DATE: Thursday, October 9, 1997             TAG: 9710100991

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: Adam Bernstein, Staff writer 
                                            LENGTH:   58 lines

CHURCH STAGES PRODUCTION OF WILDER'S "OUR TOWN"

A PRODUCTION of Thornton Wilder's existential drama ``Our Town'' opens tonight at Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

At the end of the first act of this American classic, the character Rebecca tells her brother about a letter her girlfriend just received, the address humorously placing her precisely within a vast universe.

To borrow from that scene, the show will specifically be at 560 W. Olney Rd., Norfolk, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the United States of America, the continent of North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Earth, the solar system, the universe and the mind of God.

``Our Town,'' which won the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for drama, is about the temporality of life. It is set during the turn of the century in a New Hampshire village.

Birth, death, love and loss - the ebb and flow of life - are at the core of the show.

``It talks about what the community is all about,'' said Patricia Bernick, the play's director.

``It is kind of about spiritual development,'' added Allen Shaffer, the church organist and choir director. In the production, Shaffer acts the role of the drunken, cynical choir director.

``Our Town'' also requires minimal furniture. That was a particularly attractive quality to the Ministry of the Arts, the new group within the church that organized this show and hopes to generate a continuous cultural series.

Besides directing ``Our Town,'' Bernick is also the group's chairwoman. In the past 20 years, she has directed about 50 shows.

The play is the first in a series of arts events sponsored by the Ministry of the Arts. The church wants to capitalize on its burgeoning reputation as a theatrical center, Shaffer said.

Christ and St. Luke's Church already has a longstanding renown for its musical presentations. An ambitious production of Benjamin Britten's 1958 opera ``Noye's Fluude'' - about Noah's ark - was presented in May 1996.

The series is drawing strong local talent. Well-known Virginia Beach actor Bob Burchette, who lounged precariously atop high scaffolding during ``Noye's Fludde'' to portray God, will here take on the crucial role of the on-stage narrator.

The plan is to expand the repertoire beyond music and even drama.

Perhaps two or three years from now, Bernick said, the arts ministry hopes residents will say ``let's walk over to a poetry reading and have a coffee'' - at Christ and St. Luke's.

Meanwhile, the surrounding community will experience at least some part of this production. During a wedding and a funeral, church bells will ring. ILLUSTRATION: WANT TO GO?

What: Thornton Wilder's ``Our Town''

When: 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday; a reception follows

tonight's performance.

Where: Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Norfolk

How much: $8 general admission, $6 for students and seniors

Call: 397-8390 or 627-5665

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