Touring play 'Heavenly Voices' features faith stories of women of color

Play: Heavenly Voices, an original production based on the Mennonite Women of Color Oral History Project conducted by Pat McFarlane, associate professor of communication at Goshen College, and Linda Christophel, a Michigan school social worker
Dates, times and locations:
Friday, July 16, 7:30 p.m. – Goshen College Umble Center
Saturday, July 17, 7:30 p.m. – Goshen College Umble Center
Cost: Free will donation

GOSHEN, Ind. – After premiering and traveling to Pennsylvania and Chicago, the original play "Heavenly Voices" will return home to Goshen to be performed July 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Goshen College's Umble Center. The play was produced by a group of Goshen women and shares the stories of Mennonite women of color across the Mennonite Church from Alabama to Montana, and from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.

These women's stories were collected during the Mennonite Women of Color Oral History Project conducted from 2000 to 2006 by Pat McFarlane, associate professor of communication at Goshen College, and Linda Christophel, a school social worker in Michigan. The play resulted from research and work from McFarlane's doctoral dissertation, titled "Performing the 'Other' in Religious Community: An Interpretive Qualitative Inquiry among American Mennonite Women."

McFarlane has interwoven these extraordinary stories of ordinary women, shedding light on God's faithfulness and work in their lives. Stories include how the women came to faith, the impact of that faith on their lives and families, and how they have overcome hardship and hope to be remembered.

Angela Noah, a 2010 graduate of Goshen College with a degree in theatre, will direct the play. Deb Brubaker, Goshen College professor of music, will be directing the music. The cast is made up of women from the larger Goshen Mennonite community and several Goshen College students, all of whom are members of a Mennonite church.

All performances are free of charge. Audience members are invited to participate in defraying expenses via a free will donation.

The performance schedule for "Heavenly Voices":
Friday, July 9, 6:30 p.m. – Marion Mennonite Church, Chambersburg, Pa.
Saturday, July 10, 7 p.m. – James Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster, Pa.
Sunday, July 11, 7 p.m. – Oxford Circle Mennonite, Philadelphia, Pa.
Wednesday, July 14, 7 p.m. – Living Water Mennonite, Chicago, Ill.
Friday, July 16, 7:30 p.m. – Umble Center, Goshen College
Saturday, July 17, 7:30 p.m. – Umble Center, Goshen College

Editors: For more information about this release, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.