Congratulations 2025 Festival Winners!
Best Full Length Play: It Is Well By Danielle Stewart
Best One Act Play: Christmastown by Shelby Chappell
Best Musical: Surrender By Jess Day and Lauri Lou Borges
Best One-man-show: Gladys Aylward By Rachael Northrop
Best Song from a Musical: Tethered Wings by Rachael Northrop
Best Student Play: A Not So Grim Fairy Tale
by Joanna Keenan, Alaina Hofberger, Emma Burke and Jane Burke
2025 SPEAKERS
Jordan Scott Gilbert
Award Winning Broadway Producer
Noah Stratton
President
The Academy of Arts
Alisha Burke
Award Winning Actress and Singer
Stephen Joseph Burke
Artistic Director
Shining Light Players
Clarence Pape
Award Winning Actor
Kerry Fager
Dancer/Actor
Arise Collective Theatre
Festival Schedule 2025:
Jordan Scott Gilbert: From Broadway to the Narrow Way
7:00 PM, Thursday November 13
New Testament Fellowship
Session 1
Sessions 1-4 will be held at Family Baptist Church
Friday 6-9 PM (NOTE THE TIME CHANGE)
Speaker: Alisha Burke
One Act Play Reading: Christmastown (by Shelby Chappell)
Song From a Musical: Tethered Wings (By Rachael Northrop)
Full Length Play Reading: Life of Robert Smith (By Dane Stewart)
Student Play: The Tragedy of John Wilkes Booth (By Justus Jaggy)
Musical/ Song from a Musical: Sleepy Village from Leviathan (By Aaron and Beth Alsmeyer)
Speaker: Kerry Fager
One Woman Show: This Precious Life (By Tiffany Rott)
Session 2
Saturday 9-12 AM
Speaker: Clarence Pape
Student Play: A Not So Grimm Fairy Tale (By Joanna Keenan, Emma Burke, Jane Burke and Alaina Hofberger)
Musical: The Christmas Story as Told by Lady Wisdom (By Leah Leal)
One Act Play: Make it Count (By Jess Day)
Speaker: Jordan Scott Gilbert
Full Length Play Reading: It is Well (By Danielle Stewart)
One Man Show: Theif in Paradise and Good Tidings (By Michael Sallmen)
Musical: Jonah, scene 3 (By Robin McLaughlin Conine and Abigail Van Patter Kooiman)
Session 3
Saturday 2-5 PM
Song from a Musical: The Girl Who Holds the Pen (By Graham Donahue)
Full Length Play Reading: Freiheit the Legacy of Sophia Scholl (By Shelby Chappell)
One Act Play Reading: Jobs Last Stand (By Elisabeth Van Etten)
Student Play Reading: In These Times
Musical: Surrender (By Jess Day and Lauri Lou Borges)
One Woman Show: Gladys Aylward (By Rachael Northrop)
Full Length Play Reading: Rainbow Valley
Session 4
Saturday 7-9 PM
Speaker: Stephen Joseph Burke
Song from a Musical: Listen to the Wind (By Dave Gipson)
Speaker: Noah Stratton
One Act Play Reading: The Woman with the Issue of Blood (By Deirdre Van Meter and Clarence Pape)
Musical: Audience of One (By Alisa Blair)
Awards
2025 Official Selections
Due to time constraints not every selection will be read/performed live at the festival. Portions of some works will be presented, and short videos of musicals will be shared along with a brief description of the work
Some of the selections are available to view online. Click the title to watch.
Full Length Plays:
Rainbow Valley (By Graham Donahue, adapted from the novel by L.M. Montgomery)
Freiheit the Legacy of Sophia Scholl (By Shelby Chappell)
Life of Robert Smith (By Dane Stewart)
It Is Well (By Danielle Stewart)
Musicals:
Leviathan (Book by Aaron and Beth Alsmeyer, Music and Lyrics by Aaron Alsmeyer)
The Christmas Story as Told by Lady Wisdom (By Leah Leal)
Surrender (By Jess Day and Lauri Lou Borges)
Audience of One (By Alisa Blair)
Jonah Scene 3 (By Robin McLaughlin Conine and Abigail Van Patter Kooiman)
One Act Plays:
Christmastown (By Shelby Chappell)
Make It Count (By Jess Day)
Job's Last Stand (By Elisabeth Van Etten)
Esther (By Clarence Pape)
The Woman with the Issue of Blood (By Deirdre Van Meter and Clarence Pape)
Student Plays:
A Not So Grimm Fairytale (By Joanna Keenan, Emma Burke, Jane Burke and Alaina Hofberger)
In These Times (By Nathan Tabor)
The Tragedy of John Wilkes Booth (By Justus Jaggy)
Songs from a Musical:
Sleepy Village (From Leviathan by Aaron Alsmeyer)
The Girl Who Holds the Pen (From Little Women by Graham Donahue)
Listen to the Wind (From Home Before Dark by Dave Gipson)
A Miracle Might Take Time (From Home Before Dark by Dave Gipson)
Famous Last Words (From Home Before Dark by Dave Gipson)
Tethered Wings (From the upcoming musical Forgiven by Jess Day, words and music by Rachael Northrop)
Live Our Lives Before You (From the musical Audience of One by Alisa Blair)
One Man/One Woman Shows:
This Precious Life (By Tiffany Rott)
Good Tidings (By Michael Sallmen)
Thief in Paradise (By Michael Sallmen)
Gladys Aylward (By Rachael Northrop)
