During the weekend of March 26, “Blessed Assurance” came to the Biola stage. Final rehearsals wrapped up Wednesday night, the 25, and the energy inside Crowell was electric. When asked how they felt about the show, the cast answered with a resounding “excited!”
The cast, including me, has put in months of work into this show, and our wonderful instrumentalists truly made the production shine. Standout performances included child actor Lizzy Gaw, debuting in her first college show at 12 years old, and Ysabelle Calvin in just her second production ever.
This production explores memory and uses abstract techniques to allow the audience to play and imagine. The show included soundscapes and music specially composed by Dr. Robert Denham for “Blessed Assurance,” By watching Fanny Crosby’s life unfold, the audience was introduced to a young P.T Barnum as well as a young Grover Cleveland. Riddled with historical gems and direct narrative from Fanny Crosby’s biographies, “Blessed Assurance” allowed for the revival of a sacred life in Christian history.
As an actor, it was so meaningful to see the seats in Crowell full each afternoon and night. The theatre department is so grateful to Talbot School of Theology for doing promotion alongside us and ultimately to the Malcolm initiative for funding the show. As a Christian university, we have a special role in keeping the stories of Christian pilgrims alive and known.
Frances Jane Crosby, contributing over 8,000 hymns, deserved every open eye and attentive ear that filled the Crowell auditorium that weekend. She was a servant of the Lord and a beautiful example of overcoming adversity to the extent of utilizing her obstacle to bring glory to God. “She hath done what she could.” Written on the tombstone of Fanny Crosby, this sentiment rang true for the cast as the show came to a close. Equipped by the Holy Spirit in opportunity, we prayed that the dawning of this show would awaken Biola to the call of Christ. We believe that we have “done what we could” in bringing this show to Biola and hope that it lingers in the lives of those who had the privilege of experiencing it.
