MANSFIELD — What comes to mind when hearing the name “Jesus?” Brianna Barnes wanted to know.
When the Mansfield native set out to write a piece of theatre centering around her Christian faith, she wanted to write something authentic. So instead of a fictional piece, she set out to talk to real people about their experiences with religion.
“Faith and religion can be a dividing thing for people, and I wanted to write something that was a bridge builder,” Barnes said. “I wanted to interview real people, and I was so inspired by my friends and why they believed what they did — all walks of life, all ages, the good bad and ugly experiences with Jesus.”
Over the past few years, those real-life stories have transformed into Barnes’ first original work, “Let There Be Light,” which is making its New York City premiere at the Hudson Guild Theater on July 31 as part of New York Summerfest 2018. It’s a dream come true for Barnes, who has had a lifelong passion for music.
“The cool thing about this show is I get to use my background as a songwriter and creator as well as my skills as an actress,” Barnes said. “Most actors don’t ever get to be on the other side of it, directing and behind the scenes.
“It’s really cool to have this opportunity to do both.”
Barnes was on track to move to Nashville and try for a career as a singer/songwriter until her junior year of high school, when she played “Belle” in “Beauty & the Beast” with the Mansfield Youth Theatre. Since then, she has appeared locally as the title character in “Mary Poppins” at the Renaissance Theatre and auditions regularly for productions in New York City, where she has lived the past two years.
“I always knew I wanted to perform, but I never knew what that was going to look like,” Barnes said.
The first version of “Let There Be Light” was written during Barnes’ senior year at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where she graduated in 2016. It took approximately six to eight months to write — including some original songs Barnes had already written — and six weeks to rehearse.
It was in Cincinnati that the show earned its first review from Kirk Sheppard, otherwise known as “The Sappy Critic.” Sheppard called the show “the best evangelical tool I’ve ever come across.”
“Barnes’ acoustic sensibilities as a songwriter are right in line with contemporary music; her theatrical training helps, too,” Sheppard said. “But the most powerful thing for me was Barnes herself and her direct, frank discussion of what’s wrong with Christianity in 2016.
“It’s the most relevant, sincere and moving thing I’ve heard in a church in a very long time.”
“Let There Be Light” brings the true stories of experiences, discoveries, struggles, and problems various kinds of people have with Jesus and Christianity to life on stage. Through each character’s vignette, the audience experiences a messy and broken, but colorful and beautiful mosaic of performances.
“As an audience member you’re hearing all these different stories, and it’s a way to listen,” Barnes said. “I feel like right now people just love to talk and share their view and not a lot of people like to listen, and I hope this show provides a way for people to be able to listen to a point of view that might be different from their own, or experience a perspective they might not hear.”
Since its original debut, “Let There Be Light” has been through many rounds of tweaking, editing and rewriting in preparation for its NYC premiere. Barnes is supported by a cast of NYC-based actors, many of them fellow Cincinnati alumni and a few with Broadway credits under their belt.
Currently, Barnes is raising money to cover the costs of producing “Let There Be Light” at New York Summerfest. Barnes hopes to compensate the actors and musicians involved in the show, as well as promotional videos, programs and other miscellaneous costs.
A GoFundMe page has reached $2,705 of a $4,000 goal through June.
“There’s a lot of cost associated with putting the show up, and because I’m not part of a larger established company or anything, I’m doing it all myself,” Barnes explained.
Regardless of reaching her fundraising goal, the show will go on. “Let There Be Light” will premiere at the Hudson Guild Theatre on July 31 with additional showings on Aug. 4 and 5. Tickets are available online.
Ideally, Barnes would like to see “Let There Be Light” continue forward in the New York theatre scene, with the backing of a producer or perhaps a touring show to take it to the next level. More than anything, though, she hopes her work will inspire more conversations about Christianity and faith among her audiences.
“The beautiful thing about the show is I think people will find themselves in at least one of the characters,” Barnes said. “I think they’ll walk in and see the show and identify with someone for even a part of it. I want people to walk away more empathetic to people who have a different view than them, and have a conversation they wouldn’t have had had they not come to the show.”
