black light behind the scenes

Exclusive interview with black light expert John Coen

Interview/Zhou Lanhui
Picture provided by ╱Liao Meihui, Ke Hanen

Quiet but persistent John Coen is not a strong leader;
But he uses a low-key humility to draw out energy, follow, follow,
It actually brings people closer to obedience...

As far back as my youth, when I was studying in the Art Design Department of the National Art College, I was exposed to Blacklight Theater (hereinafter referred to as Blacklight). In the graduation exhibition that year, students from the dance department were invited to participate in the grand event. The dancers wore fluorescent dance costumes, ribbons and dance sticks. Under the magic of black light, they performed brilliantly and gracefully... I never thought that black light could be used in addition to Performing on stage can also be used to great advantage in gospel ministry.

The shock of a truckload of props

再次與黑光相遇，人已至中年。今年夏天，會在KRC賓州文化營中參加黑光劇場的歡樂坊，除了童心未泯「愛玩」之外；心想，如果有一天，能夠在偏遠山區、或是邊緣兒童少年、甚至在老人當中來場演出，定能掀起亮眼的效果。但，誰也沒有料到，所謂的歡樂坊，在學習費工時的戲偶製作之外，還要做許多事前準備，除了苦力搬運道具及架設劇場以外，更要走過一次又一次勞心又勞力的排練……一名學員說得好：「唉，真是付錢被人耍！」

At first glance, when I saw the thick trailer, I knew something was wrong! Several adult students opened their mouths and looked at the car filled with props and equipment in surprise: "No way? How can it be so exaggerated?" Yes, this is John Coen (hereinafter referred to as J). After driving eight hours from Ohio, we arrived at the "Black Light Theater" in Pennsylvania. J said: "If you want to be effective, you have to pay the price!" In an instant, everyone understood a message: This is for real!

▲At 12:00 midnight on August 19, the day of the performance, the students and teachers finally loaded the props onto the truck in order. A truckload of props, loaded with love for passionate service.

life affects life

From chaos to the rehearsal before the performance that day, after two days of rehearsals, they officially debuted that night. Everyone wore a black mask on their face, and they were completely black from head to toe. Hold the props firmly, follow the music, and move closely in sequence. Amidst bursts of sweat and accelerated heartbeats, and in a situation where the audience does not know who is who, they finally complete the first "faceless meeting" in their lives. performance - judging from the enthusiastic response from the audience, I know that all the efforts were not in vain.

I think the reason why I was able to go all out and not slack off was because I was moved by J’s dedicated attitude.J's method of guiding us to rehearse was very unique. He was quiet and introverted, almost taciturn and shy. He would play music directly without any preamble (warm-up). J could ignore the chaos around him and still stick to his role, rehearsing carefully to the beat. Sometimes, if an actor forgets to come on stage, he will automatically run over to fill in. To be honest, J is not a strong leader, but he uses a low-key humility to draw out energy. Following, following can actually bring people closer to obedience...

Focus on creative ministry and constantly seek innovation and refinement

Although, the play of the Black Light Theater has come to an end, at the invitation of the editor of "The Kingdom of God Magazine", I made an appointment with J during his work break for a cross-state telephone interview. Here are a few clips, let us listen to this " The story of "Black Light Master"...

▲John guided the group members in their performances, and what he learned from his sore hands was a persistent attitude of service.

Q: Please introduce yourself.

J:I grew up in a Christian family, and both my grandparents were children's Sunday school teachers in the church. He attended Sunday school since he was a child and served as youth fellowship chairman. I like singing very much, so I joined a poetry class in college, majoring in audio-visual production and minoring in film. During my internship, I had the opportunity to participate in the special effects of two movies: "Edward Scissorhands" (the scissors in Johnny Depp's hands are J's masterpiece) and "Predator 2" (the weird hair on the alien's body). After graduation, he went to West Virginia to develop his career, but was not satisfied. Although I want to find a job related to audio-visual and film, I have never found one. The only open job is in youth ministry in the church. Later, someone took over the ministry, and he began to take charge of the creative ministry and served as the artistic director.

Q: Share your experience of going to California.

J:The internship lasted for three months. Because I didn’t want to spend too much money on accommodation and hotels, I started contacting some local churches before I went there, but there was no news from any of them. It wasn't until before departure, two weeks before Christmas, that I received a phone call. The couple who was willing to host them met at The Church On The Way, and coincidentally, their names were Mary and Joseph. So we set off the next day after Christmas. What's even better is that their home is only two streets away from their workplace, so they can go to work by bicycle, saving a lot of energy on commuting. Another time, the robbery took place right in front of the cash machine I was passing by. Fortunately, I just managed to avoid it, and I knew clearly that God was watching over and protecting me. Of course, when people are in a different place, they will be especially close to God and rely on God. Many times, we are just busy living our lives and forget to pursue the presence of God.

Q: Let’s talk about Black Light Ministries.

J:There has been a puppet troupe since the mother church period in my hometown (Coolville, OH), but the church was small and had insufficient resources to sustain it. Later, he devoted himself to creative direction and began to develop the black light ministry. Fourteen years ago, it was 90% traditional puppets, interspersed with 10% black light puppets; because most of the audience liked black light, they began to increase the proportion of black light. Some people would say that you can't do everything with black light, you still have to include traditional puppetry. But I use my actions to prove: "Why not?"

Question: How do the puppets’ personalities (actions) come about?

J:I listen to a lot of different music, 95% of which is inspired by Christian music. From the music, I can see actions and images in my mind. Unfortunately, although some music is good, it just cannot produce action and has to be abandoned. I really wish there was a receiver that could be connected directly to the performer, ha! This saves a lot of trouble. Before the puppets are produced, I will draw design sketches, and most of the technical production of the puppets will be handed over to another partner, Greg Nicholson, who will complete it.

Q: Is operating a black light more difficult than a traditional white light?

J:Not necessarily, each has its own benefits, because different props have different functions. For example, when black light is used to create a leap effect, because it is covered, there is no need to hang silk threads like traditional puppets. This is the convenience of black light.

Question: In addition to its role of serving in church ministry, what else is special about black light?

J:In church ministry, there are many restrictions on division of labor. For example, it is difficult for people of different age groups, such as children and adults, to work together. But black light can make adults younger, and children can also get help from adults. In our troupe, there is an old lady in her eighties. Although her body is not very flexible, I know her limits and can still design some movements that she can perform, so she can also be active in the troupe. In addition, there are some shy and socially dysfunctional children who cannot see their faces because of the black light. They can only see what you want the audience to see. In the black situation, there are no interruptions, but they can concentrate. Under such conditions, they can show confidence and help them adapt better in the crowd. Therefore, black light ministry not only serves the audience, but also serves the performers.

▲The Black Light Theater Troupe of the First Methodist Church in Lancheng, led by John.

Q: Tell me about your own personality?

J:I'm a quiet person. I like to design my own parties, but I don't like to attend them. I'm usually the one in the background; however, I'm not shy when I'm on stage performing. I am not used to taking the initiative when facing people, but God also listened to my prayers. When I was interning in California, someone would take the initiative to ask: "Hey, J, are you a Christian?" I think it's because I am not a "sour person". Only those with “face” can have the opportunity to preach the gospel to people in the art world. For example: Some stuntmen will suggest that there will be an explosion scene tomorrow, hoping to pray for his safety, etc.

Q: What are your thoughts on ministry?

J:I tend to be like André Kole (Goande, David Copperfield's technical guidance consultant, using magic ministry to spread the gospel), which is to use a combination of creativity and technology to convey the message of the gospel. What I want to do now is to seek innovation and refinement, and to improve the performance level. In addition to black light, there is also a clown ministry, and two years ago a magic ministry was added. So this Halloween, the church is hosting a Magic Dinner Theater to gather the congregation for the first time.

Q: It’s very special to hold an event on Halloween. From what angle do you view this festival?

J:Some conservatives will say that this is a satanic holiday. If we want to define "evil", I think selling drugs to children on the street is the evil that we should really worry about. In my opinion, Halloween is a festival where you can be creative, dress up, and have fun together. There is no need to ruin the "fun" atmosphere. The idea of having a Halloween theater comes from the fact that only bars will have masquerade parties open to the public that day, which is not suitable for families with children. I just want to create a "clean fun" so that the whole family can have fun together.

▲Uncle Button (Zheng Nanmei) and Binky (John Kehanen), they worked together happily in Malaysia.

Q: How do you view peer groups when working in blacklight?

J:I feel very happy when I see some wonderful performances by some theater groups, especially when they use the puppets I created. Sometimes, people will tell me that they were inspired by seeing our troupe perform. For me, it is a kind of affirmative praise. Inspiring each other is the best mutual feedback.

Q: So, blacklight is your favorite?

J:In terms of technology and performance, I have the most confidence in Black Light.

Question: Do you have any different feelings about teaching this group of Chinese people like us?

J:Oh, it's not much different, I just ate a lot more rice than usual. For me, racial differences are not an issue and I won’t emphasize them intentionally unless you walk in wearing a weird outfit, like a big, weird hat...that will attract attention.

Q: What is your biggest difficulty and challenge at present?

J:Due to the poor financial situation of the church, my serving position in the church was changed from full-time to part-time. In order to work a second job to supplement my time, my time has been severely cut off, and my to-do list is getting longer and longer... The biggest difficulty now is finding time to do things! One of my favorite verses is Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I know that this current predicament is temporary; I hope that after some time, I can return to full-time service.

Don’t underestimate any detail

While rehearsing the performance at the fun camp, nine-year-old Jason asked: "How much longer will we have to practice?" It was obvious that the child could no longer hold on. J replied calmly: "Practice until you get everything right." Of course, this is also for adults like us. The quiet but persistent J made me realize that if you want to have a good performance, you can't underestimate any detail, and you have to do it right! Because in the black light, any mistake will be exposed.

When the music ends and everyone disperses, the theater that has been built so hard has to be restored to zero. In fact, isn’t the process of life the same? In the process of disassembling and piecing together the stage, we have become a play, performed for everyone and angels to watch. Many times, only God, the director, can have a bird's eye view of the whole situation. For actors like me, in a state where we know what is happening but don’t know why, the only and best choice is to submit completely!

God's intention is to make people happy. This is a sacred service and should be treated wholeheartedly.

Note:
The performance method of black light drama is to use black light on a completely black stage to project onto the fluorescent painted stage, props and costumes. During the performance, the actors are fully clothed in black and operate from behind, so the audience cannot see these. Actors in black; actors who want to be visible to the audience must wear fluorescent costumes.

Interviewee profile

John Coen, youth ministry staff member and director of creative outreach at First United Methodist Church in Lancaster, Ohio, USA. A puppet artist (Puppeteer) and professional clown (Binky), who is good at using multimedia technology, movies, dramas, etc. as tools for evangelism.

Journalist profile

Zhou Lanhui is a full-time art worker who loves colors and painting. She uses personal symbols to tell stories about the relationship between God, humans and nature. I like good friends, good food, writing, drinking afternoon tea, and listening to jazz. When you have money, you travel and watch good shows; when you don’t have money, you take walks and daydream. He was an artist-in-residence at Boston University, an artist-in-residence at Donghua University, and the winner of the 2007 Guggenheim Painting Creation Award.