Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Song, Dance, Faith: For 50 years, theater company has thrived on a play and a prayer.

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There are times when actors must resort to prayer.

Like when they’re waiting for other actors to make their entrance not knowing they’re backstage playing cards, or when they forget their lines. At Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center (HCPAC) in Middletown, prayer comes with the territory.

“If there is anything we’d like to stress as an organization, it’s that our goal is to make Christ known backstage, onstage and offstage,” said Jessica K. Burger, HCPAC’s artistic director and executive producer. “We are passionate about three things—the Lord Jesus Christ, students and theater. Combine the three, and you have a unique formula for impacting our culture and our world.”

Burger has led a life full of both performance and prayer. Trained in music education, vocal performance and the Bible, Burger worked professionally as an actress for several years, most notably as a member of the national touring troupe the A.D. Players, based in Houston. Before starting her family, she had served as the artistic director and executive producer for eight years of the then-named Youth for Christ, a full theater arts program. In 2010, it was renamed HCPAC. Last November, the ministry celebrated its 50th anniversary.

While HCPAC produces some smaller productions, it aims to involve as many people as possible who want to take part and, in fact, takes special pride in not excluding anyone. At a recent performance of the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” the vast stage was filled—end to end—with singers and dancers. Before that, its production of “Little Mermaid Jr.” had a cast of 120 third- through ninth-graders.

“This is not an unusual size cast for us,” Burger explains. “The challenge of having large numbers on stage is that we want to help each student reach their highest potential. To accomplish that, we must be intentional with the educational process. It requires many volunteers to accomplish this task effectively.”

Education is key with the organization, and applying lessons while in rehearsal is an important component. When the group produced the musical “Titanic,” both in 2004 and 2013, part of the lesson was examining the history of the horrific event through the lives of the people who lived or died. 

Another example was the 2009 production of “Les Miserables,” which proved riveting for both performers and audience because of its story of grace and redemption. “Ragtime,” performed in 2007, stretched the bounds of what content could be brought to the stage, according to Burger, in its examination of race relations in America’s melting pot. Last year’s “Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.” was high energy and had young students learning tap and stretching their performance abilities.

“The largest production that we have undertaken was ‘Seussical the Musical’ in 2006, with 238 people auditioning,” Burger recalls. “With this show, we saw tremendous growth in both our ministry numbers and its ability to achieve greatness.”

An upcoming show, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” features seventh- through 12th– graders, who will take to the stage Jan. 10 to 12. Open auditions for “Come Running,” the 41st annual, original Passion Play, with sixth grade to collegiate student performers, will be held Jan. 2 and Jan. 4, with performances in April.

Like any theater in these economic times, HCPAC’s biggest challenge is its limited budget. Large casts require a great deal of costuming and space, Burger says. Costumes have to be stored in the rehearsal rooms, and set construction and changeover can be demanding on a volunteer staff when there are always three to four productions in rehearsal at any given time. The constraints sometimes force casts to rehearse at other venues.

But, somehow, talent, confidence and a prayer or two have seemed to make it all work at HCPAC.

“We want to fortify HCPAC to expand our reach in the community for at least 50 more years,” Burger muses. “We plan to continue to grow and move forward with the call to uniquely minister to students, young adults and their families.”

Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center, 1000 S. Eisenhower Blvd, Middletown, 717-939-9333, www.hbg-cpac.org.

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