More Pictures from the Musical

Here are larger pictures from “Built on the Rock: A Book of Mormon Musical,” the musical Ben and I were involved with for the past eight months. Thanks to Brittany Fisher for letting me use her pictures on my blog. Most of the songs can be found at www.rsyc2010.org under “music files”

I’ll also include the scene synopsis used in the program, originally written by Karen Bryce and condensed and edited by Dana Cardon, President Darrel Paxman (stake presidency), and me.

Prologue: Book of Mormon Story

A brief introduction to the events and prophets in the Book of Mormon.

Scene 1: Show Us the Way
Will is an LDS teenager who is struggling with his testimony. His friends, Emily and Jake, tell him the story of the Liahona, which was sent by God to Lehi and his family who fled Jerusalem in 600 B.C. When they were obedient, the Liahona would guide them in their journey. The Liahona symbolizes the words of Christ. Just as the compass guided Lehi’s family to the Promised Land, so will the words of Christ lead us to eternal life (1 Nephi 16-18; Alma 37:38-47). Lehi’s family eventually built a boat and sailed to the Americas. Upon Lehi’s death, his sons’ families split and became Lamanites and Nephites, groups of people who were often at war with one another and struggled through cycles of belief and unbelief.

Scene 2: Faith
Emily and Jake help Will understand how faith is built. Ammon is one of several Nephite missionaries who go to the Lamanites to preach the gospel. One of the Lamanite leaders, King Lamoni, is converted and falls to the earth. Queen Lamoni believes her husband is still alive, and through her faith, King Lamoni rises again. King Lamoni testifies of the Savior (Alma 18-19).

 

Scene 3: King Noah and Abinadi and Waters of Mormon
Will wants to live a free life and thinks that means a life without rules of the gospel. He questions the importance of becoming converted. A Lamanite prophet named Abinadi teaches a Nephite king, King Noah, and his priests about the gospel. Only Alma the Elder believes. He flees for his life and he converts other Nephites at the Waters of Mormon (Mosiah 13-18)

Scene 4: Rock of My Redeemer
Tess joins the conversation and discusses her own struggle to build on the rock of her Redeemer. Helaman shares his testimony of building on the foundation of Christ (Helaman 5:12).

Scene 5: Mighty Change
Will begins to understand the importance of becoming converted, but doesn’t know where to begin. Jake suggests starting with questions posed by Alma the Younger, Alma the Elder’s son, who himself was converted after many years of living in unbelief (Alma 5).

(This was one of my favorites. They ask some of the “quest” questions in Alma 5: Have I been born of God? Have I received His image in my countenance? Can I look forward with an eye of faith? Am I stripped of pride?)

 

Scene 6: Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah
The teenagers discuss repentance, its purpose, and Christ’s atonement and divine role. Alma the Younger tells his son Helaman the story of his conversion and describes the repentance process (Mosiah 27; Alma 36).

Scene 7: True at All Times
The teenagers discuss the idea that living the gospel is a constant process that requires practice. Will reminds them of the story of Helaman’s warriors who were “true at all times.” A group of people called the Anti-Nephi-Lehies made a covenant to never again kill, and buried their weapons of war. Their sons, the “Stripling Warriors,” fight righteously in their place, and not one of them is lost. They are led by a warrior named Helaman (Alma 23-25; 53; 56-57).

Scene 8: Come to the Light
Will decides to start reading the Book of Mormon. Jake suggests that he begin with Christ’s visit to America. The sign of Christ’s death was terrible destruction and darkness. The resurrected Christ then visited the people. He spent many days with them, teaching them His gospel the same way He had taught the people in Jerusalem. The people who witnessed Christ’s coming and their succeeding generations were righteous for 200 years. However, eventually they strayed from the gospel and began to separate into Nephites and Lamanites again. Their wars were terrible and ended with the destruction of the entire Nephite nation (approximately A.D. 400; Helaman 13-15; 3 Nephi 10-11)

Scene 9: Seek this Jesus
Emily, Tess, and Jake encourage Will to pray about the Book of Mormon and try Alma the Younger’s experiment of planting a seed of faith. We are all invited to “Seek this Jesus” (Alma 32; Ether 12:41).