PERRYSBURG – Area residents have a special opportunity to be among the first to see a musical production
of "Mountain."
It will be staged next Friday at 7:15 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 601 E Broadway St.,
Perrysburg, in the Family Life Center.
Mountain is a Broadway-style musical with a cast of eight, with lighting, sound and choreography, the
presentation will be offered for one night only as part of a 25-five city introductory tour across the
Midwest in preparation for a run Off-Broadway.
Those attending the production will also be part of a documentary being made which is chronicling the
process of preparing for and staging the musical. The creators of the documentary will film the
production including the audience and will interview audience members following the production to get
their reaction.
The title and the story line connects to the biblical Sermon on the Mount.
The musical tells the story of Jack Criswell, a star collegiate quarterback for bound for the NFL, who is
seriously injured in the fourth quarter of the final game of the season. A presumed miracle puts him
back on his feet, but with a diagnosis of a brain aneurysm. He chooses not to pace a surgery which could
leave him paralyzed and becomes an instructor in the mountains of Appalachia.
The town’s mayor forbids teaching anything but the Bible. The former football player uses the Sermon on
the Mount as his text to teach four young people a life lesson into faith and knowledge.
"It is not often that you get a chance to catch a piece of burgeoning entertainment in the
grass-roots phase like this," says writer Jonathan Richard Cring. "And on top of that, you get
to be part of a documentary film that’s being made on the whole process."
According to Cring’s son, Jon Russell Cring, who is the director and is in the musical itself, his father
wrote the script in 1976. This production features a new script to update and provide an "emotional
modern take on the story."
The director spoke in a telephone interview earlier this week in a break from the rehearsals.
The Perrysburg production will be only the second for the cast and crew.
A brother of the director, Jasson Cring, has the lead role as the former quarterback; and there are other
family ties among the cast and crew. Despite the family ties, each has earned their right to be part of
the production.
The playwright is a past winner of the Best Screenplay at The Top Ten Films in America. The director has
also served as producer and director of the Extra/Ordinary Film Project and initiator of 12
feature-length films. The lead actor will be seen this year on network television in episodes of Cold
Case, CSI, Mad Men, and in the movie Iron Man 2.
Jon Russell Cring completed those 12 movies in just a 20-month period for which he has won numerous
awards.
He has been featured in various publications including "Variety."
According to Steve Kimbrell, his publicist, such a feat has never been done previously in the history of
Hollywood.
The director said his goal was to do 12 films in 12 months, However, he was only able to knock out eight,
so he finished the other four in the following eight months which ended last September.
"I wanted to show that great Hollywood-style feature films could be made on a shoestring
budget," Jon Russell stated.
Those films including the best known "Six Dollar Man, have appeared in 24 different film festivals
and was screened at Sundance.
He says this production involving a switch from film to the stage is "delving into the unknown a
bit."
However, it is still familiar territory as "everything has "an inspirational bent to it."

He is also pleased with the documentary which is being directed by his wife.
"Everyone who comes to the show will be part of the documentary. It will be really exciting,"
the director said. "This will be great for film festivals."
The public is invited to an evening of entertainment and inspiration for all ages," Kimbrell
indicated.
The director called it a "really fun show full of inspiration."
He added," Everybody likes pizza and this is like that – it’s a musical pizza and everyone’s going
to like it."
Jon Russell Cring said, "Families can come out and feel really good and get some inspiration with
their entertainment."
Seating is limited. For more details, please contact (419) 874-4365.
The 90-minute production will be offered to the community for a freewill donation.
On the Net:
www.extraordinaryfilmproject.com
www.mountainthemusical.com