Calvary Assembly of God announces Easter production April 1-5

The Creative Arts Ministry of Calvary Assembly of God in Dover has announced that this year’s Easter production will be "The Battle: Exposing the Darkness," to be presented at 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, April 1, 2, 3 and 4, with a 3 p.m. matinee Saturday, April 4, and a special 10:30 a.m. performance Easter Sunday, April 5, in Calvary’s state-of-the-art sanctuary theater, 1141 E. Lebanon Road, at the intersection of Route 10 and South State Street, Dover.

Team-directed by Dee Gleason, Yasmin and Josh Walton, Terrence Savagel and Ally Deihl, “The Battle” is a new original musical drama created by Calvary’s Creative Arts team. Based on the biblical account of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, the dramatic musical is set in the first century.

“We’ve returned to the traditional telling of the Easter story - but with a twist,” said Executive Producer Angela Coon. “We pull back the curtain to reveal another dimension at work in telling of the Passion of Christ. There were always other unseen characters involved - and they will now be revealed.”

The main scenes are familiar, telling the core story of Christ’s ministry: the Temptation, the Calling, Feeding of the 5,000, the Last Supper, Crucifixion and the Battle and Resurrection. “The twist comes in additional scenes showing the plot of Lucifer and his demons to discredit and destroy the son of God and his ministry, culminating in a fierce battle revealing the one who is fighting for us, pushing back the darkness, overcoming evil, and worthy of our praise now, today,” Coon said.

Featured players include Chuck DeHoff as Jesus, Idalis Stamas as Lucifer, Jeo Fernandez and Zach Faust as the Demons, Thomas Plummer as Matthew, Danny Ortiz as Peter, Johnnie Andrews as John, John Edwards as James, Chris Nissley as Judas, Julia Cottuli as Jesus’ mother Mary, and Caitlyn DeHoff as Mary Magdalene.

Contemporary music includes Chris Tomlin’s "I Will Follow," Kari Jobe’s "Forever," and Darlene Zschech’s "In Jesus' Name."

Crew includes stage manager Ally Deihl, stage crew manager DJ Buckner, costumer Bernadette Brown, technical director Josh Walton, art director Robin Lear, music director Steve Woodworth and make-up director Carol Bradley.

Admission is free and open to all, with no reserved seating. Doors open one hour before performances, but seats fill up quickly, so audience members are encouraged to arrive early for the best seats. Nursery care is available.

The Creative Arts Ministry at Calvary Assembly of God was founded in 1983 by Angela Coon as a means of conveying the Gospel through works of theater with Christian themes. Since 1988, CAM has put on large-scale productions at Easter and Christmas.

Inspired by the grand scale of productions by Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, Pa., CAM produces two large musicals each year at Easter and Christmas.

For more information, call 302-697-7776 or go to www.calvarydover.org.