The First Superhero

It was Samson's inclusion in Hebrews 11 that caught the attention of writer and director Jeff Bender. It's a chapter in the Bible about "heroes of faith."

"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen," it begins. "For our ancestors won God's approval by it."

The chapter goes on to list Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses -- heavy hitters in anyone's version of The Book. But there, too, was the name Samson.

"Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle and put foreign armies to flight."

"Samson was absolutely the first superhero -- known for his long hair and superhuman strength -- but he also messed up a lot," says Katie Miller, granddaughter of the founders of Sight & Sound Theatres and the corporate spokeswoman. "That's what we were most excited about -- the unexpected nature of his story. He's thought of as being the one person in the Bible that totally failed, right? But even when he ended up in prison, God was there with grace and offered him a second chance.

"And the message of that story resonates with every one of us."

Debuted at the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster County, Pa., "Samson" comes to Branson this spring, and Miller promises there's never been a more "experiential" climax to any show in the 2,000-seat auditorium.

"When Samson puts his hands on those pillars and the temple collapses, we knew it had to be epic," she says. "We wanted it to be something the audience didn't just observe, but a moment they were in the heart of."

Heart is a big part of everything at Sight & Sound Theatres, as is the company's vision.

"From the very beginning, all of our shows had a ministry and mission focus," Miller says, "which solidified into a focus on Bible stories in the mid-1990s. We wanted to bring the Bible to life in epic form."

Miller's grandparents, Shirley and Glenn Eshelman, created the Sight & Sound concept more than 40 years ago. It was a true family business, she remembers, even by the time she was old enough to be involved.

"It was all family -- cousins and aunts and uncles," she says. "We'd be on stage in costumes, then throw on our regular clothes to work in the concession stands and clean the bathrooms, then put our costumes back on for another show. It was such a fun environment! We didn't know any different. We loved it."

Glenn Eshelman was a dairy farmer, Miller recounts, and "through a series of family tragedies, he realized he needed to find another vocation in his late teens. He'd always had an artistic bent, and he used photography and painting to create multimedia [art]. He was peddling paintings out of the back seat of his car on weekends before he started the multimedia show."

The original idea, Miller explains, grew to include singing and dancing, then from revue-style productions to storytelling.

But the family focus of the Sight & Sound corporation doesn't mean its shows are anything but professional. Auditions for "Samson" were held across the country, including in New York City and at respected theater conferences. Actors cast in "Samson" earn a full-time, yearlong contract with "things like benefits -- rare things like that," Miller says. "We have actors who have gone on to Broadway, gone on tour, actors who became teachers -- and many actors who have stayed with us for years and years.

"Choosing a new show is a really significant process for us," she adds. "We recognize that what show we choose is one of the most important decisions we can make."

NAN What's Up on 03/18/2018