Neo-Renaissance Theatre

Wow…time sure flies! I am in my final day of the Spring Term but have until Wednesday to turn in my extra credit work: Act II-B of my screenplay. I will complete Act-III this summer.

Well, I changed academic institutions. At first, the process was dragged out; but, then it all came together rather quickly, which meant that I did not get as much of an academic break as I had looked forward to. I am back at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia (RU). I am still studying script and screenwriting. Below is the process how this all happened…

By last Fall Term, although I sincerely appreciate their acceptance of me into their program, I was getting very bothered by the language and subject matter at the very liberal and open-minded Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California (AAU). Not only was filthy language and sexually explicit subject matter coming from fellow students but it was originating from and being promoted by the faculty. So, for some time I prayed fervently, asking our Heavenly Father to direct my path and open the door at Regent University if He prefers me there. During the months I was offering up my prayers, I submitted my application and a portfolio of my work to the MFA program at Regent University. I mean, nothing is to hard for our Heavenly Father right?

No, nothing is too hard for our Heavenly Father. However, we do have an enemy who attempts to thwart our Heavenly Father’s plans, and who also tries to block our destiny, right? Thus, my application materials were merged with the application of another woman, only glossed over by the MFA review board, and rejected.

Then, in December, 2010, I received a call from my enrollment counselor who informed me that the MFA program decision maker (who is now my academic advisor) saw my folder on his desk and felt compelled to look at it again. He discovered that my application and the work I submitted had originally been reviewed along with the material submitted by the other applicant, which was not at the level they want in their program. But upon review of my work alone, he changed his rating of my application and accepted me into their Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. Hallelujah! That was definitely an answer to prayer and a confirmation that our Heavenly Father wants me at Regent University. However, the break and term schedules are different than at AAU. Thus, my Winter Break was short.

Here is a further blessing: Late this Spring Term, my screenwriting instructor, Professor Bounds, offered to read and critique my completed screenplay and any other work I wish to submit to him at any time in the future. This is an extremely generous offer because professional script readers usually charge about $500 per reading.

Our family visited the Oregon Coast for a week and stayed in Seaside. We also went to Cannon Beach, Rockaway, and the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which is always a family favorite. After all, there’s nothing like Tillamook cheese and ice cream! Yum… On August 6th, James and I attended the Willamette Writer’s Conference in Portland. We met some nice people and came home with information about self-publishing eBooks. Plus, I am now thinking of recording my play to make available through iTunes.

Since my last post I have been busy rewriting my current stage play, I LOVE CHOCOLATE. When a young Jewish man and a young Catholic woman love each other and chocolate–nothing can keep them apart. With the assistance of dreams, I LOVE CHOCOLATE looks beyond the limitations of race, gender, and religious systems and their controls—to a culture where freedom, love, and unity abound.

Well, I did it! I just finished my first semester at the Academy of Art University.

• The bad news is that it is an ultra liberal school.
• The good news is that I am trying to be a positive influence.
• The best news is that I ended up with A’s in both of my courses. In addition, I completed the first act of my original screenplay, “Rearview Mirror.” Next fall, I will be writing the remaining two acts and complete the course with a finished product. I can then begin to market it by mid-December. With God’s blessings, I will find a willing buyer and sell it.

Since I am out of school for the summer I plan to update my blog on a more regular basis.

Well here it is nearing the end of Spring Break and I finally have a spare moment to make a post on my blog. The first half of my first semester at AAU has been quite intense. There has been some definite opposition directed toward me that I have had to overcome. I ask for your prayers to help me through my next four years of study as I earn my MFA while attending the university half-time.

In my Motion Pictures Aesthetics and Styles course I have studied Formalism, Realism and Spectatorship; Subjective Interpretation; Sergei Eisenstein; and The Bauhaus School. I also have been learning about the various historical art movements and how they have affected film. The movements I have studied so far are: German Expressionism; Avant-Garde; Modernity; and Neorealism.

I have learned how religion, war, politics, and their injustices have historically been the motivators behind these art movements. However, something that has bothered me in the films I have watched is the futility portrayed. In other words, the filmmakers reveal social issues but offer no solution to them.

This is where the Neo-Renaissance art movement differs. Neo-Renaissance is a new art movement that looks beyond our physical existence and into the spiritual world where answers to humanity and social issues lay at hand.

In his book, The Spirit in Man, Art, and Literature, Carl Jung (1966) wrote:

Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him [or her] its instrument. The artist is not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own end, but one who allows art to realize its purposes through him. As a human being, he may have moods and a will and personal aims, but as an artist he is “man” [or “woman”] in a higher sense—he is “collective man,” a vehicle and moulder of the unconscious psychic life of mankind. That is his office, and it is sometimes so heavy a burden that he [or she] is fated to sacrifice happiness and everything that makes life worth living for the ordinary human being. (p. 101)

I am open to other artists joining James and me to work together and bring about positive change through art.

Please email me if this interests you: Robin@NeoRenaissanceTheatre.com

We all have dreams or those things we aspire to accomplish during our lives.  I am happy to announce one of mine is beginning to be realized!

As of January 8, 2010, I have been officially accepted into the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco; and will be starting my MFA program in February. My Letter of Acceptance (2010) to the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco states: “We are pleased to welcome Robin Capers to the School of Motion Pictures and Television in the Screenwriting focus. The portfolio has been reviewed with thoughtful consideration and admiration. There is a screenwriter here.”

I am so excited!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about a prophetic dream I had in May of 2005. Is the fulfillment of that dream getting close?

Dream: I was at Benny Hinn’s house in southern California. His daughter, about 18-20 years old was my host (I did not recognize her). She made sure I had everything I needed during my stay there and took me to an upstairs room. My cat, Thomas, was with me. Early the next morning she told me to go outside. I stood on the deck and as I looked toward the north, I could see Mount Saint Helens in Washington State in the distance as it exploded. I saw a cloud of dust and ash rise from the volcano’s fiery opening as the side of the mountain exploded with insurmountable force toward California. I thought I would be safe because I was so far away, but the dust and ash cloud came very quickly. Within minutes, it began falling like snow. I held my cat and ran to a wooded area where a large log was lying on the ground. The log had a ledge that I crawled under with Thomas to escape the direct hit of the volcanic ash. However, when the ash began to fall around me, I was surprised to discover it was made of small broken pieces of chocolate with caramel centers. I woke up.

Personal Interpretation: To me, Benny Hinn represents healing and the healing ministry. His daughter represents a younger alter ego and part of the healing ministry. The upstairs room represents the spiritual realm. My cat, Thomas, represents love. The volcano represents the territorial kingdom of darkness over the West Coast that will be destroyed. The forest represents the natural world apart or outside of the organizations of men (churches). The log represents protection and love (my cat). Chocolate means “bitter water.” Caramel is literally “cane honey.” Although the volcanic eruption (literal or figurative) may appear to some as something bitter (difficult to accept)…sugar honey is hidden on the inside. Honey represents abundance, i.e. the Promised Land or land flowing with milk and honey, meaning deliverance from bondage or slavery (organizations of men).

In essence, a mighty and powerful move of God is coming from the West Coast and outside of the church, bringing God’s love, unity, healing, and abundance…

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Robin and I am the moderator of this blog site. My prophetic gifting is play and screenplay writing. During my first college humanities course, I studied the Renaissance and discovered the arts have historically been used to bring about social and spiritual change. This birthed my passion for the arts, especially, theatre. Even now, my discovery continues to fan the flames of desire within me to learn all I can about my art to successfully communicate the things our Lord has shown me. I will be graduating from college in June of 2009. I plan to continue my education and attend graduate school to earn my MFA. What is your gifting? How did you discover it?