Young director reaches dream with 'Bible'

The play is a three-man production with plenty of slapstick comedy.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- At the ripe age of 20, Kyle Snyder has just undertaken a project he said he has wanted to do "for years." Hop, Skip, and Jump Productions, his brand new theater company, is revved up and ready to go. Their first performance, "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)," will open at the Oakland on Friday.
Snyder, a graduate of Lisbon High School, said he did "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" for a speech/debate competition and won the district tournament in Youngstown. From there, he took it to Salt Lake City. He said he loved the style of writing, and wanted to do other pieces by the same playwrights, The Reduced Shakespeare Company, who have created several other similar comedy pieces.
"We basically designed the company around this show," said Snyder. Although he is the owner and only company member at this point, he is working with Ray Cerimeli and Kevin Wells, who will be the other two performers at the upcoming presentation.
"We formed the company in a garage, over the holidays," Snyder added. "Our goal is to be a touring troupe, traveling to different area theaters. We are concentrating primarily on comedy. Everyone likes to have a good belly laugh. We are looking to invite local theater and community people who might be interested in having us perform." Snyder said though he may be young, he feels that he has the passion and drive needed to make this company a success.
Slapstick
The play is a fast-paced, slapstick farce, in which three actors perform the entire Bible in an hour-and-a-half. "It is guaranteed to make people laugh," Snyder said.
"The first and last scenes are sung. We open with 'In the Beginning Blues,' which is about what God created on what days. But then it starts to get wacky -- commerce, imperialism, Industrial Revolution, suburbia, shopping malls, overpopulation, ozone depletion ... ."
Snyder points out that nothing in this play is meant to target any religious or spiritual belief. "We just want to make people laugh," he said. "When it is over, nobody should have a frown on their face."
Snyder said that although there is not time to cover every book in the Bible, every single one does at least get a mention, ending with "Revelation: The Musical" and "That's Armageddon," sung to the tune of "That's Entertainment." He also said that the script did not supply, or even suggest music, so they had to figure that part out on their own.
He said some of his favorite scenes are the David and Goliath skit, which is done in slow motion, to the theme music of "Chariots of Fire." "The Last Supper scene is really hysterical, too," Snyder said. "I play Jesus, Kevin plays John, and Ray plays all the other 11 disciples."
Snyder also mentioned that the show is a blank set, but they use lots of props, and there are many very quick costume changes.