Acts of the Apostles inspires home-schooled students in signature spring musical

May 16—They'd committed themselves to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Aided by the Holy Spirit, which had come to them as flames in the upper room on Pentecost, they would establish the church on Earth. But the reality was setting in that it wouldn't be easy. Christian persecution was ramping up in Jerusalem. Stephen had just been stoned.

Grief, fear, resolve — emotions were running high.

But could they run a little higher? Stephanie Hulbert interjected, cheerfully chiding the actors to adjust their facial expressions as they began to harmonize on their plight as disciples.

"Look hopeful, please!"

With less than two weeks to go before Thursday's opening night at Holland Free Methodist Church, the student-actors of Cooperative Home-schooling Opportunities In a Christ- centered Environment were hard at work running lines and blocking out scenes last week for Acts: A City Rising. If they're always excited to stage the co-op's annual musical, they're especially so this year to see nearly two years of preparation finally come to fruition onstage.

IF YOU GO

CHOICE Homeschool Co-op presents 'Acts: A City Rising'

When: 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. May 23

Where: Holland Free Methodist Church, 6605 Angola Rd, Holland

Admission: $5 at the door; for reservations, go to bit.ly/2Rbsprq or email choicecooptheater@gmail.com

Not recommended for toddlers or preschoolers due to heavy dramatic content combined with short attention spans.

The pandemic delayed the upcoming performance, originally scheduled for March, 2020.

A production of Christian Theatre Publications, Acts: A City Rising is a dramatization of the Acts of the Apostles, the biblical account that chronicles the establishment and earliest days of the church. The musical mixes moments of light-heartedness and humor into a story that also stays true to its heavy source material, including the martyrdoms of many of its protagonists.

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For a co-op that in the past has enjoyed staging secular musicals like The Music Man and Pirates of Penzance, Acts: A City Rising presents a unique opportunity. Actors like Seth Parmelee, 19, and Christa Black, 15, who grew up learning about the disciples they're portraying onstage, said they've enjoyed putting themselves in these familiar stories, and picking up new insights into their "characters" along the way.

"It really helps me understand the Book of Acts more, like to get a better visual of it," Ms. Black shared before rehearsal on Monday. Her roles include Mary, the mother of Mark.

"It's a really cool experience."

HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR

The CHOICE Homeschool Co-op, as it's known for short, has been bringing together area home-schooled students for classes and community since the early 2000s. Just over 25 families are currently participating; they represent a wide variety of denominations but are united in the faith-based values they want to instill in each of 67 students.

Friday is the day the co-op gathers at Christian Fellowship Church in Holland, splitting into educational levels that span preschool to high school.

Their Friday classes are considered supplemental, and each semester's offerings reflect the expertise of the parent volunteers who teach them, as well as the needs of the member families. Think STEM, Spanish, public speaking or personal finance, to name just a few.

But among the most popular offerings each year is the spring musical, a signature endeavor for the co-op that student-actors as young as 8 years old count as a highlight of the year.

They begin learning their songs by the fall.

The musical is "probably really the most bonding" element of the co-op experience, said Ms. Hulbert, who's been directing them since 2010. Patty Parmelee assists, and both women sit on the co-op's leadership committee. "I would say that's what brings the co-op a community feel. You feel like you've lived together for two weeks to get it off the ground."

"It's kind of the pinnacle thing for our year, for a lot of the kids," said Natalie Drozdowicz, who will be watching two of her children onstage in Acts: A City Rising. "This is only our second musical that we've done with the co-op. But my kids have been over the moon excited."

This year's musical proved a particular challenge, with the concerns about the coronavirus pandemic coming to a head just as the students and their directors were on the cusp of tech week last spring. They postponed once, then twice, then indefinitely — a particularly tough decision for the co-op's seven graduating seniors.

When they finally set this year's late spring date, Ms. Hulbert contacted these alumni to invite them back into the roles they never had a chance to interpret onstage. Most enthusiastically agreed, she said. It's meant that the rehearsal schedule has looked a bit different this year, as they've tried to accommodate the much-changed schedules of these young adults.

"Dealing with graduates who have jobs and finals and classes, that's been a challenge for sure," Ms. Hulbert said.

Mr. Parmelee, who's been taking classes at Owens Community College, was among the graduates for whom it was an easy decision to return for the musical. He's been in many of the co-op's musicals through the years, and was excited to stage Acts: A City Rising. He was hooked right away by the music, recalling his introduction to the songs more than a year ago.

He's looking forward to performing as the Apostle Peter.

CHARACTER STUDY

How would Mr. Parmelee describe his character?

He pondered the question before the rehearsal on Monday.

"Kind of, maybe ... bold? A little too bold sometimes," he said. "Very emotional, getting caught up in emotions. But at the same time a bold and an able leader, helping to support the other disciples."

It's an insightful view of the biblical figure who is well known to almost any Christian. But as the student-actor has come to appreciate through the course of his preparation for the musical, it's one thing to passively read about the rock on whom the church was built, and another entirely to put oneself in Peter's shoes.

"It makes them a lot more human," Mr. Parmelee said of the characters he and his fellow actors are portraying. "When you hear stories sometimes, lots of times, you just hear the story. But when you have to play the story, then you're kind of trying to get into the character and act as them; you think of all these different perspectives: What would they have been thinking about for this? Or what's one way I can say this line? What's another way I can say this line?

"Maybe they're having a different emotion than I would have always thought," he said. "It's definitely been interesting getting into the character."

As he and the other student-actors continued to memorize their lines and their positions on Monday, hustling to work out the kinks in a performance that still had a few nearly two years after they began learning the songs on a Friday at Christian Fellowship Church, there was a sense of excitement in the auditorium. Finally, finally they would be able to perform.

"I do sometimes get a couple nerves," admitted Ms. Black, who's been participating in the co-op musicals since she was 8. "But honestly, I love to get onstage. It's really fun."