Everett De Morier’s ‘Thirty-Three Cecils’ is an Homage to Binghamton
CHRIS BODNARCZUK In choosing a setting for his first novel, Thirty-Three Cecils, Everett De Morier turned to the place he knew best: Binghamton. While De Morier spends his time these days in Delaware, he was born in the Parlor City and raised nearby. He went to college here, met his wife here, started a family here. And he spent a portion of his twenties living in an apartment at 1 Mather Street; the same apartment one of the protagonists of Thirty Three Cecils calls home. “I could’ve put him in Utica, but I didn’t know those places and it didn’t seem real to me. By putting him in these places that I know, it becomes real. I think it had to be in Binghamton. Dutch is Binghamton. He was something once but now he’s not. He could be something again but it’s too damn hard. Growing up here, there’s a lot of us like that.” He is speaking about Riley “Dutch” Dutcher, around whom half of the action in the novel takes place. Thirty-Three Cecils is presented as the overlapping journals of two seemingly unconnected men. There is Dutch, an alcoholic in his early 30s who decides to clean his life up after waking up one morning with a hangover and no recollection of how a $3000 Fezzari racing bike ended up in his kitchen; and Walker Roe, a disgraced comic artist-turned-con who is picking up the pieces after being busted for counterfeiting. Fate brings them together in Erie, Pennsylvania, (as fate is wont to do), and thus, we have the redemption tale that is Thirty-Three Cecils. “I set the book in 1992. 1992 is an interesting year because it’s really before. Cell phones were sort of there, but the internet hadn’t really taken off yet. You’re still independent. There’s still mystery in the world in 1992. The world is really big in 1992.” While the world may be big, the Binghamton presented in the novel is the same cozy, edge-of-the-rust-belt town that we all know and love. The places that Dutch goes are the places that De Morier once frequented, including Hank’s and Lane’s Deli. The Belmar Pub is of particular importance to the story, as it’s located directly across the street from imbibement-enthusiast Dutch’s home. While Thirty-Three Cecils is a novel, many of the stories that unfold within have basis in real life. “I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but one thing that is real is Dutch’s birthday card memory. That was real. That happened. My parents threw me a party and I just didn’t want to go. So I said ‘uh, the snow in Binghamton is horrible, I can’t come through!’ But it wasn’t horrible. I just didn’t want to go. A while later, a friend of mine wrote me, ‘gosh, the snow in Binghamton must have been really hard.’” A major plot point in the story involves a Bricklin SV-1, a mid-70s model sports car that was one of the big disappointments of the decade. Says De Morier, “There used to be a guy in Binghamton who had a white Bricklin. This was about ‘85, ‘87. I’d see it everywhere. I always saw the car. I never saw the guy. But you’d always see it in front of, like, Uncle Tony’s. These cool places. But you’d never see the guy.” There is more to Thirty-Three Cecils than Binghamton, though. While the setting makes it easy to want to pick up the book, it is the story itself that keeps the pages turning. Wickedly funny and thoroughly entertaining, the realness of De Morier’s writing has much more to do with the characters themselves than the places they frequent. Dutch and Walker are trying to better themselves; they are trying to make up for past indiscretions. They are trying to rewire themselves. They are trying to avoid breaking the metaphorical seal that makes them do bad things. They are out for redemption. “Oh god, you could talk about that forever,” says De Morier. “The seal is anything where once you take that drink, once you do whatever, that seal is broken. Everybody’s got that thing they won’t do. They won’t do it because they don’t want to break that seal. Some people can break it and go back and they’re fine. Some people, it’s more holy than that. I think the rewire is interesting because we think there is this person- us- this beautiful person, but then there’s that evil person that wants us to smoke cigarettes, you know? That evil person who wants us to eat cake. We think that person is out to destroy us, but that person is doing what we told it to do. We told it that hey, when you get stressed grab a cigarette, because it’s my job to keep you happy.” He continues: “That’s where the wire is. We’ve wired it ‘oh, he’s stressed so I’m going to make him happy. I’m going to make him think he wants a cigarette because that will make him happy.’ You could rip that stuff up for miles and spend a lifetime figuring it out. Most of the destructive stuff we do, it’s because we told ourselves to do it to get these results. It’s wired that way.” On this summer afternoon, as I sit on the deck of a local café interviewing De Morier, I can’t help but wonder how much of Thirty-Three Cecils is fiction. The author is here on a book tour, and he has spent the past several days visiting the places he once called home, places he hasn’t seen in years. Is he on his own path to redemption? Is this his rewire? “I’ve never thought about it, but I’d say absolutely yes. It’s a way to come back and say ‘I remember you! You hated me! Did you see the cool book that I wrote?’” That cool book is available locally at The Belmar Pub and RiverRead Books, or online at 543skills.com,
Dover author De Morier has the write stuff
DOVER –– After a decade of writing and editing, “Thirty-Three Cecils,” the third published book of local author Everett De Morier, is finally available. “It’s a story that takes place in 1992 and is really about two very different characters and shows what happens when people try to change the unchangeable,” he said. After dabbling in writing, ranging between a web magazine, short stories and two nonfiction works, Mr. De Morier finally decided to try to get “Thirty-Three Cecils” published. “I was never sure of its value because when you work on something for so long, it’s hard to go back and read it and tell if it’s any good,” he said. “But there was an open submission at Blydyn Square Books so I decided to give it a try.” In the end, Mr. De Morier’s novel was chosen as one of the first three books to be published by the new company. Blydyn Square Books, a Landsdale, Pennsylvania-based company was still under construction during Mr. De Morier’s book’s publishing period, making it a different experience than his two previously published nonfiction works. “With my other two books, I was a small fish in a small pond, but this time around I’m still a small fish but in a Dixie cup,” he said. Even though Blydyn is a new small business, Mr. De Morier, a native of upstate New York who moved to Dover in 2007, said is very pleased with the final product the company produced. “They took the time to edit the book to make it a better book, but my two other books, I was so desperate to get them published, I wasn’t necessarily concerned with them being edited into a better product,” he said. Mr. De Morier said books usually take about one year to get through publishing to press but “Thirty-Three Cecils” took about two or three since Blydyn was just getting off the ground. “It’s been a longer process than usual but I think everything turned out for the best and I’ve formed a good relationship with them,” he said. Aside from published works, Mr. De Morier has been involved in various writing projects like a web magazine, 543skills.com, which he manages and updates about twice a week, and plays, having written six for his church, Cornerstone Baptist in Dover. “I got called and asked to work on an original Christmas play and agreed. Most Christmas dramas are horrible so I wanted to make something better,” he said. “They always end with everyone happy and everybody’s problems solved, but that’s not how things are. Even though I hadn’t done it before, I knew I could write one that was new and different.” He succeeded in that endeavor, producing a play called, “Dover: A Christmas Story,” and has followed it up with another five original plays at Cornerstone. Aside from the plays and web magazine, Mr. De Morier also has written countless short stories over the years. “There are so many, just boxes of them,” he said. “I don’t even know when I first started, it’s always just been something I’ve enjoyed doing.” When it comes to writing fiction, whether is be a short story or novel, Mr. De Morier likes to use aspects from his real life, and let them go. “The first step of it for me is just getting everything down on paper and just going from there,” he said. “After I have the initial idea, I just let it go.” He also said that when initially getting fiction underway that he isn’t afraid for things to be messy. “For me, the only way to write well is to write badly first,” he said. “I need to get the first scene or chapter down because everything hangs on it, but after that, I write freely until I go back to edit and revise everything, because that’s when you have the chance to clean everything up.” Although Mr. De Morier has written in so many capacities over the years, it remains a hobby while he works full-time as an engineer at VSP Technologies. “Thirty-Three Cecils” is available online at amazon.com and blydynsquarebooks.com and will hit store shelves this summer. Blydyn plans to nominate it for several book awards. “I’m anxious to see what people think of it, but I know I’m pleased with the way it came out so I hope others feel that way too,” he said. Reach staff writer Ashton Brown at abrown@newszap.com. Follow @AshtonReports on Twitter. SOURCE: https://delawarestatenews.net/people/dover-author-de-morier-has-the-write-stuff/
Everett De Morier Pens THIRTY-THREE CECILS
Books News Desk What perspective occurs when the father of two sons writes a novel about raising two daughters? It's been over fifteen years since author Everett De Morier's first two books were published. During that time he has kept busy writing six plays, hundreds of articles as well as worked on his first novel. So when the Philadelphia publisher, Blydyn Square Books, released this novel, 'Thirty-three Cecils' earlier this year, it broke a few rules. "Thirty-three Cecils is fiction," says Eliot Wise, Publicity Director for Blydyn Square Books. "But the format of the book is that of an editor finding a set of journals from 1992 and then publishing them in book form. Now mix that with the Everett's painstaking attention to detail - along with real events he wove in from his own life - and soon the reader will Google the characters names, just to make sure this really didn't happen." But how could this accuracy flow through with the character's two young daughters, if the author actually has two sons? "I kept the personalities of my kids the same," says De Morier. "Only I began to think of how differently my interaction with the, would be at that age - seven and eleven - if they were girls. And the answer was that the relationship wouldn't change, only the stories I told them, the games that we played, all would have strong female leads. I would always want my daughters to know that if they were strong, if they were honest and confident, that they could have anything they wanted. So that's what the father in the book did".< 'Thirty-three Cecils' is being nominated for several book awards later this year. It is available at the publisher's site, Blydyn Square Books, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and where all good books are sold. ABOUT THE AUTHOR ... Everett De Morier has written for In-Fisherman, Florida Keys, Bride, Parenting, and excerpts from De Morier's books have appeared in The New York Times and affiliates, The London Times and affiliates and more than twenty-five Gannett newspapers. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News Network, The Extra Help Channel, PBS and others. De Morier is the creator of 543skills.com, is the author of Crib Notes for the First Year of Marriage: A Survival Guide for Newlyweds, and Crib Notes for the First Year of Fatherhood: A Survival Guide for New Fathers. He lives in Dover, Delaware, with his wife and two children. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR DIRECTLY WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR FOR AN INTERVIEW: Contact: Everett De Morier EVdemorier(AT)aol.com (302) 222 7414 SOURCE:https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/Everett-De-Morier-Pens-THIRTY-THREE-CECILS-20150812 Dover author’s book on track to become independent film
By Jeff Brown Everett De Morier published “Thirty-Three Cecils” in 2015 It’s said that when Hollywood calls, you don’t hang up. Dover’s Everett De Morier was surprised -- and happy -- to answer that call several months ago to learn his book, “Thirty-Three Cecils,” had been optioned by a Los Angeles-based film development company. “Back when the book came out in 2015, I don’t think there was any hint of a movie deal,” De Morier said. The novel, which won the 2015 London Books Festival prize for fiction, tells the story of two men, one a conman and another an unrepentant alcoholic, who go into business together and then are found murdered. Told in non-linear fashion, the book is less of a whodunit than a character study; how and why the men died isn’t central to the story. The novel caught the eye of Kevin Cooper of Hornpin Media, a Laguna Beach, California, film development company. In fact, Cooper formed Hornpin with the singular purpose of purchasing De Morier’s book. “My daughter was using it in a volunteer program that teaches prison inmates writing skills,” Cooper said. “She brought the book home and I read it in one night. “It’s an amazing story and is one of the best books I’ve ever read.” After Cooper bought the rights, he contacted producer Brian Esquivel to develop the book into a film. Esquivel, whose production credits include the HBO series “Entourage” and the 2012 series “The Newsroom” is working with his company, Sunset River Productions, to assemble the financing and find the actors and crew for producing the film. “He handed me the book, but I kind of put it down for a few days, but when I read it I was definitely onboard,” Esquivel said. As a screenwriter, Esquivel is working with partner and novelist Robinson McGiffin as well as De Morier himself to turn the book into a filmable screenplay. De Morier, who writes for his 543magazine.com website and also has created seven Christmas musicals, calls laboring over the screenplay one of the hardest things he’s ever done. “I thought that with seven plays and a novel under my belt, I thought it would be really easy,” he said. “But it’s completely different.” De Morier and Esquivel have worked on the screenplay for the past several months, trading drafts back and forth via email. So far there’ve been at least five drafts, and they’re still plugging away, he said. A major difference between books and films is that in novels, a character’s actions and thoughts have to be spelled out, De Morier said. It’s not the same when preparing a screenplay. “The trick is that you let the audience see the characters instead of telling them what’s going on,” he said. The screenwriter also must leave enough leeway so the director may allow his or her own vision to come to the fore. Because “Cecils” jumps back and forth in time as the story unfolds, the script has added narration to help explain what’s taking place. Other than that, the screenplay will be essentially the same as the novel although some subplots are being eliminated for brevity’s sake. “We’ve kept the core meanings in there,” De Morier said. “It’s true to the book.” Because it’s so early, Esquivel hasn’t settled on who might star as the ill-fated Riley Dutcher or his equally doomed conman buddy Walker Roe. He could use relatively unknown actors or possibly more prominent members of the Hollywood set. “If there is a name star available and we have the budget, then that’s always a possibility,” he said. “It’s more about finding the right person meant to play the role.” Although the story takes place in Pennsylvania and New York, that doesn’t necessarily exclude using Delaware as filming locales. However, the costs associated with location shooting can drive up a film’s budget, and all of that has to be coordinated with the availability of acting talent and production crews, Esquivel said. “We’re going to shoot as practically as possible on location whenever possible,” he added. Most interior filming will take place in Los Angeles or Southern California. De Morier said he might even try to emulate Alfred Hitchcock or Stan Lee in making a cameo appearance in the finished film. “I’d love to be the guy who walks through a scene carrying a cup of coffee,” he said. “That adds a cool quality to it.” As for his own compensation, De Morier said he can expect to receive about 1 percent of the film’s $4.5 million budget for having the book rights optioned, and will receive additional payments for writing the screenplay. But he doesn’t expect to get rich. “What I anticipate getting out of this is a really nice car.” SOURCE: http://www.doverpost.com/news/20170601/dover-authors-book-on-track-to-become-independent-film Delmarva Life – Author of “Thirty-Three Cecils” Tells About His Inspiration
Meet Kevin Cooper of Hornpin Media in Laguna Beach
Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Cooper. Kevin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far. A few years ago, my daughter was visiting me — she teaches writing skills to inmates in a facility in Pennsylvania. The novel that she was using as a teaching aid was one I had never heard of entitled THIRTY-THREE CECILS, by Everett De Morier. So when she went to bed, I began reading it. I finished it when she came back down for breakfast the next morning. I could not stop thinking of this amazing book and discussed it with several friends and then decided to see if the film rights were available. I had no idea what I was doing, I was a Sociology Professor and didn’t know anything about film. But I purchased the film option from the publisher, formed a company, Hornpin Media, and then had no idea what to do next. Then I got incredibly lucky and crossed paths with an amazing gentleman named Brian Esquivel, and up and coming Producer and Writer in the film industry — and fellow Texan — who I gave the novel to. He read it. Saw its potential and joined in. Brian changed everything. In fact, I gave him the company that I had formed and moved to a promotional and marketing position. Brian worked with the author, Everett De Morier, and they came up with an amazing screenplay that captured the magic from the novel. Then Brian met with his industry connections and put together a talented team and is moving forward with my dream of seeing this novel become a feature film. So I started the company. But it would have gone nowhere if Brian had not taken the wheel. Brian will be migrating the film THIRTY-THREE CECILS through his company, Sunset River Productions. We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? All the company struggles were really upstream from when Brian took over. But what is interesting is that getting a film made, is an incredibly slow and long process. They say it takes an average time of three years to get a film made, but most are beyond that — there are so many spinning plates involved and commitments that need to be made. That’s why Producers like Brian have to become very good at juggling multiple projects at once in order to keep pushing them along in the process. So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hornpin Media – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others. Hornpin Media is a film development company. We opened several years ago around the concept that great books can become great films. The company has migrated into a marketing and promotional arm, as we’ve discovered that the more public interest we can generate in the books we have the film rights for, the more interest we can develop in the film itself. As far as I know, no other company is doing that, because you are basically promoting someone else’s product (the book) in the hopes that it will eventually help to sell yours (the film). So, what’s next? Any big plans? I think the success of THIRTY-THREE CECILS, the film, will determine what our next big step is. We’ve gone all-in on this project. We believe in it and believe we can launch other projects from it. Contact Info: Address: 1968 South Coast Highway Suite 467 Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Website: Hornpinmedia.com Phone: (213) 316 6376 Email: JJcooper@hornpinmedia.com SOURCE: http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-hornpin-media-physical-company-location-laguna-beach-projects-involved-los-angeles/ Humor, faith fuel original show ‘A Gift to Remember’
Humor, faith fuel original show ‘A Gift to Remember’ By Sarika Jagtiani, Staff Writer First Southern Baptist Church of Dover is switching the script on its Christmas production this year and going with a new original musical, “A Gift to Remember.” The show runs Friday through Sunday, and is free. A lost woman reconnects with her faith through the kindness of strangers in “A Gift to Remember,” an original production by the First Southern Baptist Church of Dover. The musical runs from Friday through Sunday at the church. The show centers around Maggie, a young woman just passing through the city on her way to start a new life in the south. While in Dover she gets into an accident on Loockerman Street, where she meets an eccentric and kindhearted older man, Krenshaw. He introduces Maggie to the boisterous Salazar family, who help mend Maggie physically and spiritually. Jennifer Chagaris plays Maggie, a character she described as wounded. “You can tell there’s something that has scarred her but we don’t learn what it is,” she said. Maggie’s secret has left her doubting her faith, and with quite a burden. Enter the Salazar family and Krenshaw, who remind her that forgiveness is divine. The show’s creators Everett De Morier and Dave Aubrey wanted to do a musical that had a Christmas message without being preachy – all while being enteratining. They tried this previously with another original production, “Dover: A Christmas Story,” which they’ve staged for the past two years. They agreed that “Christmas Story” had gone as far as it could, so they started from scratch. “There was not a script out there I liked. I struggled to not only find a musical that was not cliché but also one that was relevant to the people of this community,” De Morier said. “So we wrote one.” Compared to last year’s show, “A Gift to Remember” has a similar feel but the elements are heightened. De Morier focused on quick, witty writing, and was thrilled to see his cast respond to what he called the “shotgun dialog.” Meanwhile, Aubrey worked on staging larger, more elaborate musical numbers. And because they’d done “Christmas Story” for two years running, interest in the shows had grown, giving them more casting options. They also hired a professional voice actor to record the narration that runs between scenes. De Morier said it’s entertainment with something substantial. “It’s not just for the eye candy,” he said. “It’s designed to be funny and still have a message,” said Nick De Morier, Everett’s son. Nick plays Cooper, an auto mechanic who also helps Maggie get back on her feet. Acting alongside Nick is Kierstin Melnick, who plays Paige Salazar. According to Melnick, Maggie’s story of forgiveness and redemption is ideal for the Christmas season. “It’s that you’re never too far gone to come back,” she said.
Cornerstone Church comes home for Christmas with new musical
Dec 10th, 2015 · by Ashton Brown DOVER — At the Cornerstone Church in Dover, each Christmas means staging a new original production. This year’s play, entitled “A Little of That From Me,” is a musical co-written and co-directed by Everett De Morier and Dave Aubrey. It’s the tale of a dying man, portrayed by Mr. De Morier, who gathers his estranged family to celebrate his last Christmas together in their hometown of Dover. “The play started out with a female lead this summer but we ended up scrapping the idea and starting over from scratch,” Mr. De Morier said. “We really built the script around a single scene and we’re both excited about what we’ve created.” Casting was done in late August and rehearsals began for the 15 speaking roles. There are an additional 30 singing parts. Including the crew, the production takes nearly 75 people to pull it off. “There’s always the problem of all the teenage girls wanting to get involved which is fine but we do need people of all ages to be in the play so sometimes it takes a little more to get the adults, especially the men involved,” Mr. De Morier said. This was the case for Vic Jeffries of Camden. “My daughter was actually a part of the first production and she had a lot of fun and it was a great show so I decided to do it the next year and now it’s something I look forward to,” he said. Although Mr. Jeffries considers himself more of a singer than an actor, he’s enjoyed getting out of his comfort zone by trying something new. “I’m in the choir and like getting involved in different things going on at the church so it wasn’t a big deal to get on stage and I’m glad I did because it’s my sixth year in the annual Christmas play,” he said. Not everyone had such an easy time their first time on stage though. Mr. De Morier’s son, Nick, has been in all seven plays and had a rough time at the beginning. “When I first started, I had terrible stage fright but was an extra the first year so I didn’t have to worry about remembering any lines,” he said. “But now that I’m doing it for the seventh year the nerves are gone and I feel like I could do anything out there.” And this year he is. He has three roles in the performance, most notably Marty, the doctor who breaks the news to Walt that this Christmas will be his last. Other actors are a little newer to performing like Caroline Richard, a senior at Polytech High School. “I’ve been in four other Christmas plays but this is my first one with a speaking role,” she said. “I’m excited because everyone always loves the Christmas plays because everyone relates to them in one way or another.” For many attendees of Cornerstone, participation in the annual play has become part of their holiday tradition. “It’s a pretty special thing to be a part of,” Nick De Morier said. “Most of us don’t do anything like this throughout the year so everyone is always very committed and makes time in their busy schedule to get to rehearsal and you end up gaining new friends each year.” Although everyone involved in the play is looking forward to the performances this weekend, they’re dreading Monday. “The week leading up to the play is always really exciting, not just for us that are in it, but everyone else too who are looking forward to seeing it,” Caroline said. “But when Monday comes, it’s kind of depressing. We’ve been busy practicing three days a week –– pouring all this time into something you love then it’s just done until the next year.” This year’s production is the sixth play the church has done over the past seven years. Cornerstone repeated the first play to iron out the kinks and get used to the idea of doing an annual production. “The first year was a little rough,” Mr. De Morier said. “We had to build a stage and we just had to kind of wing it with the sets, but everything has gotten a lot more refined since. Every year, the sets for the Christmas play are thoughtfully planned out in advance and made from scratch mostly by Eddy Seger, designer of the state quarter and a former Caesar Rodney High art and drama teacher. This year’s play has three different sets and a side set. “I actually got to know him through one of our actors the first year who was a student of his,” Mr. De Morier said. To make transitions between scenes easy, the background was painted on a series of triangular panels that are turned during scene changes. And the Dover locations painted on the set are unmistakable, especially a scene taking place on Loockerman Street. Every detail of a block of the street is depicted down to the last detail like the “1952” etching on the side of Citizens Bank. “It’s a great thing to be a part of because the plays aren’t just fun, they always have a meaningful message,” Mr. Jeffries said. “There are a few scenes this year that really get you thinking about what’s actually important.” Show times are 7 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free with doors opening an hour before each show. The church is at 761 S. Little Creek Road. Reach staff writer Ashton Brown at abrown@newszap.com. Follow @AshtonReports on Twitter. 11dsn Cornerstone 1 David Aubrey is the director for Cornerstone Church’s production of “A Little of That from Me.” Four shows are scheduled from Dec. 11-13 at 7 p.m. There is an additional matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. (Special to the Delaware State News/Gary Emeigh) 11dsn Cornerstone 2 Cornerstone Church’s production of “A Little of That from Me” comes complete with a detailed backdrop of downtown A Little of That From Me…
Cornerstone Church of Dover presents A Little of That From Me... December 2015 Written by Everett De Morier Directed by Dave Aubrey and Everett De Morier The sixth Christmas show with the folks at Cornerstone Church (formerly First Southern Baptist) required several large scenes and a depiction of Heaven (Just a little chore, right?). Seger was obliged to build twenty-seven new flats for fifteen periaktoi needed to tell the story. A mall and the interior of an old Victorian house were part of the mix. After several iterations for Heaven - including dropping gold lame' strips, covering all of the periaktoi with black cloth, using slit drape, making swags across the stage - the obvious inserted itself: LIGHT. We would end the show with Heaven as an ethereal, substantial, unavoidable presence, flooding the room with a searing light. Fog and 3000 watts of illumination rendered the effect sublime. Chris Baldinger, Walter Dill and Jeff Osgood contributed their considerable painting skills to make the final look possible. The story is about a man - Walt - who is dying and wants to give something to the children he has neglected for the past ten years - a good (Heavenly) father. This is his and their journey. The Mall scene. Walter Dill made sure the windows were outlined and Chris Baldinger painted the garland and wreaths. Even Santa makes an appearance. Walt and his son outside the son’s home. The family of Walt’s daughter in one of the interiors. Walt, his son and daughter in her apartment. The old Victorian family home, with the neighbors celebrating their return. Seger included a front porch for fun, to give us a view of the outside weather. Chris Baldinger manned a shading sponge to bring the house woodwork to life. Downtown Dover – from the first show – is the backdrop for a parade. Of course, the reason for the season. Little Grace (a perfect name) steals every heart as the Baby Jesus. Walt passes during a powerful voiceover. His portrait, painted by Seger, is the next image the audience sees. The world of houses and stores has dissolved into the background as a funeral brings everyone together. Walt finds himself among the angels. Jesus reveals himself as Heaven is illuminated. With the touch of Jesus, Walt collapses. Heaven. FINDING SERGIO
FINDING SERGIO Written by Everett De Morier Directed by Dave Aubrey and Everett De Morier Sets by Eddy Seger The folks at Cornerstone asked Seger to come up with three full-stage scenes that would help tell the story of a mission to the country of Peru. To accommodate the variety of scenes, he created an airport drop with three distinct areas, a Peruvian drop with three areas, and an Andes drop at sunrise. To top it off, they asked him to come up with a pickup truck to load on stage. He responded with three 12' x 48' drops that were all stapled to a batten across the back wall, each one being pealed away as it was done being used, thus revealing the next scene. The well-earned Curtain Call. In the Andes with a scene from the village (stage right) and a manger scene The Veranda. At The Village. (Painted with the good help of Chris Baldinger.) The Village Square. Inside the Hotel. On the Mountain. The snow in the foreground sparkles with glitter. Here is the solution to the pickup truck problem (two self-standing pieces assembled in less than thirty seconds). A mission meeting in the Hotel. Cornerstone Southern Baptist Church Dover, Delaware December 2014