June 26, 2008
Actors bring evangelical megachurch to life on stage
By Adelle M. Banks

WASHINGTON -- Beneath a large photo of Pikes Peak, six actors bounce on stage to Christian music and reel from scandal as they explore life in the center of the evangelical universe: Colorado Springs, Colo. "This Beautiful City," which premiered this month (June) and heads to both U.S. coasts by 2009, captures the coffee shops and the worship music of New Life Church, the prominent megachurch perhaps best known for the sex-and-drugs downfall of its former pastor, Ted Haggard. The play is produced by The Civilians, a New York-based acting troupe that interviews its subjects and uses the material to create docudramas about them. They say they were overwhelmed by the scope -- and especially the music -- of the Colorado Springs megachurch.