Bethany Contarino dances the part of an angel at Oakwood Baptist Church’s Judgment House on Friday. The performance was meant to teach audiences about situations that can lead to teen suicide and how it might be prevented.
Grady Dishroon playing the part of Jesus looks on as angels mill about at Oakwood Baptist Church’s judgement house on Friday. The performance was meant to teach audiences about situations that can lead to teen suicide and how it might be prevented.A hundred nervous actors, tour guides and security officers scatter throughout the labyrinth of hallways and Sunday school rooms at Oakwood Baptist Church.
In his office, music director Shane Mitchell, set to play a portly Satan in a black velvet cloak and glasses, puts the finishing touches on a set of blue horns on his forehead. Nearby, a mother touches up her son’s demon hair.
The five teenage boys who take turns playing the lead character in the Judgment House production, a troubled youth named Russ who commits suicide and is sent to hell for never turning to Jesus, run through lines and laugh about how hard it is to swallow a mouthful of Tic Tacs.
When the crowd outside swells and it’s time to start, they bow their heads to pray.
“We just want to be used,” one man prays. “Regardless of whether the lines be perfect or smooth, it’s whether the message gets out.”