Sight & Sound Theaters presents the inspiring life story of Daniel

New Sight & Sound original production “Daniel” to premiere in 2024 | Sight & Sound

Sight & Sound Theatres, which has brought epic Bible stories to life for nearly 50 years, will soon bring the story of the Old Testament prophet Daniel to audiences on stage.

Their next original show, “Daniel,” will premiere on stage in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, beginning in March 2024. Featuring original music and the theater’s notable special effects and real-life sets on its panoramic stage, the message will be one of hope in the midst of dark times.

“The great thing about Scripture is that it’s always timely,” said show producer Kristen Brewer in a recent interview with The Christian Post.

“I think that we processed it out before, like, ‘How do you know when it’s time for this show?’ We have a team that really prays through this in-depth, seeks counsel. And yeah, they just try to follow their gut, follow what’s going to be healthy for the team, follow the Spirit.”

The team at Sight & Sound began working on the production in 2021 to tell the complete story of the popular Bible hero. Despite the “theological weight lifting” of reading through Daniel’s visions and prophetic warnings, the team worked both halves of the Book of Daniel into the production.

“The first half has those famous stories. The second half has more of the prophecy and the visions,” Brewer explained. “[The production] is going to be the famous moments that we’re all very familiar with but we’re going to try and insert those visions into the time and the story that they took place.”

“Taken from his people, Daniel is exiled far from home in the powerful kingdom of Babylon. Now, this faithful servant must navigate his new life inside a palace filled with golden statues and shifting empires. As royal pressures mount, Daniel is faced with a dangerous choice. Will his trust in the one true God remain steadfast through every test of faith?” the show’s synopsis reads. “From the fiery furnace to the infamous den of lions, ‘Daniel’ is a spectacular theatrical experience for the whole family.”

When approaching the biblical prophecies in the book, Brewer said they found a theme at the core of his message.

“The main takeaway, when we’ve gone into any of the interpretation of these prophecies, and we’ve looked at all of them, trying to come into all of that with humility, the main thing that we discovered is that hope is at the core of the story of Daniel,” she revealed.

“So whatever it is that people believe specifically about End Times or even how Daniel relates to End Times, it’s really more about the hope in the coming King.”

Brewer believes it’s essential for people to stay hopeful in God.

“It’s not just about barreling toward destruction and dark days. We are barreling toward a good King and a good Kingdom who’s going to teach us how to do this thing right,” she said.

“It simplifies it for people who may not be up to speed on what End Times means, but whatever you hear, whatever you see, whatever darkness is around you, you can look to the light.”

The production’s theme verse is Daniel 12:3, which promises that “those who lead others to righteousness will shine like the stars in the heavens forever.”

“That’s our job is to have hope in the coming King and reflect our coming King,” Brewer added. “So that the world would know Him and love Him.”

The theater put on a “Daniel” production over 20 years ago, but Brewer said the packaging of the message this time around is “totally different.”

Sight & Sound has two state-of-the-art theater locations where over 1 million people walk through their doors each year. The “Daniel” show will feature a lavish city of Babylon presentation that the production hopes will have the audience in awe.

“We just tried to pack our set up with the story and also with beauty and gold,” Brewer described. “It’s Babylon, It’s big, It’s golden, it’s detailed. There was a lot of darkness but they were impressive. We tried to accomplish that with our sets.”

They will use three large LED screens to take the viewers on a journey of what it could have looked like during some of Daniel’s divine encounters.

“Sometimes it’s God has been invading the space and writing on the wall or a vision that Daniel is having,” she detailed. “And so it’s so cool to have those screens because they can really support transporting us quickly and seamlessly and supernaturally, in some of those ways.”

Sight & Sound TV launched in 2020 and has reached over 175 countries with its content. Most recently, the theater launched its own film studio, and its first film, “I Heard The Bells,” had a nationwide theatrical release in December of 2022.