Hope Players thrive in Cambridge

A successful theatre company launched in Cambridge as part of the HOPE 08 initiative is drawing many people’s attention with its engaging plays.

 

With 18 core members and 17 associate members, the organisation has a great vision for the coming years.

 

Following the 2008 project, ‘Hope Players’ aim to connect Christians where they live and try to help churches collaborate more in the local community.

 

‘Cambridge Passion’, the theatre’s first play, was performed on Easter Sunday in 2008 and turned out to be a huge success with an audience of more than 500. It immediately led to other productions such as ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ which was presented to sell-out audiences for all five performances and helped recruit even more members. The first formal theatre company meeting was eventually held in March 2010 and the producers managed to develop a three-year schedule with one small and one larger production each year. The project is now known as a successful amateur theatre company in the Cambridge area.

 

Anne Beaumont, artistic director of ‘Hope Players’, feels that God has called and equipped her for this new challenge she embraces. “It has always been my dream to stage a big play, but now God has enlarged my vision even more,” she says.

 

“As a Christian theatre company, our threefold vision is to honour God with our talents, resource the church in worship, and witness to the wider community.”

 

Through various performances in the past years, ‘Hope Players’ has been able to support the ongoing Hope 08 initiative. The two teams are now meeting to discuss further financial issues as the theatre company is eager to stage even bigger performances in the future.

 

Anne, who currently works as a full-time teacher in a local school, explains: “Hope Players have a unique opportunity to witness to the cast and the local community. I know that it is one of the good works that God has prepared in advance for me and the team.”

 

By communicating the gospel though art, Anne is aiming to impact people’s lives and to show them what it means to have hope.

 

The next upcoming production is staged on 2-4 September at the Corpus Christi Playroom in Cambridge.  The play is written by Daniel Carlson, who now works as executive producer, and is called Redemption Song. The story is based on the book of Ruth from the Old Testament, but is told from the viewpoint of Naomi.