37 Year Old Passion Play Goes Virtual

www.utrpro.com

For 37 years, Indy based, Upon This Rock Productions (UTR) has hosted their annual passion play at Clowes Memorial Hall, and Pike Performing Arts Center, in Indianapolis, IN. This stirring production has drawn busloads of patrons from across the Midwest, and as far away as Buffalo, NY. 

As the pandemic reached our shores, every theatre across the country went dark, affecting plans to take UTR to Louisville’s Palace Theatre and Indy’s Pike Performing Arts Center in 2020.

This abrupt halt necessitated issuing refunds to many of our patrons.  Anticipation of uyet another powerful Upon This Rock experience was shattered by circumstances beyond our control. However, what appeared to be the end of a three-decade plus performing arts ministry, was just the beginning of a new direction.  

An executive decision was made to launch another “first”; a virtual UTR production with the propensity to reach not only the Midwest, but across the nation and around the world.

The idea was pure genius. Film a virtual production comprised of the best of UTR, with a powerful, professional cast and employing the best and brightest engineers.

Over two days, nine vignettes were filmed, highlighting powerful, dramatic, musical scenes, featuring biblical characters and their encounter with Jesus leading up to his death, burial, and resurrection. 

This year, UTR will not only feature the biblical past, but marry it with a correlative present.  At the end of each vignette, a 21st century testimony follows.

Upon This Rock; “The Jesus Encounter: Up Close and Personal” will be presented Easter weekend with three performances, April 2, 3 & 4, 2021.

Managing Director and local Pastor, A. Thomas Hill states; “The pandemic was responsible for a shut down in 2020 but, God has inspired an exciting rebound in 2021”. 

Tickets for the virtual passion play are available online at www.utrpro.com.  The weekend performances will be hosted live with UTR’s brother and sister team; Executive Director, Sharon Thompson-Hill, and Managing Director, A. Thomas Hill. 

As a bonus, the performance will air three times over the Easter weekend giving ticket holders the option of viewing one or all three days.