Dunkertown Workshop tells Brethren stories.

A new project by two Middle Pennsylvania Brethren writers is designed to help preserve the Brethren story. Dunkertown Workshop is the brainchild of Steve Engle of Alexandria, and Frank Ramirez of Everett, who hope through recordings, theatrical productions, and writing to tell some lesser known Brethren stories and to revive stories that may have been forgotten.

The first Dunkertown collaborative Ramirez-Engle venture was the musical "Angels Everywhere" about Catharine Hummer, a Brethren teenager in 1762 who said she saw angels. With a cast from several Middle Pennsylvania District churches, the musical has been performed at six different venues in middle and eastern Pennsylvania, with more performances scheduled for the fall. A CD recording also is in production.

A four-disc audio recording of "The Meanest Man in Patrick County and Other Unlikely Brethren Heroes" by Frank Ramirez (Brethren Press, 2004) is the first Dunkertown CD to be released. Stories are read by the author with Jennie Ramirez, Steve Engle, and Joan Engle. The CD also features an original ballad, "The Meanest Man in Patrick County," penned by Engle and Ramirez and sung by Andy Murray. (Order the CD for $18 plus shipping and handling, or the book for $10.95 plus shipping and handling, from Brethren Press at 800-441-3712.)

Dunkertown Workshop has re-released "Ted Studebaker in Vietnam: Life Is Good, Yea!" on CD (available from Brethren Press for $15 plus shipping and handling). For decades, the album has been out of print. Studebaker was murdered by the Vietcong in 1971 while in alternative service. Gary and Sue Studebaker, with help from Engle, put together an album of cassette recordings Studebaker sent home. The album includes songs, audio letters, and an interview about his work. The CD also features "Brave Man From Ohio" by Andy and Terry Murray, and a national ABC News report aired at the time of Studebaker's memorial service.

A future Dunkertown project is the "Andy and Terry Murray Songbook." Engle plans to work with the Murrays in transcribing their music, most of which exists only as recordings or lyrics.

The website www.dunkertownworkshop.com offers other CDs by Engle, books by Ramirez, releases from the Murrays, the opportunity to hear songs, and purchasing information. Engle and Ramirez invite Brethren artists who have their own websites to join them in this collaboration, so that links can lead Brethren to their work.

Source: 6/22/2005 Newsline
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