Old Testament Bible Heroes is a 46 page musical play with 15 songs and 23 narrations and dialogues that can be produced very simply on a small stage or platform, which would be available in most schools and churches. It has actually been performed without a stage. In the productions that I have directed, we only used basic lighting. If available, occasional spotlights may be used, as desired, for the skits, dialogues, etc. I have always used 3 to 4 microphones in conjunction with the orchestral sound trax, which we replayed through a sound system. It is possible, however, to produce this with as little as a boom box, or to play the music live on a piano, keyboard or guitar, using the lead sheets. If available, a drummer and bass player may be added, making a contemporary rock band. There are no vocal harmonies; the music is simple, appropriate for group singing or solos, if desired. This musical contains a total of 23 narrations and dialogues of various lengths which may be performed by a series of chosen narrators. Most are interspersed throughout the book, but three of them are included as a prelude on the lead sheets with the songs. The songs including narration are "God's Creation", "God's Top Ten", and "Joshua and the Promised Land." Skits (actions during songs and narratives) are optional.Costumes are a major consideration in producing this play. They may be simple, for example, bath robes & bed sheets, or more elaborate, such as hand made or purchased costumes. Most characters require only a robe and head covering. A few characters may need more specialized costumes. For example, God could be dressed in a white robe and head covering, & Satan might wear a red sweat suit. Adam & Eve may wear beige sweat suits. Kings and queens would likely wear red or purple robes & crowns. Pharaoh might wear a knee length, short sleeved robe & triangular head dress. Samson could wear a long sleeved beige pullover shirt stuffed with "muscles," or a sleeveless or one shouldered robe. Delilah would wear bright colors, gold or silver jewelry, and exaggerated make up, with no head covering. Young David might wear a knee length robe, which was a shepherd's dress. Goliath might dress more like Samson with armor. The Witch of Endor, whom Saul went to visit, would be dressed in black. If animals are desired during "God's Creation" and "Noah's Ark," they may be dressed in sweats and masks. Animals may also dance during the songs.Props include a wig for Samson, and a "bald head" following his haircut. Crowns for royalty may be purchased inexpensively, or made from gold or silver tinsel or pipe cleaner. An apple, and possibly fig leaves could be used for Adam & Eve. Baby dolls may be used as Rachel's and Leah's children. Goliath will need armor & weapons, such as a spear and sword, and David a sling shot. Various characters could carry swords or spears during certain scenes, such as when David's sons are fighting & killing one another.The entire production takes slightly less than one hour. It is appropriate for school plays, presented during school hours, or as an evening performance at the school or a local church.All the songs in the book are licensed with Christian Copyright International (CCLI) and have royalty numbers assigned to them for reports of usage worldwide in the catalog - The King's Court. The lyrics are available for download and church projection on a screen at ccli.com. Jeanne Brickman
About the Author: As a Christian school teacher, I had a deep desire to teach Scripture to children sequentially and in a memorable way. My first idea was to gather together all the children's songs about Bible stories and arrange them chronologically. When I had finished this task, I had only a small handful of songs. At that time, reasoning that the God who had enabled a donkey to speak could use me to write songs, I began to pray that He would use me to tell His story. I had virtually no knowledge of music or songwriting, but the donkey, after all, had not studied Hebrew, and so I began. When I prayed for help with music, arranging, and recording, Will Goldstein joined me in the project. I thank God for carrying me through.