Theatre company to tour

The tour includes performances at eight churches and two schools. California performance sites include Artesia, Cerritos, Long Beach, Norco, Ontario, Paramount, Redlands and Sun Valley. Visit www.nwciowa.edu/theatretour for performance times and details.

The story of Samson and Delilah is presented by the company’s director, Jeff Barker, as an ancient play of Israel. Barker is a playwright, Northwestern professor, and Iowa’s 2006 Professor of the Year. He and Dr. Tom Boogaart, professor of Old Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich., have been exploring the possibility that stories in the Old Testament might have been intended to be communicated through drama.

In addition to touring productions of Old Testament stories, Barker also has created the full-length drama David and Goliath and the original musicals And God Said and Terror Texts.

Northwestern’s Drama Ministries Ensemble has performed across the United States, including off-Broadway in New York and the Crystal Cathedral. The college’s award-winning theatre program recently received national media attention for Terror Texts, based on texts from Joshua, Judges, II Kings and II Samuel.