Happening in the Greathouse Theatre, “40 Acres” is Asbury Theatre’s newest production. Written by Asbury’s own Dr. Jim Shores, the play tells the story of the MacIntosh family moving to a new suburb and joining Cornerstone Church. It is here that they discover an unexpected connection to the church’s history that challenges their understanding of faith and community.
Shores himself said about the play, “The inspiration for the show came from an embrace conference in 2021 where Michael Emerson talked about how white evangelicals, when presented with a Bible on how to treat the poor or immigrant, 75% would choose the cultural choice over the biblical response. No other group would do that, Catholics, mainline denomination and more. It was glaringly white evangelicals.” From there he did more research into it and was deeply bothered by what he found. Shores also said, “I was praying about it. I was like, ‘well what can I do about it?’ Then I heard a voice from God saying, ‘you could write.’”
Before the opening show on Saturday, there was a block party called “Who is your Neighbor?” put on by the Communications Department. Guests were invited to the Greathouse Theatre to enjoy food, music and a sense of community before going to see the show at 7:30 p.m. When asked about his happiest moment on opening night, Shores said, “A great memory is walking out afterwards on opening night and the atmosphere and conversations that were happening. The show was written as a conversation starter and it did my heart good.” The show connected with audiences and created a space for open discussion.
The cast and crew within the show also recognize the importance of the show. Abby Olsen, who plays Mia Macintosh, is excited to be the first person to play this character. She said, “It was nerve wracking at first because this is a new play. It’s never been done before. And I auditioned going into that, knowing if I was casted, I was going to be an original cast member. But, I’m surrounded by people who have full faith in us.” Jazmyn Lorentzen, playing Cathleen, shares similar emotions. When asked about her favorite memory from the show, she said, “The first day where the cast was really getting into it. We were memorized and the leads were doing a really great job and getting super fired up about the show.”
Bek Askey is the stage manager for the show, the person who is in charge of the technical side of the show. Regarding her role, she said, “There’s a lot of little details involved, like we have benches that turn into tables and we have a rig cemetery that gets cold and hidden. We are technically using almost all the lights we have because it’s a very long stage.”
The stage itself is very different from the traditional format of a theatre. The audience is essentially set up like a basketball court, with chairs set on each side and two smaller stages on both ends of the room. Assistant Stage Manager Ivy Romines said about her experience, “It’s been very fulfilling and fun. It’s been a lot, but all of it has been good.”
If interested in seeing the show, “40 Acres” runs its last weekend starting November 13 through the 15. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at a link on the Asbury Theatre’s social media bios or at the door, depending on availability. All are welcome.
Photo courtesy of Alanna May.
