2025 Official Selections

Stephen Joseph Burke

Artistic Director

Shining Light Players

Noah Stratton

President

The Academy of Arts

Alisha Burke

Award Winning Actress and Singer

Kerry Fager

Dancer/Actor

Arise Collective Theatre

Jordan Scott Gilbert

Award Winning Broadway Producer

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

Clarence Pape

Award Winning Actor

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

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)