From Script to Stage: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the 29th Annual Easter Drama at the Blanchard Church of Christ

By Emily Wright

BLANCHARD— The Blanchard Church of Christ (BCC) is once again bringing the community together for its 29th annual Easter drama, a tradition that continues to captivate audiences with its powerful portrayal of the Gospel story. This year’s theatrical production, titled “King of Kings,” is a two-Act musical performance by a cast and crew of over 100 BCC members. The production will be performed on a completely transformed, multi-level stage at the church, making for an immersive show about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The creative portrayal of the gospel incorporates music, live animals, and much more.

The BCC’s Easter drama, “King of Kings,” offers six performances across two weekends in April 2025. Visitors can catch the show on Friday, April 4; Saturday, April 5; Sunday, April 6; and then again on Friday, April 11; Saturday, April 12; and Sunday, April 13. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7 p.m., with a prelude at 6:15 p.m., while Sunday matinees start at 3 p.m., with a prelude at 2:15 p.m.

Tickets to see King of Kings are entirely free of charge but require a reservation due to high demand. To reserve tickets, call the church office at (570) 962-2423, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BCC has seen a turnout for the Easter drama that packed the church to capacity in prior years, so organizers highly encourage anyone interested in seeing the production to reserve their tickets as soon as possible. Please note that tickets guarantee seating until 6:30 p.m. for evening shows and 2:30 p.m. for matinees to accommodate the prelude, which features vocal and instrumental performances by church members.

Free childcare will be provided during each showing, thanks to students from CU-Lock Haven University’s Impact group, led by BCC members Tim and Kate Jackson. This year’s drama also offers free “children’s packets” to the first 30 kids aged 4 to 10 at each performance. These packets are designed to bring the story to life, engaging young children and making the show an interactive experience that enhances their understanding.

At the heart of this year’s production are co-directors Becca Melzer and Raylene Moldovan. Becca, in her third year of co-directing, also serves as the Worship Arts & Student Minister at the church. Raylene Moldovan, wife of BCC Senior Pastor Russel Moldovan, is one of the church’s Children’s Ministers and has been directing the Easter drama for 29 years. She humorously recalled that, in the beginning, she took on both director and cast member roles, often playing Mary since she was pregnant with one of her four grown children back then.

Becca has been a member at BCC for 10 years and participated as a cast member before inheriting her role as a director from former co-director Kathy Spotts-Humiston. Kathy, a beloved BCC member who passed away in 2021, was instrumental in creating the production alongside Raylene. In addition to co-directing, Kathy served as a secretary and Worship Minister, mentoring many youth and women during her 30-plus years at BCC.

Due to its growing popularity, the annual Easter production has consistently seen a packed house without a seat left to spare, although the show once had a much smaller cast and audience. As Becca and Raylene recounted stories and experiences from the longstanding Easter drama’s humble beginnings, they couldn’t help but share its evolution lightheartedly.

The Easter drama began with just a few actors who recreated gospel scenes while wearing costumes made from bathrobes and even shower curtains in its early days. “Now we have a cast and crew of over 100 people that cover every aspect of the drama from the costumes and prop designs to the lights, decorations, paintings, live animals, and the singers,” Becca said. Every participant in the annual drama, from the first rehearsal in January to the final performance in April, is a member of the BCC congregation. “They’re all part of our church family,” she proudly added.

This year’s production incorporates around 150 church members who either perform on stage or work behind the scenes. Those not performing onstage contribute by joining the costume and makeup teams, designing and painting the multi-level stage, caring for live animals incorporated in the show, decorating the church, greeting visitors, assisting as parking attendants, or providing security. The production’s scale highlights BCC members’ dedication to the cherished Easter drama.

As the production gained popularity, both the audience and participant numbers grew substantially, highlighting the need for a larger church. “It just grew over the years; more and more people wanted to be involved,” Becca shared. What began as a two-night showing of the drama eventually expanded to six nights.

BCC constructed a new church building next to its original site in the past decade, and during the design phase, the annual Easter drama wasn’t forgotten. “This was actually built with the drama in mind,” Becca said. “That’s why there’s a hallway behind the stage—there are always people behind the stage, going back and forth with props and things. Obviously, there were a lot of other things taken into consideration when building this, but when they designed the sanctuary, the backstage, and the rooms, it was with drama in mind to provide enough space.”

As the BCC Easter drama approaches its 29th year, Becca noted the significant turnout it attracts. Besides church members and locals, many people travel from outside the area to see the production, boosting local tourism. “Each year, we get to share the gospel with about 2,000 people who come to see it,” she said.

With the BCC Easter drama attracting visitors from neighboring counties and beyond, Becca and Raylene devised a way to support the community by encouraging patronage to local businesses through the “Drama Dining Discount” available at select local restaurants to encourage the approximately 2,000 people attending the drama to also support nearby eateries. By showing their Easter drama tickets at participating restaurants, attendees receive a discount. The church doesn’t receive any benefit by offering the Drama Dining Discount; it simply aims to support local restaurants with additional patronage.

From April 4 through April 13, present your BCC “King of Kings” tickets at any of the five participating restaurants during their regular business hours to receive the discount. Avenue 209 Coffee House offers 10% off your entire purchase, including coffee beans and apparel. Brother’s Pizza in Beech Creek, Dutch Haven, and Leo’s Italian & Specialty Foods in Lock Haven provide a 10% discount off your entire check. Additionally, Odd Fellas in downtown Lock Haven offers a generous 15% discount on your entire bill. Organizers encourage attendees to visit as many of these restaurants as they wish during this period, noting their specific hours of operation, as some may be closed on certain days.

Preparation for the Easter drama begins well before the first performance, with Becca and Raylene working on the script starting in August each year. Their goal is not only to deliver an engaging performance but also to inspire by sharing Jesus’ life story. Crafting the drama requires dedication, time, and thoughtful consideration of its impact on the audience. “From August to November, we meet once a week and we develop how we want to portray the gospel, because that is our heart in all of this; it’s not to glorify anyone other than Jesus,” Becca shared.

Each year, in the early planning phase of the production, Becca and Raylene brainstorm during their weekly meetings and come up with new concepts to incorporate into the drama. While they carefully consider how the production will impact the audience, they ask themselves what message people truly need to hear. Their mission is to reach the hearts of audience members who might benefit from a modern, relatable theatrical interpretation of the gospel.

By January, the full cast starts practicing, with rehearsals taking place every Sunday for two hours and a Wednesday evening rehearsal for smaller groups of the cast. The rehearsals continue, leading up to the show in April.

Raylene shared insights into the set and costume design process for this year’s production, highlighting the collaborative efforts of the team involved. Audience members can expect to be immersed in an intricately designed display, complete with a multi-level stage and even a live lamb.

Raylene mentioned Sue Moore, who plays an instrumental role in the production. As a seasoned costume designer who has been involved with the Millbrook Playhouse, Sue works to recreate Biblical attire alongside her sons, who are both involved with the drama. One of her sons contributes onstage, playing the part of Jesus, while another son, who has a background in art and design work, contributes by designing the temple for the set.

As the production evolves, with new enhancements added each year, a number of church volunteers work to create the intricate details that are incorporated into the set design. Two of the church’s members use their experiences from the setup and teardown process for large-scale concert stages, and they’ve crafted a lightweight, easily assembled set so that switching out props and scenery goes as smoothly as possible.

The directors drew inspiration from a church in Camp Hill, where the set for a production was designed with two stage levels. Seeking to use as much of the BCC’s stage as possible, they were able to design and incorporate an innovative multi-level stage for the King of Kings production this year.

Each year, the Easter drama adopts a new theme that’s determined during the script development. Becca shared past themes like “Looking For Hope” and “Looking For Truth.” This year’s theme, “Is He Worthy?” explores questions of faith amidst life’s many challenges. The co-directors strive to pick a theme that is both relatable and relevant to people from all walks of life.

Elaborating on the theme for the production’s 29th year, Raylene expressed that this year’s theme is one of her favorites. “It raises the question: is God still worthy, even when circumstances don’t go the way we want them to go, or when tragedy happens in our life? How do we still consider God worthy when those things happen to us? And it’s incredibly powerful this year,” she said.

Becca expressed the impact she and Raylene hope to achieve through this year’s theme. “We’re trying to answer this question in a way that truly teaches people about Jesus; we want them to enter the sanctuary and leave transformed,” she emphasized. “We want them to have a deeper understanding of the Gospel and its relevance to their lives.”

While the church aims to touch the hearts of those unfamiliar with the gospel through its Easter drama, it also seeks to deliver a moving performance for long-time believers. “We try to give the script depth so that if somebody has been a believer for a long time, the drama moves them forward in their faith, but we want every single person who comes into that sanctuary to be able to understand what’s happening, so that’s why we introduced the travelers to the production,” Becca explained.

A few years ago, the role of “travelers” was introduced to the production. These cast members act as narrators and storytellers, providing context and guiding the audience through the story of the life of Jesus. Based on feedback since the travelers’ introduction to the production, they’ve made the story more understandable and relatable, especially for those less familiar with it.

Raylene revealed that this year, the travelers focus on the question “Is He worthy?” as they grapple with a tragedy and explore how one can praise God amidst difficulties. Their questions and emotions are designed to resonate with the audience, encouraging them to confront their own doubts about God’s worthiness. The directors hope the travelers will have a powerful impact that prompts the audience to reflect on their own faith. The aim of the production is to highlight Christ’s enduring worthiness, emphasizing that there is hope even during challenging times.

Raylene offered insights into other characters in the drama, including Jesus Christ. Notably, the BCC Easter drama has featured only two actors as Jesus in its 29 years. “We’re now on our second Jesus, and they basically stay in that role until they decide they’re too old for it,” she remarked lightheartedly. For significant roles like Jesus and Mary, the same cast members often vie for the part annually. “I played the first Mary when we started because I was always pregnant, so I was an easy fit for the role,” Raylene joked. She eventually passed on the role to someone else, and then BCC member Joby Carnahan took over the role and has been cast as Mary for the past decade.

Raylene explained that casting for key roles is crucial, requiring much deeper consideration than just talent assessment. “Because those are such visible roles, and they both carry solos, they have to be able to sing, but more importantly, they have to have the heart of Christ,” she emphasized.

Instead of holding formal auditions for newcomers wanting to get involved, Raylene and Becca provide opportunities to perform during the 45-minute prelude before each show. If they feel a person’s character and voice are a good fit for the annual production, they gradually incorporate them into solos or smaller roles in the production and go from there.

Becca revealed that those who’ve participated in the drama over the years ranged in age from six months to 95 years old. Raylene mentioned that some church members have even planned pregnancies around the annual production with hopes of their newborn being cast to play the role of baby Jesus. She shared that her oldest son was born in the spring during a year that she played the role of Mary, making him a shoe-in for baby Jesus’ role. Decades later, he had a son who was cast as baby Jesus for the production’s 25th anniversary.

Participating in the annual Easter drama requires substantial commitment, but this hasn’t deterred nearly 150 members of the church from seeking onstage roles or supporting behind the scenes. “I think the joy behind it, despite all of the hard work involved, is that they know that this is presenting the gospel message to thousands of people every year,” Raylene conveyed. “I always say, not everybody can be a pastor, but this is one way that people can present the gospel message to our community, so I think that’s what is the heart behind so many people being willing to participate.”

Over the years, the drama has deeply impacted many lives. Raylene recounted touching stories about people in the audience, including one about a girl with Down Syndrome who attended every year with her parents. One year, she asked Raylene if she could meet Jesus after the performance. The directors arranged for her to meet the actor, which led to an unexpected emotional moment. “She asked him, in her sweetness, ‘do you think you could heal me?’” Raylene recounted. That year’s production included a scene where Jesus demonstrated healing, evoking strong emotions in the audience, including for the girl.

Raylene also recounted the story of a woman who had never attended church or heard the gospel story before. The woman had a child who was in Raylene’s preschool class at BCC, and one day, she approached Raylene and said, “You talk about Jesus a lot here, and my kid always comes home and asks me questions, but I know nothing; I’ve never been to church a day in my life. If I wanted to come to church, do I need to sign up somewhere?” The timing couldn’t have been better because the question came just as the Easter drama was underway, so Raylene encouraged her to come and see it to gain an understanding of Jesus’s life.

The mother attended the final Sunday night showing of the drama and was profoundly moved by the story and its message. “On Monday morning, she was at the church waiting for me when I got there, and when I came into the classroom, she had tears in her eyes,” Raylene shared. “She said to me, ‘I went to the drama last night; I am 40 years old, and I never knew what Jesus did for me.” After experiencing the story of the gospel at BCC, the woman and her family started attending the church and were eventually baptized there. Raylene described this as one of her favorite reactions to the Easter drama because of the impact it had on not only the woman but her family as well.

The Blanchard Church of Christ’s dedication to spreading the gospel through this drama is evident in every aspect, from the commitment of its volunteers to the carefully designed set and storyline. As Becca expressed, the mission of the King of Kings Easter drama at the Blanchard Church of Christ is clear: “To know Him and make Him known; to share the gospel, and to do it all for the king.”

To reserve tickets or for more information, call the BCC office at (570) 962-2423 Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be a love offering for anyone interested in making a contribution to the annual production.

The Blanchard Church of Christ is located at 161 Beach Street, Blanchard, PA 16826.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/blanchardchurchofchristpa/
Website: www.blanchardchurchofchrist.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/blanchardchurchofchrist.pa