Faces
Plays are his thing because of Christmas wish B
urton Bumgarner didn’t dream of becoming a successful playwright. It happened out of
necessity.
The music director of Grace Lutheran, Hendersonville, N.C., had produced a few Christmas plays at another congregation, but after a few years realized he couldn’t find any more that he liked. He had written stories for his daughter when she was young, and she suggested he try creating a play.
“It went over pretty well, so I
decided to see about publishing it,” Bumgarner said. “I didn’t know any- thing about publishers, but I sent it to a few, and the third one accepted it. I was kind of hooked after that.” Hooked may be an understate-
ment considering that Bumgarner’s “hobby” has yielded 70 works of various lengths and themes. “I thought I had gotten lucky once, but they kept accepting more,” he said.
After he published about 10 plays with one company, another asked him to write specifically for middle- school children. He followed the publisher’s formula of a positive- themed story told through several scenes with a few children and some with everyone in the cast. This allows teachers to have rehearsals without all the children present. Whether or not the play has a reli- gious theme, Bumgarner’s writing
100 plus
In his spare time Burton Bumgarner, a music director, writes plays. So far he has created 70 works of various lengths and themes.
process is the same. He comes up with a story, figures out how it ends, and then works his way back to the beginning. Bumgarner has seen several of his plays produced, but his favorite occa- sion as an audience member was in San Antonio for a professional staging of his civil rights-themed story “A Time to Heal.” “The publisher had told me that it wouldn’t get produced often, but that they were taking it because it was special,” he explained. “So I really wanted to see it. And the audience didn’t know the playwright was there, so I got to hear them talk about it and enjoy it.” The other joy Bumgarner receives is using his words as an additional part of his ministry. “Hendersonville is a small town, but there’s professional the- ater here,” he said. “Grace had constructed a new activity hall with a stage, and I think they wanted to be able to have good theater in their church.” Theater in a congregation, he said, allows people who may not join the choir or play an instrument the chance to get up in front of others and share their faith. “It also can help kids come out of their shell,” he said. “They can develop their faith in a confidence-building experience.” But perhaps best of all, as long as the ideas keep coming to him, Bumgar- ner no longer has to go looking for a play he likes each Christmas. For more information, visit
www.burtonbumgarner.com.
Jeff Favre Favre is a contributing editor of The Lutheran.
104:Mabel Petersen, Faith, Valders, Wis.; Helen Strand, Glen Cary, Ham Lake, Minn. 103: Rose Weber, Christ, Beaver Falls, Pa. 101: Agnes Baraus, Lac Qui Parle, Daw- son, Minn. 100: Mabel Baker, St. Paul, Northboro, Iowa; Katherine Carmon, St. Paul, Redwood, N.Y.; Menzenita Holden, St. Andrew, Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Vandel Kirkeby, Hope, Anaconda, Mont.; Davis Newton Lott, Mount Olive, Santa Monica, Calif.; May Riddlesberger, First, Carlisle, Pa.; Pauline Russ, St. Mark, Norwich, Conn.
Share your stories of ELCA Lutherans and your 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to:
lutheran@thelutheran.org or “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.
June 2013 43
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