A Calling to the Stage: About our Books

Man (smiling): Age does have benefits. (more soberly) One is clarity of thought. (referring to the passing Jesus) There He is. We cry out "Save us!" because only He can.
Daughter (insistently): But from what?
Man (collecting his thoughts): What are a few tyrants compared to eternity? What is the burden of taxes compared to life with God? (pause) This time—this place—These are passing. They are but a breath. (toward Jesus) There. That is what is real. His life. His purpose. There—there is the joy. (pause) Listen to Him, girl. Listen to Him, and you will learn what Jesus will save us from. (script segment from the His Company sketch, There is the Joy)

A Calling to the Stage is a book for those involved in Christian drama--be they directors of an independent group, an actor in the local church, or the music minister who seasonally directs actors in his or her musicals. There is no charge for either edition: both books are immediately available for downloading, in their entirety.

Common to Both Editions

A Calling to the Stage is published in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) form. This means that you download the file(s) to your local hard drive, then print them out on your own printer. The books have been designed in two-colors, and may be printed in color for maximum effect, but may also be printed in black-and-white.
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 4 or later) is necessary for printing or viewing the files. If you do not already have it, visit the Adobe website to obtain your free copy.
Both books are copyrighted, so when printing them for your use, please keep all pages--and especially the copyright page--together.
A Calling to the Stage, along with all our other resources, is made available free of any charge. Our sincere desire--above anything else--is that this resource will be an effective tool in your service to the Lord. That is our highest reward, and we will never request payment or even donation. However, if the Spirit is encouraging you to support this work, please visit our Contribution page for more information--and to select your "Thank-you" gift.
Download the books by clicking on the respective links at the left.

Philosophy Behind the Separate Editions

The Director's Edition contains all chapters in all four Parts:

Part One: The His Company Way
Part Two: A Director's Guide
Part Three: An Actor's Guide
Part Four: The Next Level

The Actor's Edition does not include Part Two, two chapters from Part One, and two chapters from Part Four--but all pages are numbered the same as in the Director's Edition. Of course, anyone is free to download either edition, but the idea is that the local director would download both editions, print the Director's for himself, and print multiple copies of the Actor's for those in his drama group. Indeed, the Actor's Edition makes an excellent manual for the director to use in training those in his or her group.

Size of the (zip) file to download: 8 mb
Size of the (unzipped) PDF file: 15 mb
Number of chapters: 34
Number of pages: 262

Size of the (zip) file to download: 5.39 mb
Size of the (unzipped) PDF file: 9.20 mb
Number of chapters: 18
Number of pages: 132

The Actor's Edition is a subset of the Director's, with only those chapters pertinent to the individual actor.

from the Preface...

"This book is not for everyone. A professional actor performing on the stages of the New York theatre would find its counsel to be rather insulting. Church theatre, however, is not usually peopled by professionals, but by dedicated amateurs willing to risk playing the fool because of their love for the Lord. They are motivated not by fame, the hope of adulation or wealth, but by a personal devotion to God.

"The dedicated amateur's training--as well as the training for their directors--is often limited to that offered by their high school drama coach, and may have occurred ten or twenty years in the past. They are often not self-starters, but require constant coaching, direction, encouragement and prodding. They welcome copious, often meticulous instruction, and without it would probably run screaming from the stage.

"This book makes no claim of universal appeal, but has been written for the possibly experienced, but still amateur director and actor. It is based on practical methods that have been put into use many times--and work. This book has been written, most of all, for those who have accepted their talents as gifts from the Lord, to be used at His bidding, in His service, and to His glory."