The Promise (musical)
The Promise is a musical drama with a book by Jan Dargatz (with additional dialogue by Chuck King) and lyrics and music by various songwriters (several arranged by Gary Rhodes and also by current Director Chuck King) based on biblical texts. The musical follows the life of Jesus Christ, including his birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The musical score is in the style of Christian pop music. The piece is performed outdoors and originated in 1989 in Glen Rose, Texas, where it is still performed on a large scale each year. The work has enjoyed a number of other productions in the United States and around the world. Background Outdoor religious dramas such as passion plays have a long tradition. In 1633, the residents of Oberammergau, Germany vowed to continue presenting their local passion play every ten years as a vow to God in return for being spared from the plague. The United States has had passion plays for over three quarters of a century. These have included The Black Hills Passion Play in Spearfish, South Dakota and The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. In 1984, Dargatz and Rhodes began to develop The Promise in cooperation