A Synopsis of the piece

   

Act One of  "I Am Alpha & Omega" is based on The Story of Creation, with the details of such being enhanced by the Arcana Coelestia written by Emanuel Swedenborg.  The literal books of the Bible provide the external vision of Creation, while the writings of Swedenborg provide the internal correspondance of those stories to the Spiritual meaning, essentially the Body and the Spirit of the Word.

   I will be posting the earlier versions of A&O for reference to the history of it's progression. I believe that last version of the Libretto has the internal and the external blended, but I am trying to conceptualize a presentation that may be different that what has been previously written.  I want to have a presentation that is enthralling.

   One version of the stage show was written for use in a Hemispherical Theatre. But at the time, there was no such "hemispherical theatre" designed. Since then, there has been a theatre developed which uses Cinema 360. I am not certain if this will lean in that direction. I would like to see that happen, but I think it is important that there be a version for the standard proscenium stage, being that a proscenium is a worldwide venue style. A proscenium does interfere somewhat with the all engulfing premise of the "Cinema 360" experience, but there are not many hemispherical theatres built.  Possibly a observatorium.

   It may be that Act One be presented in a hemisphical theatre, with Act's Two and Three being presented in a normal proscenium environment. If that were the case, it would be a triad, a threefold essence  (so-to-speak)  theatrical experience. What that means is three separate shows. 

   In one way I like that idea, because that would allow the material to be explored fully in each presentation. In essence it would be;

Act One
The Creation, out of nothing came all that is, the earth is formed from the void

Life is infused in Creation, The Beasts of the Earth. 

The Birth of Humans in the Natural Degree, The Garden of Eden

Act Two  

The Rise & Fall of Man, Society & Free Will, 

the Separation of the Good from the evil

Creation Heaven & Hell, Redemption, Salvation

The Path Onward

Act Three

Eternal Consequences of Free Will, 

Revelation of the Spiritual Nature of Heaven & Hell

The Symbolism of the Apocalypse, the Nature of God

His desires for all humankind, His Mercy & Goodness 

in the threefold essence of 

the Natural, Spiritual & Celestial Degrees

This is a summary of the intent of the material presented in the Libretto and it is posted here for those who care to be involved in bringing this into reality as a theatrical presentation. 

This has been a long-term project for me and has gone through numerous revisions on the path toward the summaries posted here above.  I will be endeavoring to proceed with another rewrite in an effort to conform to these ideals. For those who seek to understand how this will be achieved, I posted a link to the Arcana Coelestia above as an introduction to the concepts. 

The Writings for the New Church are very extensive and sometimes complex. I have been studying them for fifty years, in part with the intention of creating "I Am Alpha & Omega", because I was led to these Writings as a result of writing the first version of A&O and having spiritual visions in this regard. So I do not expect anyone not familiar with the Writings to get a grip on it easily. That is my job, to bring the internal sense of the Word into clarity by infusing the external with the internal in the context of a theatrical endeavor.

 I will post what was written in that regard here, when I can and try to set it up into the Acts as shown above. I may just use this blog as the medium for rewriting the material, since I can easily print it out as needed and it will end up on-line for posterity.

AG 

Some thoughts on Writing

 

    I began writing "I Am Alpha & Omega" when I was twenty-one years of age. It started s a screenplay that Gene Roddenberry had read and liked. I was so excited that the creator of Star Trek liked what I had written, but I was almost embarrassed by it, because I knew that I had not achieved what I was trying to do with it.  So I took it back to rewrite it and try to make it better. Circumstances being what they were in Hollywood, I ended up leaving and returning to Pennsylvania. 

   Shortly after my return, I made an attempt to convince The  Moody Blues to write the music for A&O. That didn't work out, so I began producing music concerts and independent short films. Within a short time, I found myself wanting to write another story, and another, and another, until I settled in on writing a Medieval Romance and put "I am Alpha & Omega" aside, for the sake of improving my writing skills. I moved to Boston and explored the theatre & film scene there. I was given an office in the paramount Theatre to work on writing A&O. I worked in all the theatres in Boston, at MIT, Boston College and I was offered an Apprenticeship at Harvard, which, like a dope, I declined. I traveled around doing freelance technical theatre until, I secured another studio space in Pennsylvania where I could continue my writing, in particular screenplays and short stories.

    Well "MiLady", as it was called, went through many years of rewrites, eventually becoming "Grael" and morphed into an epic tale. To shorten the story, I intended to go to England to work on that story and communicated with EMI/Sheperton Studios about it. This led to Paramount Pictures requesting that I pitch it to them.  After months of consideration they decided that "LadyHawk" did not make enough money for them, so they passed on another piece in the genre. I had a researcher working for me at the time, to help in historically accurate aspects of this story, and I/we spent four and a half years writing that piece.  At the time I was producing a number of short films for other people who wanted to use my film equipment.  I was also "hitting the bricks" in New York on a regular basis, working in film, theatre and an occasional concert, but I never really settled in there.

   Shortly after returning to Pennsylvania and creating "Grael" I became involved in a big political situation in Bucks County and I began a 16mm documentary film called "You're Not Getting The Point".  It was a very complex situation that took up another four + years. I won't get into that now.  I ended up getting married, which threw everything into a tailspin and had me moving back to Hollywood to try again.

     Upon my return to Hollywood, I pitched "Grael" to Warner Brothers and they ended up offering me an office on their lot. There were circumstances that put me in a dilemma in that regard, so, regrettably I had to decline that offer, there were a few producers interested in that screenplay, including one in Paris.  I pitched "You're Not Getting The Point" to New Line, who though they could reenact the events. I did not find that credible.  

   At that time, I began work on rewriting "I Am Alpha & Omega",  only this time it became an entirely different type of project, for one, it became a theatre project and not film. Also the premise of the project changed, because by now I was involved with The General Church of the New Jerusalem and I had since experiences spiritual experiences that could not be denied and they greatly affected my perspective.

   Showing the new script around and seeking opinions, one very strong opinion was that the third act of the play should become a separate play. After much consideration, that is what happened. That play is titled "Nunc Licet" and it took me twenty-five years to craft that play. It has been workshopped five times, including a public reading at a New Church Convention. That play was published in New Church Life and I am intending on producing it for film, here in my studio on the stage I am building.

   The dilemma there is that Alpha & Omega was left without a third act. For twenty plus years I performed the role of John on the Isle of Patmos in a pageant that we do to convey the Book of Revelations. I recently retired from acting in that pageant, but in so doing I have had my mind enlightened to reveal that the third act of A&O will be an Opera based on the Apocalypse, known to many people as the Book of Revelations.

   For three decades I have been writing another project titled "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure" and the point of that project was to make enough money so as to be able to produce  "I Am Alpha & Omega". But all this writing and producing has distracted from writing on A&O. It has been necessary, for many reasons.  But now I am realigning myself to begin rewrites on A&O. What will come of it ? I am not sure. But something good I hope.

AG

Synopsis if the Structure

   I have a friend who is beginning to participate with me to write the music for "I Am Alpha and Omega".  This is very inspiring to me. Although, I am tied up finishing "The Gnomes of New Hope", which I have to say, is almost finished as to the Publishing Layout. In addition to my theatrical production process for that show and for "Nunc Licet" (see post below) I am beginning to return to the Libretto for "A & O" and I am very much encouraged to do so.

   As I have been searching my files and reviewing the past revisions, I am getting new ideas as to how to approach the material. A few posts below touch upon my thoughts in this regard, but what I have decided to do is post the complete process here.

   Ad I see it, I am doing this for God, not for myself or any personal gain. Therefore, should He decide to take me home at any moment, the work that is being done needs to be readily available to others who may want to be involved or carry on to complete the project. It won't do any good to have it sitting in my files where nobody can find it, if I do move to the Spiritual World.

   In addition, my friend, who is remote from my location will need the material to structure his portion of the project, the music. So I will begin to post the information that I feel is necessary to advance toward a full theatrical presentation. I will leave this blog open so anyone having interest can follow and/or consider being involved.

    The theatrical presentation is comprised of Three Acts. I will set up posts for each Act and put links to each Act in the Side Bar, by way of an Index.

   It has been my habit with other Scripts and Librettos I have written to include Technical Notes. I will try to avoid that with the newest revision of "I Am Alpha and Omega", which I will post here.  I will however have a version of the Libretto that does contain Technical and Managerial Notes, because tech usually is required to conceptualize blocking and other stage management details that greatly affect practicality. We will have to see how it goes. I guess this blog will become a significant part of the rewriting process, something that incidentally occurred with "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure" after the fact. In this instance of approaching a rewrite, I will include this blog as part of the process and knowing that I do not possess the material, but rather fill the role of a conduit for a greater purpose, posting the material here will assure that the world will have it to do with as they will.

   If we are lucky, or in Providence, what I post here will advance this project toward manifestation in my lifetime. If not, I will finish what I am doing in the Spiritual World. I posted an Essay on my main blog titled "The Ineffable Journey" that make reference to the importance of this project. It's worth reading.

More later, AG 🎭

"Nunc Licet"

"Nunc Licet Intellectular Intre in Arcana Fedei"

"Now it is Permitted to enter Intellectually into the Secrets of Faith"

"Swedenborg Designing a Machine to Fly in the Air"

"Nunc Licet" written by Arthur Greisiger is a dramatic stage play that addresses the progression of thought and feelings that leads a person through religious concepts that are founded in Christianity and breeches the subject of the transition from the natural world into the spiritual world. It does this by exploring numerous concepts that arise in the mind that is exploring the existence of God and introduces the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, in a summary fashion, while doing so in the context of a dramatic stage presentation.

   This drama will be produced before "I Am Alpha & Omega", being that it was derived from that larger stage presentation, originally being the Third Act of that piece and that A&O is undergoing rewrites and significant redesign as a whole.

   In terms of the resources available for any of this, Image of the Mind Studios is undergoing major changes in terms of facilities, construction, and also Publishing activities, so those things will directly effect any production of stage projects such as these.

   Two of the projects most affecting activities are the construction of a Green-Screen Stage and a Recording Studio. Another is Publishing Activities that must take priority. 

Check the IMS Virtual Studio and "The Gnomes of New Hope" for assorted discussions in this regard.

AG

The Libretto

  As I meditate upon how to proceed with the new revision of "Alpha & Omega" one of the aspects of the stage presentation is how to use artistic license to firm an accurate yet aesthetically pleasing interpretation of Biblical text. As I may have mentioned, I am using a New Church perspective on the Word of God, which, in this instance will merge the natural, external degree with the Spiritual/Celestial degrees of the Word. The Celestial degrees may be only references implying such, since we do not really gain an understanding of that degree until we are living in the Spiritual degree. But nonetheless, there needs to be a natural degree understanding of the celestial.

The material includes the writings of 

Emanuel Swedenborg

   Having begun to structure the Third Act into a concept of an opera, I was enthusiastic to advance with that, when somehow, I lost my notes, which were written into my copy of "Apocalypse Revealed". So, I will need to do all of that over again, once I finish "The Gnomes of New Hope".

   On Good Friday, we sang Mozart's Requiem in choir, which has been a regular activity for me, for at least the last 30 years, and that got me thinking about the end of Act Two.

   Act Two constitutes a summary of human society, culminating in the appearance of the Messiah, the Lord God manifest in human form. As I meditate on how to restructure this conveyance, I realize that the conclusion of Act Two needs to be His Ascension from the Natural Degree after His Resurrection. The question is "Do we address His entrance into the Spiritual Degree or even the Celestial? I think there will need to be some reference there to, but what that will be is unknown at this point. Although, that is addressed within The Apocalypse, so I will leave the structure up to Providence as the writing process proceeds.

   I expect to convey the trial and crucifixion as an abstract backdrop to other significant events, such as His ordering of the Hells, his resurrection, and Ascension from the Ultimates of Creation back into the Essence of His Being, taking with Him the Form He took on in Christ. I do think this conveyance will be clear in the distinction between Acts One and Two, but made even clearer in the sequence of events in Act Three and seeing how they tie into the previous Acts. So the language does not need to be specific, although the language of Revelation is specific in a degree, since, I believe the visuals will bring that about in a more profound way.

  With the extent of the material I'm beginning to wonder how to fit it into one sitting. Pushing the limit, the piece could theoretically be three hours long, giving one hour to each act, at most, trimming it down from there.

   I do expect a complete rewrite of the script materials into a more refined Libretto, including a poetic structure that allows for lyrical expression. It's just a question of perspective.

AG

I Am Alpha & Omega

   

UPDATE, 3/25

   As I may have conveyed this elsewhere, the Third Act of A&O will be an Opera, based on the Apocalypse, the text of which will be crafted from a New Church understanding of the Word. I spent a fair amount of time making notes in my copy of Apocalypse Revealed. Unfortunately, I was acting in the Pageant and left my book somewhere in the Cathedral and it has disappeared. So, in Providence, I will need to review what has been written without the advantage of those notes.

    I think this time around, I will craft a timeline before deciding on what subject matter will go into it. Musically speaking, the lyrics will guide the compositions, but I will allow for enough latitude for instrumental riffs and modifications of the poetic style. The text, in essence needs to stay on track with the subject matter, which will be in the first generation of the lyrical structure. How artistic license comes into play is not clear yet. 

   I do think that there will be first person expression. Indeed, there must be for a link to the audience to exist. Not only is there John, but the angel who say "come up here and I will show you things". There are also the souls under the alter and a council of Elders, Micheal and his Angels, the Riders, the Dragon, the Woman clothed with the Sun.

   I performed the role of John in the New Church Day Pageant for over  twenty years. So, that has given me perspective for this.

   Overall the entire piece needs to be approximate 2.75 hrs. That leaves approximately one hour per Act (at most). Each one of those acts will end up cut by around 20%.

   I have been able to locate most of the written Libretto by going back to the older computers that I was using to write the earlier editions and I found copies of more recent versions. Luckily, I printed the original edition that was done on a typewriter and filed with the Writer's Guild. 

    But I have to say; I'm not satisfied with what I have. It doesn't address the subjects in a way that makes them compelling. It's more literal than I want it to be, but it needs to adhere to the Word of God in the externals, while delivering the internals in a way that fascinated the audience. When I wrote it, I thought I'd achieved that, but now, decades later, I have a different perspective.

  The original Third Act, became a separate play titled "Nunc Licet", leaving Alpha & Omega with no Third Act. After spending 25 years crafting that play and another 30 years creating "The Gnomes of New Hope".  I am beginning to redress "Alpha & Omega".  That redress will take the form of crafting a new Third Act and I was enlightened by the Lord that that needs to be an Opera based on The Apocalypse.

    Those two other projects are the subjects of other posts on this blog, so refer to them for information as well as the links above.

   I have discovered that a new church person has endeavored to craft an Opera based on the Apocalypse, but I have not yet seen that work. I don't know yet if I should even examine that work, not only for creative reasons, but because my project needs to be free from any suggestion that someone else's work is somehow plagerized in it.

   Musically speaking, I have a few people that have expressed interest in composing the music, so I will be focusing on the text of the Libretto and lyrics that are founded in a blending of the literal and spiritual sense of the Word. I will establish the cadence in the lyrics. In fact, I already have volumes of poetry which might be applicable to this mission. I hadn't thought of that until just now. Maybe I'll publish that poetry and in the process extract material that can be applied to A&O... after The Gnomes of New Hope is completed. But in the meantime, I will look at that.

More later ...

ARCHIVE

As I've stated numerous times, this is a theatrical project which I began back in 1974. It has gone through many changes on it's journey from a screenplay to a multimedia theatre presentation. 

  I'm sad to report that the most recent versions of the stage play have been trapped on a failed hard disc and on my dead G3 laptop. I am certain I can recover those versions of the script, but now I am working to reconstitute what I do have, which amounts to the entire 1989  and portions of the 1999 version of the Libretto.  But I do have significant sections of handwritten notes and a new vision in my head.

   The original screenplay has been retitled "The Celestial Manifesto" and that version is in need of updating. That was written when I was 21 and it has the remnants of adolescence in the dialogue. So if I am to redress that film script, I will need to refine the dialogue a bit on that. I do think that has the foundation of a pretty good science fiction story. But I'm too busy with other things to attempt a rewrite on that screenplay.

   "I Am Alpha & Omega" was rewritten around 1986 to become a stage play and it had a few revisions before I broke off portions of the third Act to become a stage drama titled "Nunc Licet". That stage drama took up the majority of my writing labor for many, many years. Before I began "Nunc Licet",  I was writing a medieval romance titled "MiLady", which was retitled "Grael", as it became refined.

   After advancing with "Grael" and "Nunc Licet" I decided to return to working on

 " I Am Alpha & Omega".  At that time, I worked for numerous theatres, including a nine year stint with The New Hope Arts Commission as their Technical Director.

   I began discussing mounting "Alpha & Omega", with The Arts Commission,  but it was becoming too complex. Many years before, I designed A&O to be implemented in a Hemispherical Theatre. I also considered IMAX, and after that Cinema 360.  So when I returned to it, I was somewhat overwhelmed and uncertain what to do about it.

   That's when I shifted gears and moved to create "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure", which I am still working on.  At that time, I was very involved in Children's Theatre.

  In any event, I have determined to begin rewriting "I Am Alpha & Omega" and committing myself to publishing the Libretto. I do need to address the music, particularly because the Third Act will be an opera based on the Apocalypse and I can't bring that up to spec until the first two acts are restructured satisfactorily.  I do have the text for the third act identified and some of the dialogue and lyrics crafted. It all needs to be pulled together.

  The advancement of A&O will depend somewhat on conversations that are underway in regard to the music. If I get a commitment from a composer I am talking to, then I will need to speed things up to finish the Libretto, so we can dive into the music.

   The one thing I want to achieve in the new revision is to bring a more abstract vision to certain sections. The are portions of the current Libretto that just laid down a dramatic structure that in not as as artistically crafted as I ant them to be. The information was placed there as a marker and needs to become an expression that is more akin to a impressionistic painting than a snapshot photo of information that we know and expect. There are other dramatic sections that I would like to craft around those ideas as well.

That's all for now. I'll post more later or update this post as I go. AG

An Update

 

Well, for a time there were discussions going on about the music with a composer/songwriter of note. That inspired me to work on the Libretto. Those discussions have ceased, primarily because the lines of communication could not, or would not, be confirmed by a face to face meeting. 

  There is only so much discussion that can take place until the lines of communication are confirmed to be absolutely secure and free from being corrupted by uncertainty. Well, we reached that point and the dialogue was beset with uncertainty on my part. So I discontinued discussing the project.

  That's not to say that dialogue can not or will not be initiated again, but the channels for that dialogue must be established through other professional avenues. I'd be happy if that happened, but as they say; "the ball is in your court".

  So in the meanwhile, I will be working on the Libretto, locating, gathering and revising the work that has been done in the past. The rapidity in which that occurs is completely contingent upon completing "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure".

   But there is also "Nunc Licet", a stage play, that is in line to be produced for the cameras.

  In addition I have my responsibilities to "The Bryn Athyn Orchestra" as a Board Member, which involves; Grant Writing, Publicity, GFX Design, and Technical Direction.

   I also have multiple publishing projects online and intend upon installing a printing press in the Studio for the Illustrated Storybooks, the Score and assorted photographic and display products.

   So, because of all this addressing the music on "I Am Alpha & Omega" will not occur again until the Libretto is published again. I am open to discussions if that line of communication opens up again. I will continue to pursue the professional avenues available for that to happen.

   In the meanwhile, I have a goal of building my sound stage and of building a sound studio large enough to house a 24 piece orchestra (for the Gnomes) and possibly be expandable for a larger one. 

    It rather depends on the available space after doing a layout for the renovation of Building Two. I have four, 

5k sq ft buildings to work with and I have much to to in maintaining and renovating the studio facilities. So all projects are affected by this.