Service to God and to others is a hard-core value I was taught by my parents from childhood
By Steven L. Denlinger
It was strange, sitting down with producer Rick Skillman to create this documentary on my life. Although I spend my writing hours pursuing other people’s stories, he was sitting in our Vashon Island home, facing me directly, calm radiating from his being. Around him, his men waited. Then he began go ask questions.
It was hard not to be the one asking the questions, but Skillman was a master, and he soon had me feeling comfortable.
We had met while performing together in The Normal Heart, the story of the AIDS epidemic. We both played the “bad guys” in the story.
Two interviews later, he was done.
Several weeks later, I got the first draft of the film to view.
I hope you find it helpful in understanding what I do here on Soul Teachers as an author and producer.
“The core of Steven’s work and life is as a teacher and storyteller, whether he’s in front of a classroom or theater audience,” Skillman wrote for his description of the film on his website. “In all areas, Steven works to speak from his heart, in an ongoing commitment to service to his communities, be it a school, theater group or audience.
“In this video he talks about how this path emerged from his early times as part of a large Mennonite family in Ohio. Steven’s struggles to find meaning are every person’s battle.”
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