For the past five years The World That Love Built group has written and produced their own musicals featuring Enoch the Elephant. The stories mainly focused on issues for younger children, which left the teenagers in the cast hungry for something that would relate to them, and that was more on a young-adult level.
Last July, Bobbie Helland, the group’s artistic director, was introduced to David and Karen Mains’ story, “Tales of the Kingdom,” and realized that this work would have a tremendous impact on the kids if they could receive permission to turn it into a theatrical work. (There was no pre-written script.) Much to her surprise, they got the go-ahead from the Mains.
“I don’t know why [we received permission],” said Helland. “The Lord clearly is leading us in this direction.”
As she anticipated, Helland said the teenagers in the 28-member cast felt a renewal of their relationships with Jesus Christ as a result of the powerful symbolism and allegory in this remarkable story. Pete Zindler produces this adaptation from the popular book. The main character spends his entire time trying to find the King (played by Taylor Abeel): To see him to recognize him in his many disguises. He had been raised in the Enchanted City under the Enchanter (Jason Lekas) where seeing is believing, but where the King rules, believing is seeing.
The lead character, Hero (Joshua Anderson), meets many caring and insightful characters in the Kingdom such as Mercie (Dolores Mortier), Princess Amanda (Danielle Carter), Dirty (Amanda Helland), Caretaker (Terrence Reeves) and the Chief Baker (Danny Stapp). Hero embarks on his own spiritual journey to truly and powerfully see his Lord in everything.
The group ranges in age from five years old to 18 years old and has taken excerpts from the story to local churches where they invited the audience to follow the King themselves. They have also written Sunday School lessons revolving around the lessons in the story and taught them to their peers. They keep sharing the importance of knowing and following the King personally, not believing in their parents’ God.
“Pete and I have been stunned by their (the actors’) excitement and grasp of the story,” Helland explained. “Last year they were only interested in being on stage. This year, they want to minister. There is a hunger in them that God is so graciously filling through this powerful story. It has made their faith and their walk with Jesus Christ come alive. It is our prayer that our audiences will experience the same thing.”
“Tales of the Kingdom” will show at the Charles R. Nunn Performing Arts Center in Ramona, on February 20-22 and 27-March 1. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7 p.m. and Sundays’ shows are at 5 p.m.
