Ancient Israelite Dramas

Ancient Israelite Dramas
taken from the Old Testament

Ancient Israelite dramas by Jeff Barker, Northwestern playwright and Iowa Professor of the Year, explore the possibility that the Old Testament might be a book of plays.

Barker is collaborating with Dr. Tom Boogaart, professor of Old Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich., to restore some of these ancient Israelite dramas, drawn from the King James Version, to the stage.

Boogaart saw Barker’s initial attempts at the 2003 Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA) national conference and said: “I was not prepared for the impact it made on me. It’s not enough to read texts and simply imagine. We need to perform them. And this is not true just for me; it’s true for everyone in the church.”

Northwestern’s Drama Ministries Ensemble has performed across the United States, including Off-Broadway in New York and at the Crystal Cathedral. Northwestern College’s nationally recognized theatre program offers programs in theatre, speech and Christian theatre ministries.