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Set in the opulent yet perilous Persian empire, Sight & Sound Theatres’ original production Queen Esther is a captivating tale of beauty and bravery. This riveting story is scheduled to come to life in 2020 with magnificent sets, special effects and live animals on stage.

Katie Miller, corporate communications manager, shared that state-of-the-art technology and the fine attention to detail brings these original stagings of Biblical stories to life in an engaging way for students. “Sight & Sound is truly an immersive experience — audiences find themselves in the heart of the story as it unfolds all around them,” she said.

Sight & Sound Theatres’ experience in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, begins with a 2,000-seat auditorium and a 300-foot stage that surrounds the audience on three sides. In Queen Esther, the palace set where most of the story takes place is the single largest moving set piece ever built by the company. In its closed position, it is about 70 feet wide, 41 feet deep and 37 feet tall.

Sight & Sound Theatres Lancaster, Pa
Sight & Sound Theatres, Lancaster, Pa.
Credit: Sight & Sound Theatres

“At Sight & Sound we are passionate about connecting people to scriptures, reminding them that the Bible is just as relevant as it ever has been,” Miller said. “We can’t take credit for the stories we tell — they’ve been changing lives for thousands of years — we just get the opportunity to tell them in a spectacular and entertaining way.”

Auditions for the 45-member cast drew applicants from across the country and around the globe. These actors are joined on-stage by a menagerie of animals, including two Afghan hounds who will serve as Queen Esther’s pets, camels, llamas, donkeys and miniature horses.

The sheer scale of the sets and cast combined with beautiful costumes — Queen Esther features 346 costume designs for 959 costumes and 3,210 costume pieces — and original music all contribute to transporting theater-goers to the world of the story.

Each year, Sight & Sound Theatres draws audiences of 1.5 million. “If we can help a student to see themselves reflected in the characters on our stage, and in doing so bring the Bible to life in a real way for them, then we’ve done what we aspire to do every day,” Miller said.

Sight & Sound also has a theater in Branson, Missouri.

For more information on Sight & Sound Theatres call 800-377-1277 or go to sight-sound.com

Article by Michael McLaughlin