Arise My Love

I went to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where they have strict rules and even stricter traditions.

One of these said traditions is that every year around this time they have the Annual Easter Pageant. I don't even know what year they're up to, but I think it's in the 60s (I was wrong, I just looked and it's 72.) I got the e-mail notice the other day that it was coming up so I pulled into the picture archives and got this one.

Little known fact, I was actually a participant in the Easter Pageant my freshman year. This may come as a shocker b/c my freshman year doesn't come with many fond memories. Most of them are not happy and involve a hatred for the school I learned to love, I now miss it quite often.

Anyway, I played a boy (I know, right?!) and I was a late joiner. My long time friend Chelsie (who lived above me at the time) had invited me to one of the practices and promised it'd be fun and we'd get out of class for a day and the optimistic side of me hoped that maybe in the process I would meet some new friends...well I didn't, but it was still lots of fun and I'm super glad I did it.

To give the impression of middle eastern skin tones, we bathed in watered down tempera paint...that over time would flake off and make us look more like lepers which I guess fits the time period also.

They would also cake on dark makeup and shade in beards or for those of us lucky enough to be the REAL men, we got fake beards glued onto our faces....there are no words to describe how gross/painful it was getting that business off my face.

The best compliment I've probably ever gotten was during a rehearsal where we were about to get assigned our costumes and they asked who was playing boys, I'd been given the roll previously so I raised my hand or stepped forward and the girl says, "Really? You're too pretty to play a man, but okay."

Best. Compliment. EVER!

I didn't participate in the Easter Pageant my other years at UMHB...it kinda seemed like a clique I wasn't in so I went about my non-joiner activities and made a point to attend at least one showing a year and cry like a baby during certain scenes.

I've done 3 performances myself, and seen it at least 5 other times after that but this part gets me every time...well this part and the part where Jesus brings the dead girl back to life...*sigh* memories.

Anyway, the main parts involve singing and the Angel Gabriel always sings the song "Arise My Love" and I swear, even if you're heart is made of stone, it'll move you. The guy who sings it always has the prettiest voice (well the years I can attest to.) Jesus comes out, and everyone hugs, and it's happy happy and I dunno, it's good stuff.

So, if you're in the Belton area on April 20th of this year, there are shows at 12, 3, and 5:30...give it a go. Though it's generally the same program every year, there are slight changes that always change things up a bit (sometimes for the better...sometimes not.)

Here's a video of the song in case you've ever heard it...forgive the tacky PowerPoint that goes with it, I didn't make it.