2008 Year in Review

Ebenezer Reformed Church to Host Old Testament Plays

The Northwestern College touring theatre company, which has performed off-Broadway and at the Crystal Cathedral, is performing ancient Israelite dramas taken from the Old Testament on their current tour, "Goliath and Other Foes."

Ebenezer Reformed Church, Morrison, will host a performance of "Goliath and Other Foes: Ancient Plays of Israel," taken from the Old Testament, on Friday, July 18, at 7 p.m. The show is free, and community members are invited.

The plays will be performed by the Drama Ministries Ensemble of Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa, as part of the company's eight-week tour of 11 central U.S. states from Colorado to Kentucky.

"Goliath and Other Foes" emerged from ongoing collaboration between Northwestern College theatre professor Jeff Barker, playwright and DME director, and Dr. Tom Boogaart, professor of Old Testament at Western Seminary, Holland, Mich.

Boogaart thinks some Old Testament texts are intended to be watched rather than read. Barker has been testing Boogaart's theory by scripting Old Testament texts into worship dramas and productions like "David and Goliath" and the musical "Terror Texts," which explores some of the more mysterious and violent stories of the Bible.

Northwestern's Drama Ministries Ensemble has performed across the United States, including off-Broadway in New York and at the Crystal Cathedral. Northwestern College's nationally recognized theatre program offers programs in theatre, speech and Christian theatre ministries.

Northwestern is a Christian college of 1,300 students. Rated a top-10 Midwestern comprehensive college by U.S. News & World Report magazine, Northwestern provides an education that combines academic rigor with a faith perspective.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
July 10, 2008