Text Box: This note about ensemble work, from Artistic Director Derome Scott Smith, appeared in the Daughters of Zion Playbill (October 2004). Ensemble is at the core of Living Word Stage Company. To us, this is a core of actors who study, train, share a common acting technique, perform and create together. At each of our performances you are seeing the result of significant ensemble collaboration. As we began to create Daughters of Zion, I posed a question to the ensemble; “What does it mean to be a Christian...a person dedicated to the work of Christ.” We hear the term “Born again Christian” all the time. But, what is the journey of becoming born again like; particularly for those who may not even start off looking for Christ? This was the starting point of our exploration. The Daughters represent a microcosm of African-American women, assorted backgrounds, varied experiences, and diverse voices. Though our canvas is women, with spirituality as the backdrop, our main focus is on the human condition, a universal truth that can be shared by all. We share these stories because we believe that there is healing in the telling, no matter how ugly and painful the telling may be.   At some point we have all contemplated our own existence, wondered why things happen, in life as they do. These questions get us closer to an awareness of spiritual things. Our prayer tonight is that no matter where you are in your walk, that our work will bring you that much closer to your spiritual things.