Southampton Passion blog

The Passion has landed!

2011-04-20T16:05:00.003+01:00

Here I am sat on grass at the far end of Guildhall Square having just assisted in the unloading of a truck of fencing and barriers! That's right people - the Southampton Passion has landed in Guildhall Square! Today our first two lighting towers have been erected by the scaffolding company, our fencing and barriers have been delivered and... the PortaLoos have been installed!!!

It is quite amazing to have arrived in the space and started seeing things happen that will culminate in us taking over the whole square and turning it into an amazing outdoor theatre for Good Friday. We had our final rehearsal last night and there was a real buzz about the cast; the Daily Echo were there taking photos and the BBC South Cameras were also there gathering footage for some coverage to be aired! The cast are having a night off tonight ahead of a busy couple of days. The main stage build starts tomorrow so if you're around and in town come on down and see the progress being made. Right, I'm off to sit in the sun for a bit until the next person arrives to keep watch of the square and all our stuff. Until tomorrow...

RADIO SOLENT INTERVIEWS

2011-04-19T15:11:00.003+01:00

I just had a call from Radio Solent who have asked if they can come and interview some of the team on Good Friday, live from Guildhall Square! So make sure you tune into 96.1fm for the breakfast show to hear live updates from the site!

Today has been a busy day for a number of the team as they have started to drive around around collecting bits of equipment that will be stored and checked before being bought to the Guildhall Square on Thursday for the build up. We are making final arrangements and collating all the paperwork that we need on site with us and tonight we have our final dress rehearsal at Riverside Church. Things are hotting up!!!

We also had the official cast recording CD's delivered today, which was incredibly exciting to see the final product, looking all shiny and professional! If you have pre-ordered a copy then you will be able to collect it on the night from a certain point in the Square (you'll be contacted!) otherwise come ready with your £10 on the night to purchase a copy to take away with you.

Well, I'm off to go and finish setting up for the rehearsal tonight... more tomorrow!

Here we are...

2011-04-18T11:53:00.002+01:00

It's Monday morning on the week of the Passion... wow! It's kind of crazy to think that all of this started with a conversation in a Subway sandwich bar in July 2008, which developed into our first production team meeting in October 2009... and now here we are, 5 days before the big event! It will be a busy week, with last minute arrangements to finalise, two more rehearsals before we get to the site on Thursday for our technical run throughs and lots of hours of work being put in to make sure this really is a truly memorable event for the city. I'm off to sand down some chairs now that we need to paint for the Upper Room scene, then I'll be getting ready for tonights rehearsal at the Square. Keep a look out for regular articles in the Daily Echo this week as they count down to the event and make sure you have your own plans in place to get to the Passion on Friday evening! The forecast is looking good, with clear skies and no mention of rain and temperatures of between 8 and 18. It's going to be a great night!!!

ON THE BUSES!!!

2011-04-01T10:16:00.006+01:00

Well, well... look at this. The Southampton Passion is now being advertised on the sides of a number of First Bus buses across the city! A huge thank you to Portswood Church for enabling this to go ahead.

With three weeks to go interest is really mounting in the Passion - we have the buses, on Monday our lamp-post banners will go up in town advertising the event and the Daily Echo today began a series of articles that will lead up to the big day featuring a front cover countdown in the last week and a double page spread on the Thursday before the production!

The cast are now busy finishing their recordings for the CD and going over scenes fine tuning their performances. This is going to be one of the largest Christian events that the city of Southampton has ever witnessed - so don't miss it! Be there, be supporting it and tell your friends to come along too!

Win a signed Southampton Passion CD

2011-03-31T20:19:00.000+01:00

The Southampton Passion Original Cast Recording CD features all the great music written exclusively for the Passion, with original actors singing and our incredible 100-piece choir.

You can win a copy of the CD, signed by many of the principal cast members, by simply entering our 'Sweepstakes'. It's free to enter, and a winner will be chosen at random from all entrants!

To enter visit http://www.facebook.com/SouthamptonPassion?sk=app_28134323652

MARATHON FILMING!!!

2011-03-14T14:54:00.009Z

Hi there... yesterday was a fun, if somewhat long day!

We needed to capture one scene from the Passion on film to show on the big screens on the night because of the practicalities of getting actors from one end of the square to the other just weren't going to work out! So off a team of us went to Wolvesey Palace in Winchester, home and office of the Bishop of Winchester where we spent about 6 hours filming a 4 minute scene!!!

It was a lot of fun getting to do this and I want to pay a HUGE tribute to the team that came and worked on this part of the production - thank you Phil, Paul, James, Geoff and Aaron. And a HUGE thank you to the cast that were involved, Becky, Geoff and Simon for your hard work and patience. Below are some behind the scenes shots from the day.

Not long to go now... I look forward to seeing you there on Good Friday!!!

Neil

Rehearsal update

2011-02-17T15:40:00.005Z

Hello, hello... apologies to everyone but I have not 'blogged' for quite a while! Life is getting busier as we are now 11 weeks away from Southampton Passion production... wahooo!

The rehearsals are going really well and all of the cast are so committed to this and are giving their all each week. Below are some exclusive photos from our rehearsals... just to wet your appetite!

Please keep supporting the Passion and consider coming along to some of the fundraising events that are planned as we seek to raise the money needed to stage this event. Also start inviting everyone you know to the Passion so that we can fill Guildhall Square with people on Good Friday as we put Jesus back at the heart of Easter.

Who's going to be the biggest loser?

2011-02-03T09:43:00.003Z

ITV has its biggest loser show, but Frances Heather (our Costume Director and chorus member) has a PASSION to be the BIGGEST LOSER FOR THE PASSION!

Frances has been passionate about exercising and weight watching for some time, but now aims to fundraise for the Passion. She is following a sensible, healthy, professional, low-carbohydrate diet she followed this time last year (when she lost 3st 9lbs in three months!). Please sponsor her for as much as you are able. She has already lost 6lbs in her first week! Frances has registered her starting weight and will have a final weigh-in on the Tuesday before Easter. Her weight is verified weekly at the 'Healthy Lifestyle Club' run at Shirley Warren Action Church on Tuesday evenings at 6.45pm (all welcome). Frances would like others who are aiming to lose weight to also join the sponsored slim.

Is one of your new year's resolutions to lose weight?
Are you attending a slimming club or just trying to get more fit?
If you would like to join Frances and get your friends and family to sponsor you then all you have to do is find an independent person to verify your starting weight and finishing weight (the week before Easter). Sponsorship forms are available from Fundraising Coordinator Carol Bunday. Frances can be contacted by email or by calling 023 8076 4528 with your sponsorship pledge. If you are a tax payer, your donation may be gift-aided providing you give your address and postcode.

Buy Neil's CD and support the Passion!

2011-01-11T13:22:00.001Z

It's no secret... I love musical theatre. My favourite is The Lion King - I've seen it far too many times, and I must confess I've welled up every time. (Please don't tell my 'cool' friends.)

Well, the Southampton Passion is also going to be a musical production, with original songs written by our Musical Director, Nathan Hattersley.

This means that our actors need to be able to sing - so you may not be surprised to learn that our very own Jesus, Neil Maddock, is himself a talented singer, songwriter and musician.

His début CD, entitled Hide & Seek, was produced in 2002 and all eleven tracks were written by Neil.

Neil has agreed to sell these CDs for £5 + P&P, and donate all proceeds to The Southampton Passion... so why not pick up a bargain and at the same time do your bit to help our fundraising efforts!

Check out this page to preview some of the tracks and place your order.

Carols, Quiz Night and Buffet

2010-12-10T15:13:00.004Z

We're very pleased to be able to announce a Quiz Night, Buffet and Carol Singing at 8pm on Friday 17th December, to raise funds for the Southampton Passion.

The venue is:

St Deny's Church Hall (map)
Dundee Road
Southampton
SO17 2ND

It will cost £5 per head (there will be the opportunity to donate more if you wish).

Please bring your own alcohol/drinks and glasses (plates/cutlery provided).

RSVP to Carol Bunday (Fundraising Coordinator) by Wednesday 15th Dec:
carolbunday@hotmail.com
07725 534484

Please car share where possible as there is another event on in the Church Centre - you can also park in the local roads around the centre
You don't need to have a team before you come - we can slot you into a team on the night.

We SHALL sing Carols on 17th December!

Me and Jesus!

2010-11-15T15:45:00.002Z

Hi there... well as you have probably heard or seen by now I have been cast in the role of Jesus for the Passion 2011. This is a real honour and a privilege to seek to portray such an important person and already our rehearsals have started and I'm being challenged about how Jesus would act - it brings a whole new understanding to that famous Christian phrase - "What Would Jesus Do"! There is a lot of work ahead but I can't wait to start really working closely with the rest of the cast and building genuine relationships with them that will enhance our performances on the night.

We have cast the majority of our roles now and we will be announcing the cast here on the website very soon so keep popping back. Our rehearsal schedule is being finalised this week and we are SO excited about getting stuck into bringing this incredible story of God's love to life. Please keep praying for the cast and for all the team as we seek to stage this truly memorable event for the city and pray that God will prepare Southampton for what is coming next Easter!

There are lots of very encouraging things happening for the Passion right now and we will seek to keep you well informed of new developments as things happen. Stay tuned, keep supporting and tell everyone you know about Southampton Sings on Friday 17th December as we want to fill St Marys Stadium with 32,000 people celebrating Christmas and celebrating Jesus, the light of the world!

Auditions...

2010-10-18T15:27:00.002+01:00

Hi all...

I just had to write and say how excited I am about the auditions we're holding this week!!! We have a good crowd of people booked in already and there is still time if you want to be involved so register now and we look forward to seeing you.

I've just been invited to go on Radio Solent tomorrow morning and talk about the Passion auditions which is a great opportunity - so tune in at about 8:25am to listen!

This is going to be a big week for the Passion as we look to cast the rest of the roles and find the right people to play the major roles... especially that of Jesus.

So watch this space as we start to announce the latest news on casting!

And They're Off!

2010-09-15T10:36:00.002+01:00

Well, it's been a while since my last blog but now the summer break is over we're back in full swing with all things Passion and last night saw our first rehearsal!!!

The women followers met together to start learning their first songs and it was a really encouraging night. They are really talented and picked up the song really well and it sounded fantastic!!! Nathan has done a great job of the songwriting and last night he did a really good job of leading the rehearsal and getting things going. Tonight we have the first rehearsal with our disciples so I can't wait!

We still have a number of roles that we need to fill, including more disciples, so if you are interested in being part of the cast for the Passion then please click on the link on the home page of our website to register your interest and we'll book you a slot. The auditions will take place on 19th, 20th and 21st October.

Elsewhere, things are moving along nicely and we are now starting to finalise our stage and set designs and firm up quotes with the companies that will supply all of our technical gear. Our fundraising team are doing a great job of getting out and about and encouraging people to support the Passion financially. We have the option for online giving, so if you would like to support the Passion please click on the link on our website to do this.

Just in case you're not counting - its just over seven months until the Passion takes place and the team are working hard to ensure that this really is an event to remember for our city. We still need lots more help so please consider how you can get involved and come on, join in the adventure!

Auditions are underway!

2010-06-23T10:33:00.003+01:00

Last night saw our first night of auditions - and wow... we had some really talented people come along! Robyn, Nathan and I made up the 'panel' and we asked people to sing for us, read through some script and then do a short movement exercise. Everyone that came really got involved and it was a really encouraging evening as we now start to build the cast of people that will literally bring the Passion story to life.

Thank you to everyone that came along and we will be doing the same tonight (wed) and tomorrow (thur), so if you want to be involved in the acting and singing side of the Passion then please visit the get involved page here on the site and register your interest. If you cannot make one of the dates this week then please still get in touch with us and we'll arrange a suitable time to see you.

Looking forward to tonight's auditionees!!!

We're expanding!!!

2010-05-19T10:36:00.002+01:00

Well, it's been a busy and to be honest quite stressful few weeks but with God's help, guidance and provision we're out the other side and I'm feeling stronger and more confident about the Passion than before!

We have been looking at a few changes, especially with the venue for the production and we have now decided to spread out. We are still finalising the details and getting confirmations from the Council about what we can and can't do etc, but God has already opened certain doors that were firmly closed last year and I believe he will continue to make a way where there is no way! We are now hoping to begin the Passion outside the Guildhall, with the crowds filling the newly refurbished Guildhall Square - we will then see Jesus (and crowd) walk down through the city parks, stumbling on the way in Palmerston Park, where Simon of Cyrene will help Jesus to his final destination, which will be Hoglands Park.

We're all really excited about this new direction and are now busy making all the necessary arrangements that will allow us to make the Passion a multi-location production. Stay tuned for more updates and please visit the get involved page and let us know how you can assist us in bringing the vision to life!

WHAT A NIGHT!

2010-04-23T10:44:00.002+01:00

Well, last night was the official launch event for the Southampton Passion at Central Hall and it was a really great evening!

A good crowd came to worship God, hear more about the vision and how they can be involved and to pray for the project. The worship band were fanstastic and really inspired us to draw near to God and focus on the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us. Paul Finn shared about the vision for Love Southampton that SCN are establishing and how the Passion fits into this mission strategy for our city.

It was then over to me to share the vision for the Passion - and even though I was feeling slightly nervous and anxious before the meeting I was so excited after the worship time that I couldn't wait to get up there and share my heart for this project. It was a real privilege to be able to stand and speak to people about what God has put in my heart and to know that there was an incredible team of people working with me to communicate this vision.

Clive did a great job of informing people about our fundraising strategy and showing how reaching our target budget is very achievable. Sam shared her heart for praying for the Passion and inspired others to join us in this area of the project and showed us how God had already been answering our prayers so far! We then walked across to Hoglands Park and stood together and prayed the 'Passion Prayer' (see Prayer page), before we spilt into smaller groups to pray about specific areas of the project.

I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of the team who were involved in last night - it was a real encouragement to me to see how you worked together and pulled off a great evening.

All in all it was a great night that set a marker for the project, that we are seeking to achieve excellence in this production and are trusting God to lead us every step of the way. There was a really positive response to the vision and I believe that the team will now grow as more people see what role they can play and want to join us on this adventure!

Visit the 'Get Involved' page to contact us and join with us as we seek to put Jesus back at the heart of Easter in 2011.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

2010-04-01T12:37:00.002+01:00

The Passion is going great and the production team continues to grow with really skilled, talented and experienced people getting on board. I can honestly say that I am more excited about this now than I have ever been before! It is going to be an incredible journey that will result in an amazing event that puts Jesus back at the heart of Easter... come on, be part of it with us and let us know how you can be involved in bringing this vision to life!

There is so much happening to make the Passion a success and I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who is already working hard on various aspects of the project. The Daily Echo, Radio Solent and Meridian are now following the story of the Passion and will be running stories and interviews over the coming year. The stage design is looking great and we're now in the process of looking at the logistics of how we build it, light it and make the actors clearly heard. We're in the process of finalising our budget and coming up with a strategy of how we will raise the funds needed to stage a large event like this... so if you would be interested in supporting the Passion financially please get in touch with us for more details.

Finally I just wanted to wish you all a really great Easter time and I pray that as you munch through the mountains of chocolate eggs and try to avoid being pounced on by the Easter Bunny that you will be able to have a fresh understanding of what Jesus did for you and me on the cross and draw nearer to God and experience more of his love and grace in your life.

HAPPY EASTER... BE BLESSED!

All of us, playing our part...

2010-03-04T14:47:00.002Z

I took my wife to the Albert Hall on Tuesday evening to see a concert by a classical pianist, Ludovico Einaudi. It was a great evening in a great venue and the music was incredible. Einaudi had with him a small group of musicians, just five people to start with, and they produced this really complete, single sound - but as I looked closer I became aware of how they were all doing something quite different. Later, he was joined by a 15 strong orchestra and again there was this one complete sound that was being made up by a group of people playing quite different parts.

It struck me as I watched, that the Southampton Passion will be one complete event, performed on Good Friday 2011 - but it will only happen as lots of different people play their own different parts. There is already a great group of people using their talents and skills producing parts of this project, but can I encourage you to think about what part you can play as we seek to bring all these different parts together to make one beautiful sound that will put Jesus back at the heart of Easter.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!!

2010-02-09T12:27:00.006Z

The Passion Bank Account is now open for business!!!

We are now up and running with a bank account that will handle all the finances for the Southampton Passion and process the £60,000 (approx budget), that we will need to raise to make the Passion a great event for our city.

Please prayerfully consider how you may be able to support this project and invest in making God's truth known in Southampton. You can pay by cheque, PayPal, credit or debit card, or you can arrange a direct bank transfer from your account to ours - please contact huw@southamptonpassion.org.uk for more details.

We look forward to hearing from you and partnering with you as we seek to put Jesus back at the heart of Easter for the people of Southampton.

GREAT MEETING

2010-01-20T15:51:00.002Z

Hi again... the first blog of 2010 - and what a year it is going to be!

We had our first team meeting of the year last night and it was a really encouraging evening where we all had a good laugh together and shared what has been happening and planned for what needs to be done. This team is great... each person is playing their role and really owning their area of the project. Our first newsletter is being prepared and will be ready to go out at the beginning of February, the prayer team is growing, we have some great ideas for fundraising events and the songs are coming along nicely and are sounding great!!!

The other exciting news was that the Daily Echo have agreed to follow the Passion over the next 12-15 months and will run a number of articles about the project including advertising our auditions later this year! This is great news and good job Dave for sorting this!

Also I will be doing a number of radio interviews on Radio Solent as part of the Julian Clegg breakfast show over the next year or so. So tune in on the 18th March to hear the first interview (about 6:45am!!!).

I have also been given a cool little camera that I can take around with me and I'm starting to keep a video diary, so hopefully we'll get some of that on the site soon for you to follow. This is going to be a great year and I look forward to sharing this journey with you all along the way!

HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-12-23T12:26:00.002Z

Just wanted to wish all of you a great Christmas time! The Passion will show the people of Southampton the 'man' Jesus and how he gave his life to save each of us from our sin - but this time of year we remember how this man came into our world in the first place... a helpless baby, totally dependant on his parents having to learn to walk and talk, just like the rest of us.

I hope that the truth of Christmas will be real for you this year and that you will receive the greatest gift ever given throughout history... the gift of a saviour.

God bless!
Neil

We have a Patron for the Passion...

2009-11-24T10:27:00.003Z

Wow... two blogs in two days - I must be getting the hang of this!

Anyway - I met with the Bishop of Winchester last night, Michael Scott-Joynt to discuss the Passion and see if he would act as the Patron for the project. We had a good time together and I am now privileged to announce that Bishop Michael is now the Patron for the Southampton Passion. He will seek to offer his wisdom and experience to us as we progress with the project and he will be praying for the Passion over the next 18 months, and beyond. Bishop Michael was the Patron for the Winchester Passion in 2008 and so is able to offer us guidance from his experience of that great event.

It is a real encouragement to me to have someone of his stature and experience supporting the vision and this is another important step on the journey for us.

FIRST SONG FOR THE PRODUCTION!!!

2009-11-23T11:45:00.002Z

Wow... that was all I could say last night when I heard the music for the first song that Nathan has written for the Passion!

It is incredible and will be an amazing opening number for the production - it is so alive and vibrant and the emotions in it are just perfect. We still need to work on a few lyrics but people, you're in for a musical treat when you get to hear this... it's great!!!

Nathan - you're a musical genius and I have complete confidence in you to produce an incredible musical score for the Passion. Thanks for helping to bring the vision alive! I can't stop humming the tune already!!!

2009-11-19T10:44:00.002Z

Hi everyone... I had a great meeting yesterday with Jasmine Farano - a very talented and passionate young dancer and choreographer who has a real desire to use her abilities to glorify God. She contacted us about the Passion and was keen to be involved and offer her talents and time to the project so I am now pleased, and excited to announce that Jasmine is our 'official' choreographer for the Passion!!! She will start to build a dance team and get those creative juices flowing so that we can incorporate some very cool moves into the production. Watch this space for news about being part of the dance team and welcome aboard Jasmine!

FIRST TEAM MEETING!

2009-11-11T23:15:00.004Z

Well, tonight saw the first coming together of the project management team so far and it was a really great evening! We all got to find out a bit more about eachother and then set some targets and dates for our next meeting.

For me personally it was a slightly strange evening - having carried the vision for the Passion by myself for a while it was bizarre to now be sat at a meeting where a whole team of people were taking ownership of different aspects of the project... and I wasn't even running the meeting. Al the project co-ordinator, did a great job of steering our time together and I just sat back and marvelled at how God had bought together such a great group of people, for such as time as this, to bring this vision alive. We still need more people who will step up and join us to lead various aspects of the project, so please visit the get involved page to see if you could be one of those people!

I'm meeting with the Bishop of Winchester next week to discuss his support of the project, so watch this space for updates on that and anything else exciting that may happen over the next few days! Also I want to start the search to find the right person to direct the Passion production - I have written the play, and after much prayer and discussion with others I believe it is right for me to consider playing the role of Jesus on the night, so we need to find someone who will direct for us. Please get in touch if you would be interested in finding out more about this.

Until next time... God bless!