UUism on the Broadway Stage?

From whence do we Unitarian Universalists derive our spiritual wisdom? Sometimes from ancient scriptures, but also from folk tales, poetry, novels, and other artistic creations that express our values and inspire us to live by them. For some of us, rich resources lie in musical theatre productions we’ve experienced over the years.

During the next few months, we will spend time together sharing our experiences of inspiring songs and scenes. Some of us will have seen some of the old classics several times. Others will know more about modern creations. No doubt we’ll talk about much more than we can fit into one Sunday Service, but participating in discussion can be a worthwhile way of experiencing our interconnectedness.

Eventually, we’ll begin planning the actual service, deciding which songs and dances, monologues and scenes, could best serve as part of a Service about preaching UU values from the Broadway stage.

• Who would like to act or sing or dance or play an instrument or create a bit of costuming or scenery?

• Which famed musical theatre lyricist was an RE graduate of one of our oldest UU congregations in NYC?

• What would our whole congregation like to sing together?

• What visual projections might enrich the whole experience?

• What legal permissions do we need to include segments from Broadway shows?

• Who will be on the tech team to produce a good video recording of the service for posterity?

• How should we select and organize all the pieces to make an aesthetic whole that fits into our allotted one-hour time frame, so everyone can go outside that Sunday to enjoy our annual Fellowship picnic?

If you’d like to use your talents to answer any or all of those questions, email or talk to Barbara Castellana Stasiak about your interests and your schedule.  Ultimately, there will be rehearsals to make our presentation a meaningful experience for all – planners, presenters, and attendees.

(Thanks to Laurie Crosse, a member of our Fellowship’s current Worship Arts Committee, for the playbill graphic – she created a service on a similar theme in 2011 when she was a member of the Program Committee at the UU Fellowship of Huntington in Long Island.)