by Sam Bishop / sbishop@newsminer.com
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
DELTA JUNCTION – Delta Junction might not look like a place one would find a professional theater production — just call it one of the town’s “Blessings in Disguise.”
That’s the title of George Hosier’s latest Christmas season drama, which is playing for a second weekend at the Living Waters Assembly of God in downtown Delta. The free shows open at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s like a comical-fantasy look at the nativity,” Hosier said of his latest work. The play is set at the time of Christ’s birth, but with modern props such as telephones and computers.
In one scene, an irate chef challenges a tax man with a cleaver, only to be met with a 9 mm pistol, Hosier said.
Despite the humor and juxtaposition of props from far-distant centuries, “the theme deals with fairly serious issues,” Hosier said, including “how blessing can be derived from unexpected sources, such as pain and suffering.”
Ken Farrow, a fan in Delta Junction, said the productions are top quality and pack the house.
He described Hosier as an “accomplished playwright.”
Hosier, who works at the Family Medical Center in Delta, said he previously acted professionally with Sight & Sound Entertainment, a Christian stage production company based in Strasburg, Pa., and has “always dabbled around” in theater work.
Hosier has written and helped produce up to two seasonal plays in Delta each year since 2005, one at Christmas and another at Easter. His wife, Gaylene, works on the sets and costumes.
“The last two years, we had an entire western town on stage at the church.
People really loved that set; it was pretty elaborate,” Hosier said.
Rehearsals begin three months in advance and often are held twice per week. Hosier has acted in previous plays because of a shortage of adult males interested in taking on the parts. “This year, I was able to sit out and just direct,” he said.
In past years,
some plays Manager of Bethlehem Inn, Luxury Suites, Bistro and Spa, (Martin Hosier) ponders why his staff doesn’t seem to properly appreciate him in “Blessings in Disguise.”
have gone “on the road” to North Pole and Fort Greely. The plays are staged under the auspices of the Delta Christian Drama Association, a nonprofit unaffiliated with any church or denomination, Hosier said. The association takes donations, sells DVDs of its productions and holds a silent auction and some bake sales to offset costs.
Sam Bishop is assistant managing editor of the Daily News-Miner
IF YOU GO
What: “Blessings in Disguise” Christmas show
When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Where: Living Waters Assembly of God, downtown Delta Junction
Tickets: Donations accepted
Information: www.dcda.info
Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – High production values make ‘Blessings in Disguise’ a treat
The Fairbanks Host Lions have concluded a long-running project to rebuild and recycle bicycles in Fairbanks.The Lions marked the end of their bike campaign by donating the remaining inventory of bike parts to Fort Greely, which is establishing a bike program. “This transfer closes out our Lions club project and gives it a new life on a military post at Fort Greely for the purpose of saving energy on the post and in the community. We are also encouraging Delta Lions to form a partnership with the post across the broader Delta community,” said Lions Club member and bike volunteer Jim Matthews.