The Asbury University Theatre Program presents “40 Acres,” an original play that shows the power of unity and friendship in a Texas church. The main character David MacIntosh receives ancestry results that deliver an unexpected inheritance: His great-great-great grandfather, a freed slave, is buried on the grounds of a megachurch in Dallas. David and his wife Kendra decide to join the church. What results is a funny, powerful, thought-provoking story about making community, reconciliation and hope that can happen one relationship at a time.
Written by Professor of Communication Dr. Jim Shores and directed by Harvey Johnson, this show follows two families as they struggle with questions of faith and cross-cultural understanding. Funded by grants from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Creo Arts, the show runs from Nov. 6-15 in the Greathouse Theatre in Asbury’s Miller Center for Communication Arts.
The cast includes students, faculty, alumni and actors from the Lexington and Louisville area. Director-in-Residence Harvey Johnson (MFA, Carnegie Mellon) previously directed “The Tempest” at Asbury University in October 2024 and has directing credits at multiple theatres including the Kuntu Repertory Theatre and the Karamu House.
“When I read this play, I was so moved. I put it down and thought, ‘I have to direct this.’ And here I am,” Johnson said.
Asbury Theatre professor Carol Anderson serves as acting coach for the show and shares: “What happens in the second act is so good. At the staged reading, we had roars of laughter and moments of thoughtful silence. This is a play about community, where community will happen even after the show.”
Performances of “40 Acres” run from Nov. 6-15 with evening, matinee, and weekend performances in the Greathouse Theatre in Asbury’s Miller Center for Communication Arts. Tickets are $10 for students/senior citizens, $12 for faculty/staff and $15 for general admission.
The Asbury University Theatre Program uses a broad spectrum of skills to prepare well-rounded, service driven artists, with a curriculum that combines areas of study with hands-on training in performance, design and production. The Theatre Program interacts closely with the Media, Journalism & Digital Storytelling Department, allowing students to move between acting or designing for stage to adapt those skills for acting or designing for film.
The Asbury University Communication & Theatre Department offers two majors (in Communication and Theatre), five minors (in Communication, Leadership, Public Relations, Social Media, and Theatre), and the Master of Arts in Communication. This summer, Asbury Theatre students completed an acting intensive with the Complicité theatre company in London and explored Pinewood Studios. Next year, they will attend the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Learn more about Asbury University Theatre.