2021 Speakers:
Alisha Burke
Award Winning
Actress and Singer
Jordan Scott Gilbert
Award Winning
Broadway Producer
Rich Swingle
World renowned Film and Stage Actor
Nichole Stratton
Playwright, Actress
Artistic Director
The Logos Theatre
Stephen Joseph Burke
Playwright, Composer
Artistic Director
Shining Light Players
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS 2021:
Full Length Plays
Under the Shadow of His Wings
WINNER: BEST FULL LENGTH PLAY
A staged reading of the full length play based on the book of Ruth by Melissa Gayle
For perusal script and performance information contact Melissa Gayle:
melissagdameron@yahoo.com
The Transgressor Transformed: the story of Jerry McCauly
A full length play by Elisabeth Van Etten
For perusal script and performance information contact Elisabeth Van Etten:
ewriter73@gmail.com
Hadassah
A full length play by Shelby Chappell
For perusal script and performance information contact Shelby Chappell:
shelbyrchappell@gmail.com
One Act Plays
Noelle
WINNER: BEST ONE ACT PLAY
A one act Christmas play by Shelby Chappell
For perusal script and performance information contact Shelby Chappell:
shelbyrchappell@gmail.com
Christmas Behind the Scenes
A one act Christmas play by Rachael Northrop
For perusal script and performance information contact Rachael Northrop:
rachael.northrop@students.pcci.edu
Full Surrender
A one act play by Jess Day
For perusal script and performance information contact Jess Day:
dayjess81@yahoo.com
One Man/One Woman Shows
Judas
WINNER: BEST ONE MAN SHOW
A short monodrama by Michael Sallmen
For perusal script and performance information contact Michael Sallmen:
Michael@sallmen.com
Stop the World
A short one man show by Elisabeth Van Etten
For perusal script and performance information contact Elisabeth Van Etten:
ewriter73@gmail.com
Desired Progress in the blessed Pilgrimage
A full length monodrama on Susanah Spurgeon by Hannah Miller.
For perusal script and performance information contact Hannah Miller:
hummingknitter@gmail.com
Songs
"Little Did I Know"
WINNER: BEST SONG FROM A MUSICAL
by Amy Montecalvo
"More to Me"
by Amy Montecalvo
"Surely God is With Us"
An original song by Daniel Gowans and Lauri Lou Jones
The Playwrights:
Melissa Dameron
Melissa Gayle is a published author, dramatist, and thespian. Her devotional book ‘Til the Slipper Fits was published in 2012 with Tate Publishing and is scheduled for rerelease through Amazon in early 2022. Night of the Wolf, a Christian fiction novel she co-authored with William Crawford, is currently available on Amazon. Gayle spent years teaching acting, drama, and speech classes and directing plays and
musicals. She currently writes and directs the children’s programs at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Indianapolis, performs in the church’s Christmas cantata plays, homeschools her children, and supports them in their various activities. She lives in McCordsville, Indiana, with her husband and four boys.
Elisabeth Van Etten
Elisabeth Van Etten has felt called to share Christ through playwriting since she was twelve years old. Her scripts encourage the Christian while sharing the gospel with the lost. She is a published playwright with scripts performed across the United States and internationally. She received a bachelor's in Creative Writing from Bob Jones University and a master's in English Education from Pensacola Christian College. Currently, she manages “The Homeschool Minute” for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine while staying home with her children Evelyn, Richard, and Joseph. Elisabeth is thankful for the encouragement and support of her husband Nathan with all her writing endeavors. Her published works include the Christmas cantata An Unlikely Christmas Shepherd (Eldridge Plays and Musicals) and the one-act play Sightless Vision (Christian Publishers). She is thankful for the opportunity to share her scripts at the Pensacola Christian Theatre Festival. To contact Elisabeth about publishing an unpublished work, write ewriter73@gmail.com.
Amy Montecalvo
Amy graduated from South Carolina School of the Arts with her B.F.A. In Musical Theatre Performance. She has written and produced four musicals and has been teaching theatre, piano, voice, dance, and guitar for the past ten years. Growing up in ministry, she has a heart for reaching people through creativity and educating others on how they can use their gifts for Christ. The first origional children's musical that Amy produced is called Sunny Smiles. Amy perceived the need in the community for a Christ centered performing arts program and founded Creative Works Co. in September 2020. Her passion for every aspect of theatre propels Amy to work hard to share stories on the stage in a creative way.
Shelby Chappell
Shelby is an actress, director, and scriptwriter from Pensacola, Florida. She has been involved in over 25 shows, including “The Hiding Place” (Chorus, Thea, Mother, Betsie ten Boom understudy), “In His Steps” (Rachel Winslow, Grandmother Page), “Oliver Twist” (Nancy), “The Mikado” (Katisha), “Bands of Orion” (Vaishnavi), and “Wings of the Morning” (Vivian Hall/Zeresh). She has directed three plays, one of which was an original piece, “Ninety-Nine.” Shelby has a passion for theatre and loves creating stories that come alive onstage. She is currently finishing a Bachelor’s degree in Performance Studies at Pensacola Christian College and is looking to get a Master of Fine Arts degree as well. Shelby is extremely grateful for the gifts God has given; and the opportunities to share her love for theatre and passion for Christ.
Lauri Lou Jones
Lauri Lou Jones is a lyricist from Nova Scotia, Canada. With a background in music and English education, she has enjoyed collaborating with ministries like Patch the Pirate and Ben Everson Music. She loves working with students in finding their distinct writer’s voice and sharing poetry with her family and friends.
Daniel Gowans
Daniel Gowans, from Firestone, Colorado, is a composer, who has been writing and arranging music for the past decade. Originally a pianist, he began formally studying composition as a freshman in high-school and into college. He has worked with several ensembles throughout the years and has a passion for creating music.
Jess Day
Jess Day is a playwright from McDonough, Georgia. She is experienced in researching and writing historical and Christian fiction, script writing, and serving as stage manager in multiple theatre productions. Her full-length Broadway-style musical “Surrender” is in the final stages of pre-production.
Hannah Miller
As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved acting and performing, whether that be performing in the children’s church Christmas program or play acting with the neighbor kids and my siblings. It wasn’t until I went to college that I learned that my love of acting was my gift from God and that I could actually use that gift for Him to bless others. While in college, I was also blessed to be able to travel with the Shining Light Players on the first two summers they traveled and I learned even more with them. “Desired Progress in the Blessed Pilgrimage” was my graduate recital production, and that was a mountain to climb because I am no writer! The powerful message of it is truly my testimony of what one can do when you allow God to use your strengths and your weaknesses for Him.
