Christian thespians to tell creative Easter story

LAZY MOUNTAIN — This weekend, members and visitors of Lazy Mountain Bible Church won’t experience a typical Christian sermon retelling the biblical Easter story.

Ella Embree directs this year’s Easter production at Lazy Mountain Bible Church, “Eyes Upon the Cross.” It is a series of eight playlets written by Don A. Mueller and published by the company evolved from Samuel French’s American Drama (now simply known as Samuel French).

This creative take on Jesus’ biblical crucifixion features characters from the time who were present at his death or would likely have interacted with him beforehand. Most are featured in the actual Bible, but not all.

“I didn’t want to do a reenactment (of the Easter) story because that’s typical,” Embree said. “I wanted to make it as modern as possible.”

Although the team of actors, actresses, directors and technical crewmembers adjusted a couple lines, threw out the ancient Middle Eastern dress and brought in some old U.S. Army paraphernalia to make the setting more relatable for the majority of Valley residents, Embree said the story — Mueller’s and the biblical one behind the Easter holiday — remains intact.

And that’s what counts.

“I wanted to remove all barriers so people could just listen to the words (Jesus) said and see how he impacts lives today,” Embree said.

But with the theatrical experience the Lazy Mountain cast brings to the stage, it’s clear that the show isn’t just about spreading the gospel and doing something unique for Easter at their church. While those goals are important, Embree said, the behind-the-scenes action and creative process offer significant benefits to actors young and old in both dramatic and academic realms.

Pastor David Dahms has been involved in the church’s choir productions since his tenure there began 11 years ago. In more recent years, he’s played the centurion from Matthew 8 and the innkeeper many Christians associate with Luke 2. Last year, he played the High Priest from John 18. This year, he plays “The Man,” a somewhat mysterious and ill-fated character who was clearly close to Jesus at one time.

Although Dahms had mixed feelings about the role at first, someone had to portray the unsavory character. And as it turned out, he learned something by taking responsibility for “The Man,” and helped others along the way.

“It gave me a chance to do a full sermon character study on betrayal,” he said. “For many in the congregation, it helped them take a next step to get through the emotions of betrayal.”

“I think being this character actually helped me see it through different eyes, too,” he added.

And that change in perspective is exactly what the show is about.

Hunter Sullivan, a senior at Twindly Bridge Charter School in Wasilla, plays Barabbas in “Eyes Upon the Cross,” one of the only “serious” productions in which has performed. With 13 plays under his belt — most of them put on by Palmer High School — Sullivan understands the impact of looking at stories from different angles.

“When someone’s just reading or preaching, a lot of times I’ll just kind of zone out because I’m not super into it,” he admitted. “With plays, it’s super easy to pay attention because it just kind of hooks you in.”

In his role as the man set free instead of Jesus, Sullivan said, he has been able to delve deeper into why such a thing would happen and how Barabbas would feel.

But it’s not all emotional guesswork, Embree said. She and the acting group spent weeks doing background research on individual characters to determine how aspects as detailed as their financial status would affect their behavior. For those characters not mentioned in the Bible, she said, they conducted general historic research to discover, for example, what a Jewish girl living in Jerusalem at the time would be doing.

So for the four students involved in “Eyes Upon the Cross” and Palmer High’s “Mary Poppins” opening next month, that’s a significant commitment.

“I am just amazed at all the willing hands” in this play, Embree said. “It’s a great team.”

“Eyes Upon the Cross” plays tonight and tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Lazy Mountain Bible Church, 16005 Shawn Dr., Palmer. Admission is free, childcare is provided and the event is open to the public.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.