“Celebrating the Arts” at Nativity Lutheran Church, North Conway, NH

Expressing Faith through Creativity

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was presented in March 2007 at Nativity, North Conway, N.H. The production, sponsored by Celebrating the Arts at Nativity, was directed by Karen Minkkinen Page, the church's director of music. More than 400 people attended the five performances. Presented free of charge, a free-will offering was accepted to help defray expenses. After expenses were met, more than $500 was donated from the proceeds to hunger-related non-profit organizations. The congregation also provided complementary refreshments and served as ushers and greeters, providing valuable fellowship opportunities before and after the performances, as well as during intermission.

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tells the Old Testament story of Jacob and his 12 sons, especially Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. It is a story of sibling rivalry, jealousy, honesty, forgiveness, redemption, love and gratitude. It’s a story about refugees and about hunger. Using a variety of musical styles from country and western, to rock, to calypso, Webber and Rice chronicle Joseph’s life as he travels from his family home in Canaan to Egypt where he rises from prison to become Pharaoh’s right-hand man. The cast, led by Page and local amateur theater director Susie Mosca, ranged in age from six to 80 and comprised members of Nativity, as well as performers from area communities in New Hampshire and Maine.

Celebrating the Arts at Nativity is a cross-team ministry initiative linking Nativity’s education, evangelism, and worship and music teams. The arts in the church offer another entry point for people to become involved and engaged in the community as they travel on their faith journeys. Celebrating the Arts also seeks to find ways in which Nativity's facilities can be used by community groups needing a place for performances, classes, or rehearsals.

Other events sponsored by Celebrating the Arts included the 2nd Annual Resurrection Art Show – an opportunity to express the Easter story through a picture, a photograph, a sculpture, a narrative, a poem, a script for a short play, a symbolic story, or any other creative form – and a concert by North Conway's Mountain Top Community Orchestra.