Sincerely, Anne Frank

Asia Children's Drama Fiesta

Joni Tham as Anne in SINCERELY ANNE FRANK 

An adaptation as a one woman show with Power Point images. It was a public school tour 2003 that was again re-worked for production in the theatre at the Alliance Francaise for the Asian Children's Festival in November. The program directors notes have my bio from the program too - and a list of genocidal statistics in Asia since 1945. In the end of the show, as Miep, the secretary who found the diary, I asked the audience to stand with me at the end and read the genocidal statistics of the 20th century. Many audience members filled out a Pledge Against Genocide provided by Genocide Watch International.
See more pictures on the ACDF website

Artists Trip to Cambodia

Cambodia in all it's poverty, chaos and dirt was super.

We had a driver and a clean place to eat and bathe and sleep everynight, and teenaged Khmer translator for some of the time. And we felt safe. Which is more than we were thinking we'd have. We just had to be more flexible with not being able to communicate (the place we stayed or the driver weren't English speakers and there was no
phone).

Our team got along marvelously and moved graciously through the week a ittle in the dark and confused about some things, but sweet and gracious and honest with each other. It forced us to trust the Lord's leading, and learn to lay down our rights. It was great to be on a team of mature and Godly confident people...even if we all were artists, there were no prima-donnas!


Teaching drama at a chicken farm. 

The children were absolutely dear. So wonderful. And our theme of the "truths about your Father God" was fun to see take shape in their lives through the drama, dance and art activities. They all loved us!

Mirror Exercise 

Diamond Ensemble exercise 

CCAM is a creative arts School/orphanage in Phnom Phen. I'm eager to go back again, or try it out in another country!

Little Violet and the Angel

"That's him" 

LITTLE VIOLET & THE ANGEL 2003 

The best part of being in this play has been the interaction with the other
cast members throughout the process.

All of us are either seeking God, running from Him, denying Him, or yearning for a closer walk. It has been a wonderful few weeks as I've had some suprising ways of privately getting to know each individual. I was trying to listen to the Holy Spirit for how God might use me to draw them closer to Him. It is in the end HIS job, and I just have to be in love with him, and let that spill over on them whether they want to soak it up or not (the sweet blessing for me turned out that, for the most part, they were all sponges...or they were very good at humoring me!).

Yesterday, before the last shows, I sought out each person to pray privately for them as I gave them a small gift.

I'd prayed with a few of them on other occassions. Once was for our lead - an absolutely adorable local tv star - who hurt his back in rehearsal and I asked him privately if he would let me pray for him and his back. He said, OF COURSE! He told me that his back was completely better after the prayer.

. 
Even the admitted atheists let me pray for them, and were obviously surprised and touched. It was a very sweet each time (except the spooky one with the guy who's the most anti-christian...the lights went out back stage where we prayed - pitch black - just at the moment I said "AMEN." He said standing next to me in the dark, "You think I'm supposed to read something into this?" I said, "Yeah, maybe God wants to get your attention." He said, "No, it's probably more like the Devil saying [he says in a demon voice] 'What are you doing praying? I thought I told you not to do that'!").

We were all were very aware that whether or not the show was "theologically correct" (it wasn't!) it made everyone involved, and even those who came to see it, think more about spiritual things. And for my part, I earned a bit of their respect professionally as an actress, and as an older Christian sister who genuinely cares about them.

"Little Violet & the Angel" curtain call