Leper

 In 1998, a friend of mine named Stuart was the Minister of Music at Park Street Baptist Church in Columbia.  He called me one day and asked if I would act in an Easter Musical with Drama that he was directing at his church.  I agreed and asked him when they would be presenting it.  He told me it would be put on the following week.  He said the part I would play was the leper who was healed by Jesus.  I went by the church and picked up a tape of my part, as well as a script.  The part was about a page long and easy to memorize.  I listened to the tape in my car as I went from Columbia to Laurens to visit my parents and then back home.  The production was called "The Christ, The Cross, The Crown."
 I had two rehearsals with the cast and choir before the presentation.  I realized, after the first rehearsal, that I was far better as an actor than anyone else in it.  I seemed even better than the actor they had playing Jesus, which made me very uncomfortable.  I went to Stuart and asked him if I should tone down my part to meet the level of the other actors.  He said no.  I should raise them up to my level.  So, I did what he asked.  I met with some of the actors and gave them pointers how to do better.  The guy playing Jesus said he didn't need help.  I left him alone.
 The production also had an orchestra which sat just below the stage.  There was one place in my monologue where I would spit.  I told the woman below me in the orchestra that it was going to happen, and that she needed to prepare for it.  She told me she would be fine with it, but when I did during the rehearsal, she wasn't prepared for it.  When we ran through it again, she started to crouch down right before I did it.  Stuart told her not to do that, so she moved her chair slightly to the right and missed my spew.  Problem solved.
 Another issue was backstage.  One part of my training as an actor has been to do exercises before coming on stage.  One reason for this is to get my voice ready.  Another is to get my muscles limber.  And a third reason is to get my energy level up.  So, I was in a hallway behind the sanctuary doing my exercises.  One elderly choir member saw me doing this stuff, and she went horrified to Stuart.  She asked him if I was a Pentecostal person, because I was making weird noises and jumping around.  He had to explain to her that I was just getting ready to go on, and that I was a good Baptist.  Not to put down Pentecostal folks, but she was worried that I was going to speak in tongues during the program.  I didn't.
 The program went well.  Many people came, including my friends The Stones from St. Matthews.  I got a lot of praise for my role.  I was glad to do it for my friend.