Wilshire Baptist Church will present The Christians Feb. 15 and 17.
Nancy Poynter was a favorite of students during her 20 years teaching high school theater. She’s retired now, but she still stages thought-provoking theatrical events. For the past decade, Poynter has directed Wilshire Baptist Church’s Faith in 3D initiative, an evening of drama, dialogue and desserts. Wilshire will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Faith in 3D with a full-length production of Lucas Hnath’s The Christians this month.
“The original idea was to leverage the considerable talents of Nancy Poynter and our faith community, some of whom are her former students, to stage dramatic productions to stimulate important conversations among our broader community of friends and neighbors,” says Mark Wingfield, a former associate pastor who helped launch the program in 2014. “Nancy brings her years of teaching experience to create a serious theatrical experience in a church setting that allows us to wrestle with difficult theological challenges using the power of theater to move beyond words to ideas.”
Faith in 3D is free and open to the public. Following each performance, a host leads the audience in a brief conversation exploring key themes in the work and implications for today’s world.
Megan Wilson graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and participated in their acclaimed theater department. She’s been in the cast of nine performances directed by Poynter.
“Nancy’s passion is infectious, and the time and effort she puts into each project is truly inspiring,” says Wilson. “She is a treasure!”
Over the last decade, Faith in 3D has staged scenes from notable works including All My Sons and The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, To Whom It May Concern by Carol Hall, and the satirical musical comedy Pompeii!! written by Dallas playwright and actor Max Hartman, a former student of Poynter. During the pandemic, Poynter conceived a purely Zoom video adaptation of Anthony Clarvoe’s plague-themed The Living. In addition to directing and producing the plays, Poynter writes all script adaptations and secures approval for licensing.
This year’s full-length production of The Christians will feature a 25-voice choir on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m. at Wilshire Baptist Church, 4316 Abrams Road. Run time is about 75 minutes, followed by dialogue and dessert.
