Anyone who has ever directed children’s church programs knows that those sweet, innocent faces that brighten the stage are the result of weeks of frustrating rehearsals.
Probably in no other type of production are directors politely asked to volunteer their time to write a script, arrange the musical score, prepare the staging, costumes and props, all while organizing a rambunctious cast of characters who may range in age from toddler to 15. A veteran of 18 years of church productions, Kara Beth Huddleston of New Lenox has taken pity on those churchgoers assigned the task of preparing the annual Christmas presentation.
A college music major and 41-year-old mother of three daughters, she decided to produce her own musicals, complete with step-by-step instructions that any director can follow.
Included in the total package is an instruction manual, rehearsal schedules, sheet music, a single cassette tape of the music, step-by-step choreography and an 800 telephone number for further assistance.
“This is more than a musical, it is a manual on production,” said Huddleston, adding that she learned through experience that volunteers often agree to tackle a job and then find they’ve gotten in over their heads.
Two years in the making, her first marketed musical is called “Spotlight on Bethlehem.” In it, Huddleston tells the traditional Christmas story by convincing Rita Reporter, a fictitious broadcast news reporter assigned to the Bethlehem beat, that there is more to life than scooping the competition and becoming famous.
Huddleston has written three musicals, with another in the making. Financing costs, however, prohibit the homespun production company, named Angel Enterprises, from embarking on a widespread course of business. Despite using Christian-based Morning Sun Productions in Glen Ellyn, where studio prices are less than half the regular price of $200 per hour, it still cost $5,000 of the family’s savings to produce just one musical. That includes studio time at Morning Sun to make the audiotape, printing, establishing an 800 help number and Will County licensing for small businesses. She charges churches $89 for the musical, she said, deliberately keeping the price affordable. So far, nine have been sold in the last year.
Although a tough sacrifice for a middle-class family of five, the effort is worthwhile, Huddleston said, because it ensures creative control. “I like putting things together myself, publishing and distribution. I don’t want my message watered down,” she said.
As a Christmas production, “Spotlight on Bethlehem” was more salable than her first effort, a non-holiday production written in 1986 called “Growing Up God’s Way.” Left for three years in the hands of a publisher in Springfield, Mo., it was returned with a note recommending numerous revisions for successful marketing, Huddleston said.
Disappointed but not deterred, she realized that churches are always looking for Christmas presentations. And with that, a specialty was born.
Another Huddleston creation waiting for production is titled “Christmas Quest.” It’s a tale about a group of youngsters looking to rewrite the Christmas story by adding a bit more flair to the script. In the end, she said, they realize that the biblical description is already action-packed. “The original account combines all the aspects of a good story. It’s adventure, romance, suspense and mystery, all rolled into one,” she said.
Meanwhile, an as-yet-unnamed musical about the need to maintain faith is still in the works.
Christmas presentations should be concise and simple so the children can understand them, she said. “Spotlight on Bethlehem” runs 30 minutes.
“I think that’s as long as a kids’ program should be. And the kids don’t all have to be on stage at the same time. That makes the production easier,” she said.
Karl Beaudry, music director for Morning Sun Productions, pointed out that Huddleston’s production is unique.
“The No. 1 thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact the she tried to get rid of the standard problems most (volunteers) have when they try to put together a Christmas musical. She included everything. She allows people to buy the musical and make as many copies of the music and script as they want. To my knowledge, this is the first time this was ever done with a children’s musical.”
For people like Rev. Thomas Newton of Crossroads Christian Church in New Lenox, “Spotlight on Bethlehem” is a proven success. “It was fabulous. We used it in 1992, and she did everything for us, the music, the choreography, everything,” he said. Because the church was in her hometown, she offered on-site assistance to the production.
Her message was clear, Newton said. “I believe the kids related to it.”
Already, the production has been performed in Texas, Virginia and Illinois. She hopes to distribute it soon to churches in South America and Europe.
Adaptability is what makes this production special. Not only is it suitable for all Christian denominations, it accommodates any size congregation.
Although a cast of 25 is typical, she said, “It’s been done with 102 in the cast. And I’ve seen it done in a church near my mom’s (near Houston) with 17 in the cast. There were only 50 in the whole congregation,” she added.
Her love for music and for teaching children about God is evident, said Donald Shire, manager of Morning Sun Productions. “She never approached it like a business. She always approached it with a lot of love for the kids. It was really a delight.”
The script was the easiest part of the project. She hammered out the narrative in only two weeks while the family vacationed in Washington, D.C. The production’s eight songs proved a far more difficult task. She combined an assortment of jazzy tunes along with an occasional reggae melody mixed in.
Beaudry said Huddleston’s musical talent and attitude are unique, since he’s more accustomed to musicians who debate or mourn every change.
“She was the exact opposite. She wasn’t somebody coming in with starry eyes, saying she had a No. 1 hit and finding out later that it wasn’t any good. We started working with it and then found out it was very good.
“The music she gave us was written for piano and voice. The thing that makes the quality of it better is that it’s not stereotypical. I think the music is something really appetizing for kids, yet very pleasant for the adult audience.”
A frequent performer at her home church, Joliet’s First Assembly of God Church, Huddleston said music is her way to demonstrate her love for Christ. “Growing up God’s Way” and “Spotlight on Bethlehem” were staged there, gratis, by Huddleston.
Growing up, she and her two brothers took piano lessons and participated in high school band.
“There was always music at home. Even as we got older, when my brothers came home from college, we’d all sit around together and sing. That was my parents’ delight. And now it’s my delight to listen to my girls sing. We all sing as a family.”
While husband Ronald plays guitar, mom sings alto and the girls accompany with a soft soprano. Around Joliet and New Lenox, the family is known for its repertoire of ’50s music as well as classic hymns performed at church and at community events.
“I like the old hymns. They are simple as far as rhythm and chord progression, but they have a very deep truth that a lot of the newer songs don’t have,” she said. “The truth of the old hymns is something I want my girls to have. … Those words will come back to them in their stressful times.”
Family support is a key ingredient for Huddleston, who relies on her husband’s encouragement and the girls’ proven musical talents. The girls were brought into the studio to record the background tape. At the age of 15, daughter Amanda, who plays the harp and takes voice lessons, is setting her sights on a Broadway career.
Meanwhile, 10-year-old Melissa found the project was often demanding.
“I liked it because it was fun at the studio, and we got to sing. But it takes a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of effort,” Melissa said.
A career in music is not in her future. “No, I don’t want to sing. I’d rather be an ice skater.”
The entire project is truly a family affair. Their assistance is priceless, added Huddleston. “I need them. I need them to help me. And they have always, sometimes grudgingly. My girls have always stuck by my projects through to cleanup.”
The advantages of working together on a project like this outweigh the inconveniences, said 18-year-old Stephanie. “We all have neat memories. The family that sings together stays together. It doesn’t rhyme, but that’s the idea.”
