Posts Tagged ‘Daniel Reynaud’

Teen brings gravitas to ambitious staging

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Review: Son of Jesse

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

Seventeen-year-old Justin Watson showed confidence and maturity in his acting and singing, bringing gravitas to the leading role in Son of Jesse. Credit: Ann Stafford.

Avondale College senior music lecturer Dr Robb Dennis and alumni Andrew Taylor, making his directorial debut, and Kristin Thiele deserve credit for their successful staging of Son of Jesse. With both writers of the musical—Adrian Bell and Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud, dean of the Faculty of Arts at Avondale—in the large audience for the Australian premiere, the producer and his drama directors must have felt added pressure.

Son of Jesse is Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud and former colleague Adrian Bell’s re-telling of the story of David. Daniel, dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Adrian wrote the musical in 1981 before revising it in 1983. The anachronisms in this version—a TV newsreader as narrator (Adventist Media Network’s David Gibbons), two psychiatrists discussing King Saul’s health (Eldon Rosenberg and Daniel Laredo), a hip-hop-styled Absalom talking on his mobile phone (Raul Moran) and a boxing gloved-clad Goliath (Robb Dennis)—brought humour to the story. Avondale staff members and students played most of the roles. Their acting skills: solid.

Technical problems—particularly with microphones—and the ambitious bringing-to-life of the whole story of David meant the musical lacked a dramatic arc. The strongest scene—The Ark—featured the two best actors. The argument between David (17-year-old Justin Watson) and his wife Michal (Vivienne Calwell) spilled out into the congregation, further exposing the human frailties of the characters. Justin showed confidence and maturity in his acting and singing, bringing gravitas to the leading role.

Andrew and Kristin made clever use of Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church, particularly the brick bays in the balcony as the setting for many of David’s speeches.

Avondale Chamber Orchestra provided seamless backing for Avondale Singers. The chorus’s final, triumphant “Jesus!” still rings in my ears.

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Character actor brings Bible story to life

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Son of Jesse to make Australian premiere at Homecoming

Andrea Shotter
Public relations editorial intern
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

Broken hair clippers, a family holiday and playing multiple roles in a choir-based musical have contributed to an Avondale Collage staff member’s flowing beard.

Eldon Rosenberg grew his beard and hair to play four roles in the Australian premiere of a musical that brings to life the story of Bible hero David. Credit: Ann Stafford.

Eldon Rosenberg, systems administrator in Information Technology Services, started growing his beard and hair after he put off fixing his clippers. He continued growing both because he and his family were visiting Sovereign Hill, a Ballarat, Victoria-based outdoor museum presenting Australia’s gold rush history. “I thought it would be cool to have the bearded goldminer look for the family photo,” says Eldon. On his return, the drama directors of Son of Jesse, which brings to life the story of Bible hero David, cast him in four roles: a psychiatrist; the prophet Nathan; priest Zadok’s son Ahimaaz; and God. Eldon thought the look would fit and kept growing his beard and hair.

Son of Jesse is making its Australian premiere at the Avondale College Alumni Association’s Homecoming this Saturday almost three decades after an Avondale lecturer helped write it. The strength of the story and the colourful life of the lead character appealed to Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud, dean of the Faculty of Arts, who wrote the musical with former colleague and friend Adrian Bell in 1981 before revising it in 1983. “The bible version of David is honest and I tried to reflect that,” says Daniel.

Producer Dr Robb Dennis, senior lecturer in music, says the musical has synergy. “David is a multitalented individual who let leadership and talent go to his head, but through some major blunders he found his ultimate purpose, which was to be a multitalented tool in God’s hands.”

This “deliberately anachronistic” new version of Son of Jesse includes a newsreader as narrator, two psychiatrists discussing King Saul’s health, Absalom talking on his mobile phone and a boxing gloved-clad Goliath.

According to Eldon, his new look does not conflict with the modernisation of the musical and may even stay once the performance is over. “I’m thinking of going with the easy option and leaving it, but I also like the variety of clean shaven alternating with short beard.”

Son of Jesse begins at 7.30 PM in Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church this Saturday (August 28). Entry is free.

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Record response to Faith of the Anzacs

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

More than 1000 people have requested an Avondale College lecturer’s monograph written to coincide with the broadcast of an Anzac Day-themed special on television.

Presenter Gary Kent and Daniel Reynaud shoot Faith of the Anzacs on location at Gallipoli.

The response to the offer of Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud’s Faith of the Anzacs is 10 times greater than the response the producer of the special, It Is Written Oceania, receives for the Bible studies and DVDs it promotes during the regular broadcast of its program across all networks and times.

The Seven Network in Australia broadcast the special, also called Faith of the Anzacs, at midday on Anzac Day in New South Wales and Queensland, half an hour before the traditional Australian Rules Football match between Collingwood and Essendon. The special aired in other states and territories before the Sunrise program at 6.30 AM the same day.

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Seven to air Faith of the Anzacs

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

The Seven Network in Australia will broadcast an Anzac Day-themed special produced in part by an Avondale College lecturer for a Christian television program.

Faith of the Anzacs is a half-hour episode written for It Is Written Oceania by Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud, dean of the Faculty of Arts. It will air on Seven and its affiliates in New South Wales and Queensland at 12.00 PM on April 25. It airs in other states and territories at 6.30 AM the same day.

The special highlights the seldom recognised role of faith and religion in the story of Gallipoli. “Many of the men found comfort in scripture, prayer and song, and the mateship of faith of those who trusted in God,” says Daniel. “This story unearths the forgotten stories of the faith of Anzac chaplains and soldiers, stories of genuine heroism, faith and courage.”

It Is Written will promote an offer of a free monograph written by Daniel and called Faith of the Anzacs during the broadcast of the special.

Daniel travelled to Gallipoli in western Turkey with the It Is Written crew to serve as the historical consultant and to appear on camera for each of six episodes. He wrote the episodes. They will air on the Australian Christian Channel, Channel Seven in Australia, EMTV in Papua New Guinea, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Hope Channel and TV2 in New Zealand around Anzac Day this year and over the next two years.

Daniel’s interest lies in the Anzac legend and its representation in early Australian films. He is the author of Celluloid Anzacs: The Great War Through Australian Cinema and The Hero of the Dardanelles and Other World War One Silent Dramas. He has also worked with the National Film and Sound Archive in the recovery and partial reconstruction of several silent films, including The Hero of the Dardanelles (1915), Australia’s first Gallipoli movie.

Links
Map: Gallipoli

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