Easter theatre service returns after four years

Mar. 19—Abilene's Leah Perry has taken up the task of bringing back the Easter Sunrise Service theatre production to Abilene. For its return, Perry brought a script for a musical, "Once and For All," that is a slightly larger production compared to previous services.

"It's one thing to read the Bible, which is super profound and it speaks for itself, but to actually see it acted out in front of you makes it feel very real and you can't look away," Perry said. "You can't just put it down and walk away then come back to it. You're seeing the whole story from start to finish."

Perry said she decided to revive the tradition when she heard about it from community members. Because she does not have time for acting with two children, she decided to take on this project to scratch her "theatre itch."

The script is a scaled down version of the one the Ohio church Perry attended performed every Easter.

"Thousands of people come see it. They do 12 performances. They have 150 cast members. It's this really big thing. I thought, 'Well what if I took that similar script. It's been around for about 40 years in Cincinnati. If I kind of decompressed it a little bit and adapted it to a smaller version, still with the weightiness of the whole production, but what if I did that and just asked a whole bunch of churches to get involved."

Leah said another reason she asked a bunch of churches is because she wanted to avoid a single church being the driving force behind the play and for the play to remain a community event.

Perry and her husband moved to Abilene in 2021 from Cincinnati, Ohio, so she has no prior experience with the Easter Sunday Service before it was discontinued when the COVID-19 pandemic came. Luckily, some people with experience with the over 40-year-old Abilene tradition have joined Perry to resurrect the play. Heidi Reeves with First Baptist Church reprised her role of costume director. She has served in the role for over 20 years.

"It's a blessing to have a director willing," Reeves said. "That was part of our problem with us having lolls here and there, was just being willing to direct because it's a lot to take on."

The musical will begin with the start of Jesus' ministry, retell several moments of his ministry, and end with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The singing and music in the production will be limited to solos, Perry said, the production will not be a full-blown musical.

"I think it will be a nice change in the service," said Heidi Reeves, costume director for the production.

Perry said, while the first two-thirds of the musical are family friendly, she cautions families for the last third.

"We are going to be doing Jesus' death and crucifixion," Perry said. "I think for each family they need to decide if it's appropriate for their children or not... I am not going to bring my two-year-old; he's way too young for that."

Perry said the musical will last an hour and a half. 57 adults and children from eight Abilene churches are cast.

Perry is renting the Abilene High School Auditorium for the musical. She originally wanted to host the musical in the original location at Brown Memorial Park, but Perry decided otherwise because the structures of the set are in need of repairs and the homes built to the west of the set have reduced the amount of room for audiences.

Perry said she currently is financially supporting the show herself with some assistance from others. She is seeking businesses or people to help sponsor the show.

"I hope that we tell the story of Jesus and do it accurately and honestly, all glory to God, but at the same time I hope the community feels really blessed by it too," Perry said.

Perry hopes to organize future productions if this year's performances succeed. She said she wants to attract people from outside Abilene as far as Salina or Manhattan to make future productions a large event for everyone to celebrate Easter.

Perry's experience with theatre includes teaching high school theatre for six years, earning a bachelors in theatre arts and working on a theatre company's board.

The Easter Sunrise Service musical "Once and For All" will be March 30 with performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Entry is free, with donations accepted.

"It's definitely a centerpiece to the community to people that remember it fondly," Reeves said.