the vine and the branches just as he's on his way from the Last Supper to or it could have been, we don't know for a hundred percent, but it could have been, he's on his way to the from the upper room to Gethsemane uh to the garden, and uh what's in between those two? Well, that's the temple mount. And if you're looking, if you're walking over the temple mount and you're looking at the temple and you're admiring the temple, what's what was engraved on above the door of the temple? Well, there was these the these images of grapes and vines over the doorway, right? So as Jesus is walking across, he's pulling something that the disciples could identify, they could tangibly see that. Right and and he says, Okay, this is this is your life, this is life in general. I'm gonna try and bring a truth and put bring that into your everyday life in a way that is tangible for you. It's more, it's easier to understand, right? And I I feel that sometimes theology is important, it's it's good, but sometimes it can get very heady. Uh it's it's in our brains, and and there, you know, the I sometimes we get it's all about that it's in our brains and it doesn't translate into our bodies, into our lives. Uh and and there's sometimes where I've needed that extra little bit. Well, what are you talking about? I don't get this, right? And then they'll use something, well, on the farm, you do this, and oh, now I get it, right? Right, yeah. Uh and then there's also that idea of storytelling, um, which can really like the parables, when you tell a good story and the people get into the story and and they're touched by that story, they're gonna remember that all the more because it's it's there's something about the the audience connecting with the actors on stage in a in a way that they feel for the characters and they understand what the characters are going through, and and as that happens, as that unfolds, then a good story is presented, and the point of the story also it doesn't need to be preached, it doesn't need to be explained in detail, it's just all of a sudden it reveals itself. And good stories are like that, right?

SPEAKER_02: 19:05

Right, yeah. And I and I think even in in this play that you wrote, uh, it didn't feel preachy. It was very much just like this is the situation they're going through, and and then you get to now think about it. It wasn't very much like a I I didn't leave there feeling like, oh, I better think a certain way now, you know. And so I think it was well done in that way. But I think there's also something to be said for kind of what you said studying in Israel. Um, like I didn't know what you were like what you said there, I I had no idea. And so just like having that cultural context, I think also helps, because now that you've explained that, well, yeah, that makes sense that he would explain it in a way that now they could grasp for themselves.

SPEAKER_00: 19:52

Yep. And and there's other like when Jesus is teaching in the boat and he's talking about being fishers of men, right? Well, all of a sudden you're you're you're hearing, be fishers of men. Well, what does that mean? And you're you're looking at this fisherman in the boat, um, catching fish. And well, okay, so what does that mean to catch people? Um there's all sorts of little things like that that uh help to just bring the it brings it to life and it makes it, like I said, it's more tangible. More and it you can you can eat it in in little doses as you go along and as you you chew on it, uh it becomes more real.

SPEAKER_02: 20:28

Right. Yeah, totally. And I mean I'm part of what this my my podcast is kind of exploring is this idea of I guess what they call imaginative apologetics. And it's kind of exactly that thing where it's like using using story or using art in ways to share your faith and share the gospel and stuff like that. And and as I'm looking into it, I'm seeing it actually as a very useful tool. I mean, even going through the Narnia series, like you know, the idea that, well, Aslan is clearly, you know, representing God, uh, or Jesus, but it just the idea when I when I was studying, it was just that, you know, he it's not like just an analogy to Jesus, but like C. S. Lewis actually wrote it in a in the mindset that, like, well, what if you know, there was this other world, and in that world God sent Jesus as a lion? Like, what would happen? Right. So just based off of that idea, and you're still getting the gospel messages, it's very clear. It's just from this other viewpoint of like what would it look like if this? Yep. And I think that's yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 21:41

And each of us, we we're all made different, right? We all connect with things differently. Uh some they you know, a good sermon, they can really get their head around that. Uh some like even if you look at kids, you can sometimes tell a kid not to do something, but that just they just makes them want to do it all the more, right?

unknown: 22:04

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 22:04

It's just like, well, I I don't know if I I you can tell me why, but it just and then later on you can illustrate something to the kid, and all of a sudden there's a snap bang, oh, now I get it. And you're kind of going, Well, well, I I I just told you uh it was pretty clear, and you don't get it, but now I can tell I explain it in a different way, or it's more creative, and then it sticks. And they yeah. And that's it's the wonderful thing about us humans is that we're all so different, and we take in things in different ways, uh, and yet we can still worship the same God, right?

SPEAKER_02: 22:37

Right. Yeah, and I think as long as the I think as long as the core of the theology is still accurate, you know, we we can I think it's okay that we can use these different mediums to tell that, you know, to tell that truth, right? Sure. Um Nice. Okay, so I guess is there somewhere that, you know, people could now, now that the play is done, uh, is there a way that people could watch it now after the fact?

SPEAKER_00: 23:06

That's a good question. In fact, we did videotape the the play, okay, and there is someone that's uh that's they are just we're just in the process of getting them to edit it. Um I've had a few people ask about that process, you know, is there a way to see it now that the play is finished? Yeah. So there is that is one of the um one of the ideas which we are looking into right now is do we have a video format that could be shared? Uh another uh I've also been asked if this could be presented in other locations, uh if other groups would like to do the play themselves, which that is also uh if if there's another group wants to to try that out, there's opportunity for that as well.

SPEAKER_02: 23:50

Okay, very nice, yeah. I mean that would be nice even thinking for myself to to be able to go back and and watch it again. I thought it was very well done. And I think even the casting, I think it was very, very well like just put together in general.

SPEAKER_00: 24:06

Yeah. And and uh the the casting, there was a few things that happened that uh some of the characters they just they found um certain characters were chosen from the start to play certain uh s just who they were gonna be, but then we had a couple changes. And the way the final the way it all turned out in the end, I was I I will have to give that to the Holy Spirit's leading in terms of that uh they had uh that that all worked itself out on its own.

SPEAKER_02: 24:36

Okay, very nice. Well, was there anything um that kind of went wrong during the the whole process?

SPEAKER_00: 24:46

Oh wow, that's a good question. Did anything go wrong? Um I I I won't say that any we had some you know little challenges along the way in terms of there was a few uh when as I was writing, there was some times I would write a couple of pages worth and decide, no, this isn't what I would want. So we totally changed it. But that's part of that whole pre playwriting process, right? Uh in terms of the sets, uh, we had a great like the school and the high school share facilities, so we had a great relationship with both sides that they were able to allow us to to put sets up and with the church that meets on Sunday morning. So we actually with this with this run, there was I I can't say that there was anything that went wrong or that was uh over hard to to work through. Uh I think we were very blessed to have a a good run.

SPEAKER_01: 25:40

Nice.

SPEAKER_02: 25:41

Oh that's good to hear. Um and and I'm thinking of some extra questions now as we're talking, but um how how important is the is the Holy Spirit to you during and not even just the writing process, but even just like the the whole process of putting a a drama together as like in every step? Like how important is the his involvement for you?

SPEAKER_00: 26:09

Okay in the process of writing, especially when I was asked if I would be willing to consider this, I think at first I went, oh, ooh, e I don't know if I feel comfortable because I I don't I'm not the I'm not a theologian, I'm not a historian.

SPEAKER_01: 26:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 26:30

Um but when you have lots of different uh voices that you uh different people that you can interview, um that that helps with that process. But there's uh you know, would God be if we believe that there is a God that exists out there and that he provides the Holy Spirit to pro to allow us to commune with him and to guide and shape our lives, um, it just makes sense that to involve, you know, to to allow the Holy Spirit to work. And I've been there's but there's often times in life that I, you know, you're aiming, you're there's you're going down life's journey, and as you're going along, things happen, and you can pray about things and you can connect with people about things, and sometimes there will be a hiccup along the way, and that hiccup might reset your tracks into a different groove. And uh it's amazing w in the final product, just where you get to be led in that journey, right? And the of course, the Holy Spirit, being open to the Holy Spirit's leading, especially for me in a project like this, um, yeah, the the that's to be open to God's leading is is that's part of the process, right? Especially if you're dealing with theology, you need or an a or a play that involves the historical telling of of Christians and what they what they went through. Right. Yeah, because I wasn't there. I didn't I wasn't able to actually sit through the and watch things happen. I I'm not I don't have a time machine, so the time machine is is God or the Holy Spirit, right?

SPEAKER_02: 28:05

Right, exactly, yeah. No, that's good. I I think that's important. Uh you know, even as I as I try to put my my episodes together for my own show, I try to have that in mind and just be prayerful through the whole process and like because I don't want to get anything wrong. I don't want to lead anybody astray. And you know, if I do, then I want to also be open to now publicly saying, like, hey, I got this wrong. Here's the correction, right? Like, I I want to be open to that as well.

SPEAKER_00: 28:36

So well, it's it's kind of like uh the bishop uh bishop Matthias saying, you know, it's better if a millstone be tied around their necks than uh something be taught wrong or you know, to be incorrect theology. So yeah, I I very much I feel that weight from time to time when you're writing a play for a setting like that. And it you you need the if you're writing it about God, then you need his involvement in there. And I've been very blessed over the years to have to know that things have gone well, and I won't claim I won't claim that it was my as a result of what I've done, but rather that uh God's worked uh in despite me.

SPEAKER_02: 29:15

Mm-hmm. Totally. Oh, that's very good. Um I think I have one more question for you. Um Okay. Is there any um Okay, maybe this is it's a two-part question. Are is there any current or future projects you're working on? And are you working on any more original stories?

SPEAKER_00: 29:35

Oh, that's a good question. Um as soon as we were finished at the Bible college, I was involved with a couple other shows. Um we we had uh um I work both within uh uh church and Bible college sphere as well as within the secular sphere. The um and and we connect with all sorts of different people. So um right now. Now we just finished or last weekend we finished a show, a collaborative work uh that was with a number of different uh community people from Altona and Morden, and we were performing at the gas station in Winnipeg. Um it was uh collaborative uh artistic uh retelling uh or kind of like a sci-fi Alice in Wonderland type of a play. So that one we finished last weekend, and then this coming weekend uh we uh because with the studio, uh we we created uh a play in which it was uh the our grades one to six students, they act out the characters in Snow White, and then our our dance studio, they they come in at certain points. So there'll be a scene in which uh um there's some bandits in the forest that are are running from the the authorities, so there'll be a dance, uh a hip hop dance with uh with the different characters, and of course it's created to be more uh for the kids. And then in two weeks' time, we are doing uh a parody of Corner Gas. Uh it's called Corner Ghast so as a dinner theater. So and we're having lots of fun with that one.

SPEAKER_01: 31:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 31:17

And and then right after Christmas in January, we're doing Pride and Prejudice with our senior high group from from the Morden area. Um, and then that leads into Valentine's and all sorts of spring shows, and it just keeps going.

SPEAKER_01: 31:31

So yeah, um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 31:32

It sounds like it's fairly nonstop, it's fairly steady, it sounds yes, very much so. Okay, well, I mean, I guess that's good. I guess that's uh a good problem to have. Yeah, it definitely keeps us hopping, that's for sure. Uh so do you have any uh originals like that you're working on, like any writing you're doing?

SPEAKER_00: 31:54

Good question. Uh the crossing country was a big one that I I put my I focused in on uh for for the fall. And then of course Snow White was also as our own our own dramatic take, and it's written specifically for the characters there. Uh I have been toying with some ideas for the future, not anything that's really current, like in the next month or two. Uh we were um we have been uh toying with the idea of doing um uh musical at some point. I have a few contacts that we made as a result of this last production that we've done then talking about the idea of a possible musical and what that musical could be, whether it's all from scratch or or whether there's uh something that I've written. There's a couple of plays that I've written in the past whether we could adapt them into a musical. Um so there's there's a few projects on the go. There's nothing a hundred percent confirmed. Right. Um I think I'm I'm probably in that resting stage, and then we'll start to dream of the next show quick. There I do have a number of plays that I want to work at over the next number of years. Uh um, but one step at a time. Some of them are faith-based, and some of them will be more just they're meant for pure entertainment.

SPEAKER_02: 33:19

Okay. Oh, very good. I that's it. That's all I have. Um I appreciate you taking the time uh to answer some of these questions and just to chat.

SPEAKER_00: 33:30

Oh, and thank you uh for reaching out. It's great connecting with you, and uh I know we didn't m meet in person per se, but uh yeah, uh uh to meet over the over the w waves. Yes, of course.

SPEAKER_02: 33:44

Okay, well, thank you, Richard. All right, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of Faithful Fables. I wanted to do a little bit something special for the 10th episode, and uh when this interview came up, uh I thought, man, this has to be the 10th episode. So thank you so much. And again, special thank you to Richard for taking the time to do the interview and talk about a few things. And I I could have kept talking for a while. Uh I mean it was uh it was a really fun experience. Uh both of us, before the the actual recording started, both of us had said that we had never done this before. And so I'm glad that we could have done that and that we could have done it on this platform. And so, yeah, I mean, with writing the play like this, uh I thought, man, this is gonna be perfect because we're taking a fictional story, but we're also, you know, there's an underlying theme of theology and apologetics in here, whether you agree with it or not, you know, this is a theology. And so I thought if I could interview him, that would be really great for the show. So, yeah, here we are, and I'm glad that we got to do this. And so, if everyone could go and check out candlewick.ca, that's Richard's website. So, if you go to candlewick.ca, you can see all their current projects and probably some future projects as well. And yeah, go check out some of the plays. It's uh it's a it's a good production. I can say that from experience. So thank you so much for listening, and I will catch you guys in the next episode, and we'll get back to more Prince Caspians. So until then, stay faithful.