Lancaster, PA — Looking for an unforgettable experience to stir your faith and rekindle a sense of awe and wonder? Sight & Sound Theatres’ world-renowned ministry of visual storytelling, with state-of-the-art theatres in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Branson, Missouri, is a faith-filled immersive journey that draws visitors from across the globe, inviting them to witness Scripture come alive like never before through the beloved stories of biblical characters like NOAH and DAVID, presented in musical theatre with live animals on stage.
A visit to Sight & Sound is an awe-inspiring journey where the power of Scripture unfolds in a vibrant, unforgettable display. The enormity and grandeur of these productions is unmatched anywhere else in America, drawing over a million people a year from all over the world, including many church groups and tour operators, to their inspirational shows.
On a recent visit to Sight & Sound in Lancaster to see their 30th Anniversary presentation of NOAH, I was especially awestruck when the Ark was revealed during the opening of Act 2, and we were surrounded on three sides by the elaborate 40-foot set. A cast of over 100 live animals filled three levels of the Ark and made their way down the aisles through the audience to take their places. Animatronic elephants, lions and tigers moved about, and actors dressed as orangutans stole the show. Utilizing special effects, we experienced with Noah’s family the first rains and shuddered as the Ark appeared to lift off the earth and float. We were fully immersed in the experience.
Beyond just how impressive their shows are, the compelling story of the founding family’s humble beginnings and perseverance through fiery trials is the true testament to their dedication and faith to present the gospel of Jesus Christ and sow the Word of God into the lives of others in such a profound way.
Now run by the extended Eshelman family, Sight & Sound has a staff of over 800 skilled professionals from actors and production crew to engineers, set and costume designers and even a team of animal handlers who care for each animal in the barnyard. All this grew out of the creativity of Glenn and Shirley Eshelman in the 1960s. A dairy farmer from Lancaster County, Glenn Eshelman was an artist who travelled the country presenting evangelistic slide shows of his photographs and landscape paintings infused with his wife’s poetry and spiritual songs. The couple eventually settled back in Lancaster where they raised their four daughters and added theatrical elements to the popular shows. In 1997 when a fire destroyed the Entertainment Center, they had worked to build just six years earlier, they were devastated but undaunted.
Kim Miller, a founding family member and ministry coordinator, said, “It felt horrifically devastating at the time. Mom and dad questioned, ‘Are we even going to continue in ministry?’ But after lots of prayers, counsel and conversation, a year and a half later this theatre opened. We’ve never regretted it, and I don’t believe God caused it, but He used it to be able to do the stage productions, the size, the scale, the scope that we are now.”
Out of the ashes came a fresh vision of an even grander theatre whose architectural plans Eshelman sketched himself as he was inspired by Solomon’s temple.
The theatres today reflect Sight & Sound’s commitment to delivering immersive, large-scale biblical productions through significant investment in infrastructure and technology. In 2008, they opened their second theatre in Branson. That 339,000 square foot theatre situated on a hilltop is an impressive architectural structure and is only slightly larger than the Sight & Sound stage it was modeled after in Lancaster, ushering guests into what feels like the ancient world of Israel as depicted in Scripture. Each theatre seats more than 2,000 and features a 300-foot-wide panoramic stage that wraps around three sides of the audience. Towering four-story sets are designed with breathtaking detail and a stunning mix of live animals and animatronics all work together to bring the Bible to life in a way that moves hearts and minds, young and old alike. The uniqueness of Sight & Sound Theatres is their presentation of 11 shows a week in Lancaster and at this moment in time, they are almost fully sold out through the end of 2025.
“The first time I stepped into Sight & Sound Theatres in Branson, Missouri, many years ago, I was awestruck by a sense of scale I was unfamiliar with,” said Les Feldman, GOOD NEWS publisher and former publisher of PLAYBILL®, the national theatre magazine editions. “I’ve spent the majority of my adult life in theatre — well over 30 years — and with simple calculation, using a metric of only two shows a month during that time, it would be more than 750 shows. I was mostly attending opening nights at the leading theatres all over the country. Even with that background, I was unfamiliar with the sheer overwhelming size of Sight & Sound and the largesse of a stage and proscenium measuring some 300 feet, which is gargantuan by most theatre standards, allowing for the maximum dramatic effect. And dramatic it is when the magic of their biblical presentations comes to life! Simply put, their presentations are second to none, anywhere.”
Liz Wallick, a self-described theatre buff from South Florida with subscriptions to the Broward Center and Slow Burn theatre, saw Sight & Sound’s production of ESTHER in Branson with her husband Gregg Wallick a year ago and she agreed. “When I saw Sight & Sound Theatres, it was absolutely incredible – over the top! What an experience and privilege,” she said. “It’s almost like a theatre in the round. There’s something going on everywhere and you truly feel like you’re in it. The entire experience was mesmerizing.”
Balancing entertainment and ministry
Mixing ministry with entertainment requires a delicate balance to maintain the authenticity of the message while engaging the audience in a meaningful, memorable way. Matt Neff, Chief Executive Officer of Sight & Sound Theatres and Kim’s brother-in-law, said, “This is one of the things we take most seriously about what we do because we know our calling is to bring the Bible to life on stage. And it’s sacred scripture, God’s word; it’s His will. So, it’s a big deal, and I love that our writers, directors and producers share a deep reverence for that reality.”
“When we land on what we think is the next story to tell, that first year is a deep dive in into the story and scripture and biblical commentaries. We research the history and the times and the geography of the location to be as real and authentic as possible. We’re also looking to the Lord for what’s the message you have within the story for today. Because His word is alive. It’s active. It’s sharp and we believe there’s always a message that He wants to tell that’s relevant for what’s going on in the world today without getting away from and honoring the core text. We recognize that we are taking creative liberties because we’re telling a creative portrayal of a true story. So that is the art and science. It’s a great healthy tension and wrestling match the whole way through the production process.”
Development of each show can take up to four years from concept to completion and the staff is often working on more than one show at a time at various stages of development.
Ministry also extends to after the curtain falls. In the after-show ministry, Miller said, “There is a time of ministry when we pray for the guests, and it’s incredible. We keep notes on each prayer, and I read all the journals. And I can’t even begin to tell you; people are here from Brazil. People are here from Portugal. I mean, just name the country. And many times, they’ll say, ‘oh, no, we’re not here to visit family or anything, we’re here to see this production. It is just, it’s mind blowing to me. I can’t quite fathom getting on an airplane and traveling halfway around the world.”
Beyond the story, “He’s in all the details,” said Neff. This was demonstrated after one presentation of DAVID, when “an elderly woman approached the stage for prayer and confided, ‘I’m David.’ Like the biblical account, she had been living in an affair until in that moment she was stirred to repentance and freedom. With 2,000 plus people at each show, everybody has a unique story, a unique moment, and we’re trusting the Lord to meet them exactly where they’re at, how He wants to,” Neff said.
When Omar and Julianne Aleman, of Fort Lauderdale, saw Sight & Sound’s production of JESUS in Branson, Omar was initially surprised by the wrap around stage and the creative way it allowed Old Testament characters on one side of the theatre to interact with New Testament characters on the other side. But for Omar it was the ministry that occurred at the end of the performance that was most impactful. “There were people up front after the show who you could come up to for prayer or salvation. So, it’s not just a production; it is the Church.”
A talented cast of actors
With each show featuring an ensemble of close to 100 actors, Sight & Sound draws talent from all over the country, typically holding a casting call in Lancaster once a year. However, the company strives to create a faith-based culture of talent whose values resonate with the biblical themes of Sight & Sound.
That process is easier since the establishment of Sight & Sound Conservatory, a two-year collegiate level program that combines classroom instruction in acting, singing and dancing with performance in Sight & Sound productions. In keeping with their mission, Sight & Sound Conservatory invests in the next generation of performing artists by mentoring them both on stage and as disciples of Christ.
“We don’t have to go outside as much as we used to for auditioning, since many at the Conservatory are excited that they can use their gifts in a Kingdom setting, which unfortunately is not super common in theatre. So, that’s a huge draw,” said Neff. “And since the shows run for a year at a time, we have a much higher retention rate than what would be common in our industry.”
Sight & Sound’s staff represent hundreds of churches. “We’re a diverse body of Christ – not getting hung up on slight doctrinal differences – with Christ as the center coming together for the gospel and honoring His word in our lives. That’s the commitment we ask of our people. And it also helps broaden the Church’s embrace of what we do,” said Neff.
“Every year we have some switches where we may have some folks here go to Branson and vice versa, depending on what roles need to be filled. But we try to retain and give job security to as many of our cast members as possible.”
Shifting through adversity
When the Covid pandemic forced theatres to close in 2020, the Eshelman family began to seek God for what He had for them next. “After all these wild faithful stories that we have lived at Sight & Sound, with the fire recovery, going to Branson and then struggling with debt through the recession in 2008, it wasn’t just Him reminding me, hey, I’m faithful. What He really drew my mind to was how He used those things to take us from where we were to where we were supposed to be next… So, I ran into Josh [Enck], our brother-in-law, chief story officer and president – the visionary guy – and we began to ask, ‘If people can’t come to us, how do we get to them? How do we reach them in their homes?’ And that led to this crazy idea.”
Having already filmed their production of JESUS, they had planned to release it in movie theaters over Easter weekend. But with theaters shut down, they approached some broadcast networks and TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network agreed to stream it all over the world through their app for Easter weekend.
Although Sight & Sound received no revenue for that, their best estimates were that 3.5 million people around the world experienced the gospel through their production of JESUS in one weekend – an audience that it would take three years of sold-out performances to reach in their musical theatres.
“It was a massive wakeup call,” said Neff. That year Sight & Sound TV was launched, giving viewers in over 175 countries access to all films of all their productions since 2005 as well as exclusive behind the scenes footage.
“We recognize it’s a different experience when you’re in the house because you can’t replicate fully the impact of sitting in the middle of a performance on film,” acknowledges Neff. But he pointed out that God’s timing is always right. “By the end of 2020, [because of COVID] we had experienced the biggest financial loss we’d ever had in a fiscal year but were able to minister to far more people in a calendar year than ever before. “Only God can do that,” said Neff.
However, the move to streaming also accelerated the global awareness of Sight & Sound, setting the stage for the successful release of their first full length feature film released two years later.
When “I Heard the Bells” opened in 2022, it did much better than expected, debuting at #2 in theaters across the nation. While staying true to their mission, Sight & Sound Films aims to explore a new genre of storytelling. Neff explained, “We are called to tell true, redemptive stories of God’s work. These could be Bible stories, but we really felt a strong call to take films in more of a historical direction versus biblical direction – to tell true stories of people that had relationship with Christ.”
Their first film, “I Heard the Bells” was about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the author of the Christmas song, and depicts his personal loss and turmoil through the Civil War. While their next film to be released in 2026, “A Great Awakening,” is centered around George Whitfield, a minister and early founder of the Evangelical movement.
Sight & Sound Films has purchased land for filming adjacent to the theatre in what they are calling their Back Lot – an old barn and horse training track that was transformed into full movie sets with Amish carpenters contributing to the build. “It was a great partnership. They showed up in their buggies and even brought their families to our wrap party. It was beautiful, and I think the story of Whitfield resonated with them,” said Neff. For casting, we also have this great pool of amazing talent from both past and present productions that we can tap into, which is just awesome. We know who they are, and we know their hearts are alive.”
An immersive experience with the gospel
Regardless of the medium Sight & Sound uses for storytelling, Neff said, “It always comes back to Glenn Eshelman’s original heart to immerse people in the story, with the gospel as the driving passion. The more realistic the show is, the more it can engage and then it’s fun to see how the Holy Spirit works through that.”
Since Sight & Sound began more than 50 years ago, more than 30 million people have encountered their inspired, immersive storytelling infused with the message of the gospel. Many have ventured there from sunny Florida to experience the theatrical wonder.
Having traveled to Branson, MO, for productions of both ESTHER and JESUS, Julianne Aleman, of Fort Lauderdale, said, “It’s much better than Broadway! Sight & Sound makes the Bible come alive in front of you in real time and you feel like a part of it. This is one of those places you have to go with your kids once in a lifetime – or every summer.”
Anna Copeland, age 11, the daughter of Eddie Copeland, director of Church United, saw the Sight & Sound production of DANIEL last summer in Lancaster, PA, during a trip with her grandparents. She was amazed and said, “My favorite part was Daniel in the actual lion’s den! It was crazy!!”
The productions also have educational value. Sue Puchferran, a director of HEED Home Education Enrichment Day in Boca Raton, took a family trip to Lancaster, PA, about 25 years ago when her children were young so they could learn the American history of the region and experience an Amish farm, but she said seeing NOAH at Sight & Sound Theatres was the highlight for their family. “It was the best thing we did in Lancaster, and we’re planning to go back with the grandchildren.”
Being able to witness a biblical story brought to life in such a large format seen nowhere else in America was an enriching experience and certainly worth a trip to Lancaster or Branson.
To learn more about all facets of Sight & Sound, visit them online at www.sight-sound.com
For more Good News, read the GOOD NEWS July 2025 Issue at: https://digital.goodnewsfl.org/2025/july/#1