Theology & The Arts

Faith & Broadway: Kinky Boots
July 12-21, 2024 @ SUMC Sanctuary Stage

Viviana Theatre & Swarthmore UMC are proud to present the award-winning musical Kinky Boots this summer.

Director/Choreographer: Matthew English
Music Director: Eileen Fields

Based on the film of the same name, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie Price, the reluctant inheritor of his father's struggling shoe factory and his fight to keep it afloat by reaching a startlingly new customer demographic: drag queens. Billy Porter won a Tony Award playing Lola in the original Broadway cast, one of six Tony wins for the production, including Best Musical, Best Original Score for Cyndi Lauper, and Best Choreography for Jerry Mitchell.

Kinky Boots is produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International. This production is part of a Congregational Innovation Grant from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Silence the Violence Concert
May 11 @ 1pm in the sanctuary

Join local & professional singers in hearing (and singing along) to classic songs of peace and justice. Learn from local grass-roots organizations about how you can talk about and prevent gun violence.

This event is co-hosted by: Swarthmore UMC, Viviana Theatre, Anna Crusis Feminist Choir, CeaseFirePA, Heeding God's Call, and Chester Community Coalition.

All donations will benefit Chester Community Coalition

This event is made possible through a Congregational Innovation Worship & Arts grant from the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Special Music & Arts Sunday
Saint Patrick's Day ~ March 17th

Peter Jay Pezzino (fiddle/violin & harp)
Luther Case (guitar)

Check out Peter Jay Pezzino @ peterjay.net.

All are welcome for this special worship experience with prayer, meditative Celtic music, and more...

Faith & Broadway: Into the Woods
November 10-19, 2023 @ Barnstormers Theater (Ridley Park)

Summer Concerts on the Lawn

Bring a picnic dinner and join with family and friends on the lawn for concert performances featuring local artists. These events are free and family-friendly. (In case of inclement weather, the concerts will move into the sanctuary.)

For more information, contact Sam Parsons

Faith & Broadway: Jesus Christ Superstar
July 7-16, 2023 @ Swarthmore UMC Sanctuary Stage

Viviana Theatre & Swarthmore United Methodist Church
proudly present Jesus Christ Superstar
July 7-9 & 14-16, 2023 In the Sanctuary

What’s the buzz? The first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be produced for the professional stage, Jesus Christ Superstar has wowed audiences for over 50 years. A timeless work, the rock opera is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally known series of events but seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Superstar follows the last week of Jesus Christ’s life. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire.

Sacred and Profane: A Young Artists’ Fundraiser Concert

Sunday evening, May 7th, at 6:30 p.m.
Annie Carruthers, soprano, and Ben D’Annibale, pianist, will present music by Puccini, Verdi, Barber, Granados, and Strauss.

Annie, a Philadelphia-based soprano who grew up in Swarthmore, will make her debut as Mimì in La bohème at the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia. She will perform the role in both Morelia, Mexico and Novi Sad, Serbia. Ben, a Philadelphia-based pianist, organist, and harpsichordist, is the Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield.