London callback

Alumni spread gospel by acting in “Love Beyond” musical overseas

For many theatrical performers, having the chance to perform on Broadway or in London is the opportunity of a lifetime.

For two Liberty University alumni, Jamie Cloutier and Sarah Seaman, this dream came true, as they performed as part of the ensemble in the musical “Love Beyond” at the Wembley Arena in London Oct. 1-2.

According to Cloutier, the musical retells biblical stories from creation to Revelation. Richard Haley, the show’s creator, said in a Christianity Today article that the plot did not include every story from scripture and did not attempt to go into detail with particular scenes, but rather focused on the Bible as a whole.

Seaman was the first of the two to get involved with the production. Seaman’s journey with the production began six years ago on a mission trip to Guatemala with Liberty’s Spanish department. One of the girls on the trip, Bethany Davis, is the niece of one of the London City Team leaders for a ministry called ReachGlobal. Seaman said she had been praying for ministry opportunities in London.

“I’m not certain of why London was placed on my heart by the Lord, but I know it was for a vital reason,” Seaman said. “For three years, I had been praying about how the Lord would bring me to London and to what degree. One day, I was emailed the information about ReachGlobal from Bethany, who, to my knowledge, had no idea London was even on my radar. She merely felt it in her heart that I might be a good fit for the program under her aunt and uncle.”

According to Seaman, performing in London was not only a job, but also a chance to share her faith with others.

“ReachGlobal’s ministry, connected with the heartbeat of theater, could not be any closer to my dream of living that out in my life, let alone in London,” Seaman said.

“Being a part of theater overseas and using it not only to perform but to share the gospel was something more than I could have ever imagined.”

Cloutier became involved in the project after hearing about it from Seaman.

Participating in the musical process gave both young women the opportunity to grow intheir relationships with Christ.

“The very subject matter made way to a continual state of worship in order to accurately and genuinely present the truth in this story without cheesiness or inauthenticity,” Seaman said. “It was like Bible study going to every rehearsal, (because) I was being spoken into with the knowledge and wisdom of biblical truths.”

According to Seaman, a biblical foundation gave her the ability to love others the way God loves them.

“The idea of meeting people where they are at and loving them past human judgment was something I really took away from the trip,” Cloutier said. “Not all of the cast was Christian, but for those that were, we were trying to present what we believe as truth.”

From her experience, Seaman also learned that taking the time to invest in the hearts of God’s children is what being a part of God’s family is all about and that it does not matter where someone is located in the world.

“Our need for him and his love and to spread that love is as real in America as it is anywhere else,” Seaman said.

Both actresses felt Liberty gave them a solid foundation for an opportunity to share the gospel.

“(W)e had workshops concerning scene work with different scenes, like the crucifixion, for example, so we capture the emotion accurately,” Cloutier said. “We also had workshops to work on different aspects of shows here at Liberty and Alluvion (a professional theater company partnering with Liberty).”

Seaman and Cloutier’s professors from Liberty helped them understand the realities of professional acting as well.

“(Our professors) incorporated hard truths from the reality of this career, yet provided us the ability to perform each job above reproach and come at it with the heart of Christ,” Seaman said.

Seaman stressed the importance of putting her heart into each performance, something she learned while attending Liberty.

“The professors really pounded into us the reality of acting and not just performing,” Cloutier said.

Now that Cloutier is back in the United States, she is focusing on auditioning anywhere she can. Seaman has chosen to remain in London in the hope that she can continue to use her theatrical talents abroad.

MAURER is a feature reporter.