Hawkins Church celebrates 20 years of Dinner Theatre with Oh Brother Why Art Thou?

VICKSBURG, MS. – Hawkin’s United Methodist Church will hold their 20th annual dinner theater from September 27-29. Friday and Saturday’s performances will begin at 7 p.m., and Sunday’s performance will start at 2 p.m. featuring a play written by Richard Van Den Akker, Oh Brother Why Art Thou?

The play is a christian comedy retelling of the story of Jacob and Essau set in modern south Louisiana.

Van Den Akker is no stranger to the stage, acting in numerous plays. He has also been in Gold in the Hills as everyone’s favorite person to boo: Richard Murgatroyd. Van Den Akker began writing plays around 2000. He currently has two with Eldridge publishing 1 Brooklyn publishing Christian Plays and Music, including a few children’s plays published by Off the Wall Publishers, an international South African publisher.

“I don’t make a whole lot of royalties, but still it’s nice to have people to see your work and appreciate it,” said Van Den Akker to the Vicksburg Daily News.

Van Den Akker admits he has tried writing novels but finds plays easier.

“Writing plays is easier than writing a novel, in a novel you have to fill in all the details and everything,” said Van Den Akker, “In a play you just describe the set and characters and you give them dialogue. The director takes it from there and makes it look real on stage.”

Oh Brother Why Art Thou? is directed by Sara Dionne.

Hawkins United Methodist Church, located at 3736 Halls Ferry Road, will host the performances. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds will go to local missions: Beautiful Deliverance, Haven House, and Warren County Children’s Shelter.