Cast of Characters

• JOHN: The Choir director.
• BARBARA: A lovely woman with a particular soft elegance.
• HANK: A frail man with a large, pleasing presence that whispers out through his dark, deep-set eyes and sculptured face.
• SONDRA: A very plain woman with a clean, scrubbed look about her, almost sterile except for loosely styled strawberry blonde hair that falls at will.
• AGNES: As the eldest member of the choir, Agnes uses her age as a lever to balance things her way.
• PHILIP:
• LUANN: A tall, think, beautiful treasure of a girl in her mid-twenties.
• JOSEPH: A serene little man with a tender smile and large white teeth adorned with a thin moustache.
• AL: A very handsome pan in his mid-thirties, full of life and excitement. He has the demeanor of a movie star and knows the power of his charm.
• TINA: Equally as attractive as Al and about the same age.

The Setting

Act I
Scene 1: Early Evening: Just before choir practice at St. Paul’s Parish
Scene 2: A little while later; same place

Act II
Scene 1: In the Midst of Heaven... or Hell
Scene 2: A Moment of Truth

Plot Summary

Choir Practice examines the synthesis of man’s spiritual dimension by weaving together the lives of its seven loveless and lost seekers. So caught up in the frustration of their own lives, they are forced to focus on the intensity of the moment for their beloved director, John who becomes suspended in time and space when they investigate the apparent miracle happening in their church. The threat of impending doom, combined with their inability to determine what really is happening as they witness a transfiguration of the  painting of the Ark of the Covenant, effectively forces each character to come to terms with the truth of their own existence. Hank, the spiritual mentor of the group, is sated by the renewed happiness of his peers.  Joseph, already venturing his quest for peace, also enjoys the overflowing grace of this rapport as he sees all transformed from self-centered individuals to a tender community.  The effect of the whole encounter filters out a  myriad portrayal of the human experience. Once the protective coating of personality is scraped off, we can more easily perceive love—  the flow of life that bubbles beneath the surface of everyone... Thus, we ascertain that when the diamond in us is allowed to shine without human intervention, the results can be quite brilliant.

Playwright Biography 
Coni Ciongoli-Koepfinger believes that creative energy is never lost… it just changes hands, hearts and minds. She holds an MA from Carnegie Mellon University and BA in Theatre Arts. In addition to writing plays, art theory and course curriculum, Koepfinger teaches composition, literature, and theatre courses at various universities.  Her recently published play Candledancing was originally produced in 1999 with British composer, Robert Hugill. Following that collaboration, their operetta, Garrett got raves in Opera News in 2001 for its performance at Hoxton Hall, London. A Post-Gazette review of her play Sideshow compared her thematic style to Twilight Zone’s master, Rod Serling.  Koepfinger has received awards from the Pittsburgh Foundation and Heinz Multicultural Arts Initiative and was named in Pittsburgh Magazine’s Excellence in the Arts Awards.  Although, Koepfinger resides in Pittsburgh, most of her avant-garde work follows her spirit, which has thrived in New York City for the last twenty years. Other productions include Coffeehouse Magik at Brooklyn’s Museum of Sound Recording, and Garrett, the Blue Giraffe at the Bay Area Festival in Sonoma. Her children’s plays, Jack and the Talkback Beanstalk and Rudolph’s Big Secret were named the most produced by its publisher Dramasource. Most recently, her piece The Guardian won acceptance into the 2009 Mother Daughter Monologues by the International Center for Women Playwrights.  Koepfinger is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, League of Professional Theatre Women / LPTW, and a Board Member of the International Center for Women Playwrights / ICWP.

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