On November 11 and 12, a large cast of high school students performed Pilgrim, a stage play based on John Bunyan's allegorical book, Pilgrim's Progress. It followed a man, Christian, played by Parker Stucky, as he left the City of Destruction in search of the "Celestial City."
Christian's journey began after meeting "Evangelist" (Kessa Case), and he was continually watched by the "Shining Ones," including Narrator Angel (Lindsey Edgren), who recorded his travels. Along the path, Christian was joined by various friends, including Faithful (Abby Evans) and Hopeful (Braeden Templin). The audience follows Christian as he endures quagmires, lions, a giant, a dungeon of despair, and temptations and dangers in "Vanity Fair," including the Prosecutor (Atiera Langenburg), which led to the death of his dear friend, Faithful. Christian even faced Apollyon (The Prince of Darkness), played by Isaac Meisinger. King Jesus (Mason Regier) never left Christian's side throughout his journey.
Along the way, God's children encouraged and guided Christian and his friends as they discovered that following Jesus was not for the faint of heart. Because the truths we face as believers and seekers were so poignantly presented by Mr. Bunyan, the audience was easily drawn into self-reflection. This thought-provoking play ended with a full cast and audience rendition of "When We've Been There 10,000 Years." Pilgrim was directed by Kim Klein and assisted by Deanna Nuce and student director Kessa Case. The cast included 32 actors! Seniors with parts not already mentioned were: Payton Anderson, Elizabeth Bachman, Zach Briscoe, Kelsey Koontz, Mackenzie Martens, Reagan Matzek, Leah Mullins, Tayana Nord, Tayton Smith, Alexa Timken, and Rachel Widler.