THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407020178
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 139 lines
NANCY BATEMAN has put together a program she said is too rare nowadays: an old-fashioned, patriotic Fourth of July celebration.
Today and tomorrow, the Lindale Church of Christ will present its third annual ``Freedom Celebration,'' a upbeat musical look at the USA and all that makes it great.
Bateman said the time is right to present such a production.
``It seems to me there's a severe lack of patriotism in this country,'' she said. ``There aren't that many patriotic programs around anymore, even on the Fourth. I think ours is one of the few truly American/patriotic programs taking place in this area.
``I know there's the usual Fourth of July picnics and fireworks, but not many real, true red-white-and-blue events like ours, where we celebrate the country, its freedoms and what makes it great.''
Bateman, a mother of school-age kids who works with the youth at the Lindale Church, said she was disturbed by what she saw as a lack of patriotism and knowledge of this country's origins in not just youngsters but even adults.
``We need to remind ourselves what a great country this is, as we used to do many years ago,'' she said. ``I think our `Freedom Celebration' will help.''
This year's program is designed to do just that.
``We feature one child who asks what the Fourth of July is all about,'' she said. ``He doesn't know what's going on and asks questions about everything, how this country got started. I think that child's attitudes reflect the feelings of many Americans today. We're aiming to show this country's origins and showcase America's wonderful richness and diversity.''
Bateman said as the child raises questions, the cast of 22 children and 18 adult singers from the church's senior and youth choirs will answer with big production songs, many upbeat and contemporary.
``We tell the story of the Revolution, about the two Georges, King George and George Washington,'' she said. ``Then we'll do a fun Pilgrim rap song and bring up the Declaration of Independence, which will go into `America the Beautiful.' ''
Four narrators will answer the boy's queries and weave a short history of the country in between production numbers, she said.
A children's choir will sing ``When the Saints Go Marching In'' and then pass out little American flags as they march through the audience. That will be followed by an explanation of religious freedom which will lead into the song ``Statue of Liberty.'' The children will then sing ``I'm Proud to Be An American'' and ``From Generation to Generation.''
``Finally the doubting child will get the idea of liberty and the need to preserve it,'' Bateman said. ``That will lead into the song `We Are the Kids of America.' ''
The show wraps up with a recitation of a passage from the second book of Chronicles and will then drive its message home with a big finale featuring the song ``Celebrate Freedom'' and a reprise of ``From Generation to Generation.''
``The whole production takes about 40 minutes,'' Bateman said. ``Nobody will be bored or get tired of sitting.''
The production will be held inside the air-conditioned Lindale Church on a splashy red-white-and-blue decorated stage. The performers will sing to pre-recorded tapes.
Bateman said the church began this revue three years ago when she picked up a cassette tape called ``Stars and Stripes Singalong.''
``After hearing it, I could envision our youth choir singing these songs,'' she said. ``I thought, `Why not put on a patriotic show?' The church donated an outdoor stage, crews of volunteers put the stage together while others volunteered to act as technicians, performers and stage people.
``Someone else said they could find a cotton candy machine and popcorn machine, others said they'd put together the decorations, costumes and red, white and blue bows. Everyone pulled together. Before I knew it we had ourselves a big outdoor production for the Fourth.
``I felt it got handed to us, it was so easy. All I had to do was rehearse the kids and do some other coordinating with the production.''
In planning this third annual production, though, Bateman said she had trouble finding enough songs, material and backing slides.
``I had to use the best songs from three different productions,'' she said. ``Each one of the shows wasn't dynamic enough by itself, so I spliced together parts from shows called `Sea to Shining Sea' and `Statue of Liberty' with bits from the last two we did. I left out the wordy and slow parts to make for an up-beat show. I wanted to keep it moving along.''
The production has already been road-tested, so to speak. Bateman said they performed the show at the Chesapeake Jubilee to high acclaim.
``We performed on Sunday, and we all couldn't fit on the Jubilee Family stage,'' she said. ``We drew a nice crowd. As we did the show we noticed more and more people joining the audience. The lady who ran the stage ran up afterwards and gave me a hug. She said it was a very uplifting and upbeat show.''
To add a dramatic effect to the production, the show's technical crew will project slides on a huge screen above the decorated church stage. The projections will show U.S. flags, historic sites, panoramic views of the United States, patriotic scenes, parade shots, scenes of the armed forces in action, everyday life in America and patriotic symbols.
To find all of these slides Bateman said she had to purchase a set from a California company and call local armed forces units, the Pentagon, the U.S. Information Agency, U.S. Rep. Norman Sisisky's office and many other places just to come up with the right balance of scenes.
``It's been an adventure,'' she said. ``It's amazing how hard it was to find simple everyday patriotic American slides. It just goes to show you that a production like this is still important. It will be fun and it's for anyone who wants to enjoy a good ol' hooray-for-the-USA type of show.'' MEMO: FOURTH FOLLIES
WHAT: ``Freedom Celebration,'' a patriotic musical revue.
WHERE: The Lindale Church of Christ, 1119 Lindale Ave.
WHO: Adult and youth choir members of the Lindale Church of Christ,
directed by Nancy Bateman.
WHEN: Today and tomorrow, both shows at 7 p.m. Free.
EXTRAS: Tonight's production will feature opening comments by state
Sen. Mark L. Earley. Tomorrow's show features an opening speech by
Chesapeake City Councilman Alan P. Krasnoff and closing remarks by
Chesapeake Mayor William E. Ward. A reception will follow each
performance featuring a huge red-white-and-blue cake, cookies and soft
drinks.
CALL: More information is available by calling the church at
547-1282.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Nancy Bateman, left, leads the choir of Lindale Church of Christ in
a rehearsal of ``Freedom Celebration,'' a upbeat musical look at the
USA and all that makes it great.
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Pledging their allegiance in the revue are, left to right, Angela
Carawan, Kaitlin Henderson, Amanda Vaughn, Eric Nester and Kevin
Clark.
``I think ours is one of the few truly American/patriotic programs
taking place in this area,'' says Nancy Bateman.
Jessica Henderson, 9, holds her brother, Josh, 4, as they listen to
directions during a dress rehearsal.
by CNB