CONWAY — The walk-through biblical drama put on by Eternity House has evolved since it started 17 years ago, but the mission is still the same — to share the message of Jesus, organizers said.
“We started out doing it as an alternative to Halloween events, but it’s turned out to be more than that,” said Rebecca Rupert of Greenbrier, reservation and marketing coordinator.
“It turned out to be an event everybody loves to come out to. Everybody is geared up to do small festivals, so it turned out to be a good time of year,” Rupert said.
The play will be performed by Eternity House, a nonprofit organization, at 4 p.m. Saturday, at 4 p.m.
Sunday and at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The drama is being presented for the third year at The Ministry Center, 766 Harkrider St. in Conway.
“It’s been a great partnership with them,” Rupert said.
The entry fee is two nonperishable food items, which are given to The Ministry Center for its programs. Cash donations will be accepted but “are totally optional,” Rupert said.
Groups go in every 30 minutes, and this year’s drama will last 45 to 50 minutes, said director Kim Stubbs of Wooster, who is Rupert’s sister. Three acting groups rotate through the performances, and they include students from Greenbrier, Vilonia and Conway.
Stubbs said 1,300 to 1,500 walk through the performances every year.
Stubbs and Travis Johnson, a former Conway resident who is now a youth pastor in Camden, co-founded Eternity House in 1999. The organization puts on the walk-through drama, stage productions of the play and more, she said. Stubbs has written and directed the script since the beginning for the Conway event.
“We decided to do an old script and rework it a little bit. We are revamping an old script from 2005,” she said.
The theme is “Be Bold,” and it is based on Psalm 138:3: “When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.”
“The main premise is there’s a young lady who’s struggling because of family things — her parents are separated. She’s having to kind of take care of the family because she’s the most mature one, even more than the parents,” Stubbs said. Also, one of the young woman’s siblings has died, and the family is in turmoil.
“Basically, she’s trying to be a witness to her family and a witness to her friends. That character is kind of the main character, and [the role] revolves around her faith and how she’s bold in the face of adversity,” Stubbs said. “There are other characters, too.”
She said the cast, with about 45 members, is smaller this year than in past performances.
“Whatever group you start watching, you’re going to see those same actors throughout the same production. You’re actually feeling connected to those actors you’re watching,” Stubbs said.
She said different churches participate in the event each year, too.
“Pastors from local churches come in and do an invitation time at the end, just kind of wrap everything up so everyone understands what they’ve seen,” Stubbs said. “We’ve been doing it the same way every year, and it’s awesome.”
Walk-ins are welcome, but groups of 10 or more are encouraged to make reservations by calling Rupert at (501) 772-1252.
Rupert said the actors do a good job of presenting the Gospel in a way that people don’t usually experience it.
“They may not come to church, but they see it in a real-life situation,” she said. “The ultimate goal is to realize that we all have areas that we need to work on. We have a lot of people who recommit their lives to Christ and see hope through the production.
“Ultimately, our goal here is to tell people about Christ.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.