Drama at TNTCSchool
Previously presented in Spring, 2011
Pinocchio - Carlo Lorenzi
In 2011, The TNTCSchool Jr. and Sr. High Drama team brought to life the original work of Carlo Lorenzini, whose love of liberty under the law of godly conscience can inspire all of us today to practice the art of self-government, beginning with spiritual re-birth. We dedicated this performance to the founder of our school, Dr. Paul Jehle and his wife Charlene. Their faithful devotion to Christian education and their love of classic literature has allowed the story of Pinocchio to be brought to life by a new generation!
The author, Carlo Lorenzi, better known by the pen name, Carlo Collodi, was born in Florence Italy in 1826. In 1848, when he was only 22 years old, Collodi used journalism to take up the cause of his nation’s unification and independence from the Austrian Empire. Unfortunately, his dissenting views were quickly suppressed. The establishment was concerned that Collodi’s writings would inspire people to think for themselves and resist the total control of the church and state!
After Italy became united and independent in 1871 Collodi found a new avenue for expressing spiritual truth through animated children’s literature, and in 1881 he began writing The Story of a Marionette, later known as The Adventures of Pinocchio. Published in weekly sections of an Italian newspaper for children, Collodi’s story depicted a rebellious puppet that finally gets liberated from the inside out, becoming a real boy when he is “born again”.
When Carlo Lorenzini died in 1890, he had no idea how famous this work would become. Walt Disney made Pinocchio a household word in 1940 and this revision of Collodi’s work became more famous than the original. Unfortunately, it removed many of the spiritual and symbolic meanings embedded in the text.
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Previously presented in Spring, 2010
Baggage Claim – Don Bosley
Baggage Claim lays out the gospel of Jesus Christ in imagery that can be grasped by today's audience. The story is built around the D'Baquel family on vacation at a much-publicized bed & breakfast. Their stay goes awry, however, when they find the lodge full of animated goofballs, and a screwy bellhop keeps tossing their luggage into the cavernous canyon that lies below the hotel. Sam, the father, becomes increasingly unraveled as he keeps traversing the 347 flights of stairs to retrieve his belongings. Comedic beginnings segue into a darker reality as the pain and inner conflicts of the family members surface. One by one they begin to willingly turn over their baggage to the bellhop, gradually recognizing that he is Jesus Christ. Sam keeps resisting - until, just one stroke before midnight, he is stunned to realize that the bill is too big for him to pay. When the bellhop sacrifices his own life to pay it, Sam finally understands.