Biola Theatre 21 invites you to come out and enjoy a night of entertainment with their latest production As It Is In Heaven, a play by Arlene Hutton. There will be nine performances from March 29th through April 7th. A religious community is changed when a non-believer has an ecstatic experience sending the very orderly Shaker community into chaos!
The 1830’s Shaker society of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, is set in ordered ways. Their once dramatic form of worship has by now developed into routine. The arrival of Fanny upsets the harmony; the Sisters suspect her to be a “winter Shaker,” one who suddenly converts when life gets too hard on the farm. Fanny sees angels in the meadow, and soon all the young women are receiving spiritual “gifts” of songs, drawings, ideas and giggles, completely upsetting the community. The leaders question Fanny’s intentions and honesty: Is this a resurgence of the original Shaker celebration or something manufactured by Fanny so that she can remain with the Shakers? Eldress Hannah is jealous that she, the most devout of Shakers, has not been privileged to see the visions. But only the ones who question need visual proof. Whether they were heavenly or earthly, the angels were there. “Hands to Work, Hearts to God” is their motto, and in each scene, the Sisters are always at tasks. The set is as simple as the Shakers: benches, baskets, and laundry. Hymns sung a cappella punctuate the scenes of the play, which ends with a joyful explosion of Shaker singing and ecstatic dance.
American Theatre Web states “Hutton, who is best known for her charming Last Train to Nibroc, once again looks into a slice of Americana and a time when things seemingly were simpler while showing that even a ‘utopian’ existence such as the Shakers’ was not without complications…Hutton asks some universal questions about the nature of community and belief that are timeless and also prove to be good fodder for storytelling on stage…AS IT IS IN HEAVEN contains a story that deserves to be told.”
Theatre majors at Biola University have the opportunity to participate in dramatic productions through Theatre 21. This 94-seat performing arts venue can act as a launch pad for students’ creative and professional careers, as it is the primary home of Biola’s theatre program. The theatre offers high-quality dramatic productions each semester, which is open to Biola students, alumni, faculty, staff and the general public. Theatre 21 is located on the western edge of Biola’s La Mirada campus near the university’s main entrance. Parking is available along Biola Avenue or in Lot C.
Click here to purchase tickets to a performance of As It Is In Heaven.
Source: Biola University