Immanuel UCC Brings Obie Award-Winning Play “The Christians” to Shillington

The Immanuel UCC Gift of the Arts program will bring Lucas Hnath’s 2015 play, “The Christians,” directed by John Gancar, to the church, located at 99 S. Waverly St., Shillington, on Sept. 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.

Hnath’s play, which premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, received an Obie Award for excellence in playwriting and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. “The Christians” has been called “powerful,” “riveting,” and “utterly engrossing” by critics.

When Stephen Longenecker, director of music at Immanuel UCC since 2018, found “The Christians,” he immediately wanted to produce it. The story of a charismatic pastor of a megachurch, whose life changes when he encounters a stumbling block in his faith, features a small cast and a performing choir. When the pastor proposes a change in the church’s professed creed, chaos ensues as members are forced to confront their own beliefs.

“There’s an unveiling of motivations that is painful to watch,” Longenecker said. “But you can relate. You wrestle with this internally, whether you’re a church member or not. . . It takes you on a thought journey. It’s the human experience.”

Gancar said  “it’s about a lot of things,” he said, “including beliefs people have about hell, heaven, and so on. Hnath never gives you an answer; there’s no real resolution. There are no good guys or bad guys. It has been very interesting to work on.” 

The cast for “The Christians” will include Richard Bradbury as the Pastor; with Kathleen Harris-Brantman as his wife, Isaiah Baker as the Associate Pastor, Kirk Lawrence as the Elder, and Rachel Himes-Dewalt as the Congregant. The Immanuel UCC Choir will perform as the play’s choir.

Each performance will be followed by an audience talkback. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at thechristians.eventbrite.com or at the door.