Child of the Promise production wildly successful despite challenges

Thanksgiving weekend. While most folks are relaxing from too much eating with their families, over 100 musicians, vocalists, producers and technical staff were working very hard to produce and exemplary production at the Hartland Performing Arts Center in Hartland, MI.

The Child of the Promise is a live musical production with the purpose to raise funds for the non-profit group Love In The Name of Christ.  This was the third year for the production, which has featured professional musicians and vocalists from as close as your next door neighbor, to as far away as Indiana.

The primary challenge each year is multilayered.  Most live productions of this scale have weeks of set up, preparation and rehearsals in the very theater the production will be experienced by the public.  Further, annual productions usually return to the same venue to maximize efficiency and fine-tune the production to the theater itself.  

Not Child of the Promise.  

The entire cast and crew had only five half days to bring it to life in the auditorium, and, had to do so in a completely different auditorium each and every year!  Further complicating things was a limited budget of which many of the items are borrowed from a variety of sources, and, each venue has multiple events occurring simultaneously. 

This year was particularly challenging as The River Community Church, known for it's high production services, ended their last service on Sunday at 1pm, with the COTP production slated to begin at 3:30p. This meant that The River had to clear out their entire stage set up, and COTP had to set up every chair, mic, cable, with the entire cast ready for sound check in less than 2 hours!  It went off without a hitch and wouldn't have happened with out cooperation, assistance and good will between both groups.

Sharing is always hard to do, because so many little details can be forgotten very easily, I know this from personal experience having managed that auditorium from '08 to '12.  It can get pretty frustrating for everyone involved, but the other churches and groups that shared the same space with COPT, lent their equipment, and even took time away from their own set up and rehearsals have been exemplary.  Without their assistance, grace and support, the production would have been a debacle every year!

"Most people have no idea of how much time and energy goes into a coordinating a production of this scale, but that's ok," explained Jenni Curtin, director. "All we want is for the audience to be inspired by the truth and birth of Jesus Christ this music brings to life, and to motivate everyone to financially support Love INC- that's the goal, and in that order."

It's very inspiring to see dozens of groups and churches supporting this production together every year, by action and not just word, for something outside of their individual organizations. Love INC has managed to unify over 50 churches and groups with this production, and for that they have my upmost respect and admiration.

For more information about Love In The Name of Christ, please visit their website: http://www.livingstonloveinc.org

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