On May 6, more than 100 attendees filled Fellowship Hall in the Alumni Student Center on Moody Bible Institute’s Chicago campus. The standing-room-only-turnout was for Assistant Professor Kelli Worrall’s Advanced Drama class’ spring final presentations. Twenty-two students performed three play cuttings and one student-written piece. Seven of the students served as directors, choosing a script, holding auditions and leading practices.

“From this class, I gained the experience of directing and setting a stage. I learned the importance of encouraging the actors and how to correct them without hurting their feelings,” stated Lulu He, sophomore electronic media major and co-director of the selection from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. “I want to use media to spread the gospel and help Christians grow spiritually. It's very helpful to have the knowledge and experience in acting and directing.”

Kevin Loughrin, senior pastoral studies major, directed and acted in a piece he wrote titled, “Room for Cream.” With Worrall’s help, Loughrin wrote the script during his creative writing internship in preparation for future ministry. Kjieri Rehn, senior world missions and evangelism major, co-directed The Importance of Being Earnest with He. Anna Connelly, senior Bible major, and Liz Henderson, senior communications major, co-directed a cutting from Rope, the 1929 British stage play by Patrick Hamilton. The fourth piece was from Our Town, the classic 1930s play by Thorton Wilder, and was directed by Ash SanFilippo, senior educational ministries major, and Elijah Turrell, sophomore pastoral studies major.

“I appreciated the different styles of acting in the stories, from funny and lighthearted to serious and suspenseful,” said David Hicks, freshman electronic media major, who attended the performances. “A lot of students…have God-given creative abilities, and Moody classes should continue to sharpen those abilities and give an outlet for creative ministry.”

-Marcus A. Constantine, Junior, Pastoral Studies