"The wind... where is it blowing now?"

When our friend Marian West came rushing down the aisle for the first time during our rehearsal for last weekend's staged reading of Audience of One, the music went on auto-pilot and we stared, transfixed, at this stunning embodiment of the wind of the Holy Spirit. When she danced over Kendra at the moment where God imbues her with the question, Will you and the choir give a concert just for Me?, it was like seeing behind the veil how prayers activate heaven when we step out in faith.

(photo cred. Victoria Carl)

This week we are celebrating an intense and exhilarating four days of rehearsals that culminated in the first public performance of the show in staged reading form. Not only did we receive a windfall (spiritually and literally) of $3,000—nudging us up to 38% of our projected budget—but we also got lots of positive and constructive feedback that will help us shape the show going forward.

We had hoped to mount a full production this summer, but, regrettably, scheduling conflicts with a large number of the stellar cast who performed at the reading prevented us from signing on the dotted line to secure the week we had reserved at one particular venue. So we are considering a host of new possibilities, including recording a cast album and a summer '25 tour. We are"waiting for a divine cue," as Kendra sings in the song, "The Wind, Where Is It Blowing Now?"—resisting the compulsion to move forward too quickly, and in turn giving ourselves more time to raise money and apply the latest revisions.

Meanwhile, we extend enormous thanks to St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Pastor David Woolverton, whose calming pastoral and directorial presence gave us exactly what we needed when we needed it, along with the administrative and tech staff at the church who were a warm island breeze of welcome and hospitality without which we could not have done this—the wind of the Holy Spirit in tangible form! We also thank Carol Fahnestock for coordinating tasty dinner provisions for the cast Saturday night, and each and every parent and cast member who worked hard to make this event happen.

While we discern next steps, please celebrate with us the joy of this past weekend, and if you'd like to help us get closer to our project goal, or buy your very own Audience of One tee shirt, please see the links below!  —ab

Audience of One is a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas.

We gratefully welcome individual donations and corporate sponsorships.

• For donations (Individual or Corporate) needing a tax-deductible receipt: click here

• For donations NOT needing a tax-deductible receipt, and also for TEE SHIRT ORDERS: click here

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