The Drama Ministries Ensemble (DME) of Northwestern College will present Sioux Center Sudan during Orange City’s Tulip Festival May 17–19. The one-hour play will be presented all three days at 4 p.m. in the college’s award-winning DeWitt Theatre Arts Center. Sioux Center Sudan, by Northwestern playwright Jeff Barker, tells the story of Iowan Arlene Schuiteman, who was a missionary to the Sudan in the 1950s. Schuiteman was thrown out of the Sudan in 1963 when civil war began, but while she ministered elsewhere, her heart remained with her Sudanese friends.
The Tulip Festival performances are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available at the Windmill Park information booth and the DeWitt Theatre box office.
The DME will also perform Sioux Center Sudan at Immanuel Christian Reformed Church, Orange City, on Sunday, May 20, at 6 p.m. Community members are invited to that performance as well.
The festival performances kick off the theatre company’s international tour, which will continue through Aug. 7. In addition to performances throughout the eastern U.S., including at three national conferences, the troupe will also perform at Japanese churches and schools from May 28 to June 9.
In addition to Sioux Center Sudan, the company is also performing ancient Israelite dramas from the Old Testament and enacted prayer. Company members will also lead workshops on topics such as storied worship and writing real life dramas for churches who want to learn more about integrating the arts with worship.
Northwestern’s DME has been touring throughout the summer since 2000. They have performed off-Broadway in New York and at the Crystal Cathedral.
