Prodigal God Hits Olympic StageBrian Doerksen’s full-length theatrical musical based on Luke 15 attempts to tell a riveting story of grace through the eyes of the older brother.by Emily Wierenga Juno-award winning worship leader Brian Doerksen is prepared to be criticized for his new musical, Prodigal God—the flagship Christian arts event for the 2010 Olympics.
“There’s a lot of people that want to stay comfortable, but God wants to give us truth,” Doerksen says. “One of the things I’m so passionate about in this musical is we really believe God wants to use the arts to awaken people to who He is and what we’re called to be.”
Co-produced with award-winning New York screenwriter Christopher Greco, Prodigal God, which will tour Canada following the Olympics, took seven years to complete.
Based on Luke 15, the full-length theatrical musical is an attempt, explains Doerksen, to “tell a riveting story of grace (through the eyes of the older brother).”
Doerksen hadn’t intended to step on toes when setting out to write this, his second musical. However, as he engaged in extensive research, the parable soon proved to be less straightforward than he’d thought.
The musical’s controversial title stems from the fact that the word ‘prodigal,’ which has, until now, been associated with ‘wayward,’ means “wastefully extravagant.”
This wasteful extravagance is displayed throughout the performance by way of the loving father. Meanwhile, a previously unknown back-story leads up to the prodigal son asking for his inheritance. “It has to do with an orphaned, illegitimate child, and there are all these sub-themes that come into the piece,” says Doerksen.
Having six children of his own, two of whom have Fragile X Syndrome, Doerksen can relate to the painfully poignant story, and has subsequently poured his heart into the 20-song musical.
“We’re so conditioned to seeing fathers as taskmasters,” he says. “Our prayer is that people would be surprised by the grace of God through our story.
“God’s love is so much bigger than anything that’s thrown at us in life. The Father just wants us to trust His love.”
Emily Wierenga is an author based in Blyth, Ontario. Her book, Save My Children, is available through Castle Quay Books.
Originally published in Faith Today, January/February 2010.
Used with permission. Copyright © 2010 Christianity.ca.
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