In a northern Chinese city, a Christian director surnamed Zhang keeps a script on his bookshelf—a handwritten drama manuscript that has been sitting there quietly for nearly ten years.
Zhang had been involved in theater work for more than fifteen years. After becoming a Christian, he believed God would lead him to be "the salt and light" in the drama world.
However, his journey took a different turn as he grew in faith. When he finally returned to revisit his earlier dream of staging the play, the global pandemic halted everything again. Yet in 2024, the long-held "burden" turned into action. Zhang began to search for actors once more.
This time, everything went surprisingly smoothly. "God's timing had come. One by one, the right actors appeared, and finally, the rehearsals were completed," he said.
A Zero-Budget Production
The play premiered on January 5 this year. By September, it had been performed nine times, attracting more than 700 viewers in total. According to Zhang, each performance drew around 80 audience members—most of them were Christians, and some seekers invited by friends.
All the actors in the troupe were Christians who volunteered without pay. Some joined through open recruitment, others through introductions or personal invitations. "For a play about everyday life, I try to find people who naturally resemble the characters," Zhang explained. One actor played a role based on himself, while those cast as the "elder brother" and "sister-in-law" had no previous stage experience.
There was no budget for salaries. After each rehearsal, the cast would split the meal costs. The main expense was the venue—about 3,500 yuan per performance.
As for funding, Zhang said, "The venue fees were all covered by God's grace. Some brothers and sisters gave offerings as they felt moved, and God provided just enough each time." This faith-based support model has sustained the drama's initial run.
To reach more audiences, Zhang formed two separate casts to alternate performances. He hopes his play will, like John Sung's revival meetings, become a setting where the Holy Spirit works through the performance itself. "As long as there's a venue," he said, "we'll go and perform."
Diverse Audience Reactions
The play tells the story of an ordinary family of five who begin to question the meaning of life—"What are we living for?"—until an earthquake abruptly shatters their world. The Christian daughter is taken to heaven.
Zhang prefers direct expression over symbolism. "When I first watched 'The Chronicles of Narnia,' I just thought it was a story. I didn't understand any of the deeper meaning," he admitted. "I want my plays to deal directly with sin and truth—so audiences can recognize what sin really is."
His characters are all ordinary people—not villains, saints, or heroes. He hopes the audience will easily relate to them. "People watch these characters and think, 'They're just like me… If they act this way, how would I respond?'"
After performances, many viewers approach Zhang with questions: "Why did only one member of the family rise again?" "The others were good people too—why not them?" "Is resurrection real?" Such questions, Zhang believes, open natural opportunities to share the gospel. "When people ask, we can tell them about the Good News."
Still, not everyone accepts the message. "Some audience members leave halfway through," Zhang noted calmly.
He resists using metrics to measure results. "If we hold an evangelistic meeting for 500 people, how many made decisions for Christ would count as fruitful? That's not the right way to measure fruitfulness," he said. "Some may respond out of emotion, others out of impulse or for appearances' sake."
For him, the true purpose of the drama is to sow seeds.
New Works and Future Vision
Zhang's vision is to use drama as a doorway through which people can encounter truth. He hopes to collaborate with more local churches, especially during festivals or events.
He has already partnered with several congregations. "On March 22," he recalled, "one church reserved the entire theater and invited their friends and family to watch. They even covered the venue costs themselves."
Not every partnership has gone smoothly. "Some pastors still struggle to accept this kind of approach," Zhang admitted. Yet he believes drama complements, rather than contradicts, traditional ministry methods. "It can go beyond the limits of 'relationship evangelism.' When you invite someone to watch a play, they're often more willing to come."
Since his first production, Zhang has not stopped creating. His second play began rehearsals in early May, premiered in August, and had two additional performances in September, drawing enthusiastic responses. It tells the story of a Beijing drifter's journey to faith. Some viewers expressed deep gratitude and said they could sense "a profound mystery" behind the story. The next two performances are scheduled for October. Meanwhile, his third play is in progress.
"We sow the seeds, and the Holy Spirit works," Zhang said. "We don't know the results—we're only responsible for sowing. There will always be good soil. We can't discern the condition of someone's heart, but God can make life grow."
He hopes his plays will "loosen the soil" of people's hearts—awakening their conscience, stirring moral awareness, and helping them see right from wrong.
(Zhang's full name is not disclosed due to security reasons.)
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited and translated by Elena Li
