Byesville Rotary learns about the passion and vision of founder Frank Harvey’s The Living Word

Katrina Mazaher, general manager of The Living Word Outdoor Drama, outlined to Byesville Rotary members how the passion play of Christ came to the Cambridge area and its plans for the future.

Frank Harvey had a passion for drama, but was equally passionate about religion, so he decided to combine the two.

He was involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and while in Atlanta, Georgia, he directed his first passion play at the Atlanta Stadium. Surprisingly, and for the first time, he cast a black man to play Jesus Christ. Ebony Magazine at the time said the event undoubtedly saved Atlanta from all the civil disobedience going on at the time.

In late 1972, on land that he and his wife owned, construction began. It is still at the same location—6010 College Hill Road.

From humble beginnings, the first set was built by area volunteers and was ready for its first performance in 1974. Today, it is a far cry from that first performance. The sets are bigger and better. There is a new welcoming center and a new parking lot capable of handling the large tour buses. According to Mazaher, it is an ongoing challenge to make it bigger and better. Something new is the introduction of different plays to be performed, like The Sound of Music. Other musicals and dramas are planned for the future.

The outdoor drama begins the last week of June and runs through the end of September. The concession and gift shop open at 6:30 pm followed by a set tour at 7:15 and the performance at 8:00pm.

Byesville Rotary will next meet 7:30 am, Sept. 7, at the Stop Nine Senior Center, 60313 (GPS use 60299), Southgate road, Byesville. To learn more about Byesville rotary, call membership chairs Marty Patchen, 685-3828, or Larry Miller, 439-2767.