Leesburg Lighthouse Productions was a product of several families at Leesburg Presbyterian Church. Most of us were in our thirties with children and wanted to participate in an activity that our children could be involved in and was suitable for them as well.
We decided to start theater in the church. Theater had been done at Leesburg previously with the youth group as well as Christmas productions. So we had some basis to start out with. Our first production was a mini drama called “A Little Dinner Magic” along with various sketches involving all age groups. We decided to serve baked potatoes along with pie for dessert. This was the beginning of our dinner theater. We held it in our old basement and had sound produced with old equipment. If you touched certain parts of this equipment, you would be electrically shocked.
At first, we only did spring productions. In 1990 we traveled to England to attend the World’s Christian Endeavor Convention. This trip inspired some of the group to want to perform something British. We researched and found an English tradition called the “Boars Head Festival”. This ceremony was usually performed with pomp and circumstance. We attended one in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania that was wonderfully performed with elegant costuming, orchestra and singing. We at Leesburg did not think that we wanted to perform something of that magnitude or attitude. We researched one that fit our personalities. This was one of celebration along with dinner, fun and fellowship!
Since that first show, we have performed this production four other times with various age groups involved.
Currently, we perform a spring dinner theater as well as a fall production. We serve a full dinner with a full-length play afterwards. Please see our schedule for upcoming plays.
Goals
We want to glorify God in every production that we perform. This does not mean that we do a “religious” play all the time. We do mean to act out the plays in a manner that is pleasing to God!
We want to involve all age groups in our productions. Our church is a family and family means various ages represented.
We want to teach our members through the disciplines of theater. They are required to memorize their lines and are required to work with others in the production. This causes some to have stress, but they know that the end result is a wonderful production!
We intend to meet a need in our community and that need is entertainment that is clean and enjoyable. At the same time, we hope to inspire and teach our audience.
Finally, the monies that are raised through the Dinner Theater are used to support mission work here in western Pennsylvania as well as in
other parts of the world.
Following is a short list of the plays and dates performed:
- A Little Dinner Magic (1987)
- The Sobbing Stone (1988, 1998)
- The Robe (1989, 2002)
- A Man Called Peter (1990)
- The Boar’s Head Madrigal Dinner (1990, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006)
- One Foot in Heaven (1991, 2003)
- Papa was a Preacher (1992)
- A Christmas Carol (1993, 2003)
- The Magician’s Nephew (1994, 2000)
- Christmas in Avonlea (1995)
- The Case of the Mysterious Benefactor (1996)
- You Can’t Take it with You (1997)
- God is in Control (1998)
- Butterfly Kisses (1999)
- Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1999, 2004)
- Living It Up (2001)
- Perspectives of Christmas/Open Hearts in Bethlehem (2002)
- The Mystery of Montley’s Manor (2004)
- Good Lord’s Willing & The Creek Don’t Rise (2005)
- The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (2005)
- Barbecuing Hamlet (2006)
- The Case of the Show Stopping Nun Nabber (2007)
- Doc’s Holiday (2007)