Remembering 13 Years of Fun and Laughter
By Carole Deck
“It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.” -Thomas Robert Gaines, author
Milly Bomberger, a faithful church member and leader, had a dream. She envisioned our church doing a dinner theatre to bring more people in the doors to share food, fellowship, and an evening of entertainment. Milly pulled together a team of volunteers willing to do the many tasks involved in the endeavor.
Since I had theatre experience, she convinced me to join her in the first production in December 1997. My role was to tackle the theatrical side while she handled the dinner details.
The overwhelming response from the first dinner theatre led to the launch of the LCOB Performing Arts. A summer production was added in 1998 with an extra performance added to the December one. People on waiting lists for seats resulted in adding a third night in 2001.
While it takes a village to raise a child, it takes dedicated volunteers to produce a successful dinner theatre. We were so blessed to have over 100 people who willingly contributed their time and skills for each production. All were members or attended our church. It was an event in the church life of this congregation that united people from all our worship services.
A total of 78 actors with 31 children performed on our stage. Only five of the cast members had any prior acting experience. But all were willing to take direction and be trained in characterization, projection, blocking, and memorization skills. Many exceeded my expectations and became seasoned actors over the years. These Christians didn’t seek fame and fortune but found joy in using their talent to glorify God through the ministry.
Since God gave us the gift of laughter, I chose plays that were slice of life comedies, some Broadway and off Broadway. Many people told us how they were blessed by an evening of laughter.
Over 20,000 people attended the dinner and shows which went beyond church walls. More than half of the audiences were not from our church. Guests came from nine Pennsylvania counties and six states.
To everything there is a season . . . and in 2009 the final curtain came down on the LCOB Performing Arts. Wanting to end on a good note, I knew it was time. Writing the play Happy Endings for our final production was a wonderful experience and was selected for publishing by a Christian play publisher.
It was a God-given privilege to be part of what was supposed to be a one-time Christmas event that continued for a successful 13-year run with 25 theatrical productions. After expenses, over $60,000 was contributed from the dinner theatre funds for various church needs and outreach ministries.
If you enjoy witty writing, amazing acting, and lots of laughter, contact me to view one of the show videos on your VCR, laptop, or desktop computer.
Note: After regular productions ended The Rainbow Cruise, a one-night musical dinner theatre (script written by Carole Deck), attracted an audience of 250 on May 7, 2010.