For schools struggling to deliver a high-quality musical due to lack of time, money, resources or specialist teachers, Patrice Patel, founder of Gobsmacked Productions, has the answer.

“I’ve been running my performing arts business for six years now in Tauranga (NZ), where I go into primary and intermediate schools and direct whole school musicals with over 400 students in a five-week program,” she explains. “So far I’ve taught about 10,000 kids here in Tauranga!”

Recently, God impressed Ms. Patel to start a charitable arm of her business, so she started a free two-day holiday program to teach children ages 5 to 16 more about God.

“I followed what God had placed on my heart and advertised to all my schools where I do biannual school musicals,” she explains. “Within three days the workshop was completely booked.”

On October 8 and 9, 145 children from the community—many of whom aren’t Christian—came to the holiday program at Tauranga Seventh-day Adventist Church and were split into singing, dance, drama, and poi (Maori performance art) workshops.

“I asked youth leaders from Palmerston North and my good friends who are all talented in the performing arts to volunteer to help me bring this dream to fruition,” she says.

In two days, everyone in the music group learned to sing “The Blessing” as a choir led by Tracie Mafileo and Amy Korenhof, with Carina Hereford on the piano. The drama and dance groups learned a performance under the direction of Patel, Chris Chapman, and Jasiah and Murray Jennings, which highlighted three major events in 2020: COVID-19, the Beirut explosion, and the Black Rights Movement.

The whole group also learned a dance about how to shine light in the darkness of the world, led by Patel, Leanne King (junior hip hop), Kimberly Brown (senior hip hop), and Mel Haller (glow poi and hoop).

At the end of the two-day workshop, all the performances were presented during a special program in front of parents and guests. In addition to the items and a praise and worship segment, Pastor Lance Boulton, NZPUC Adventist Tertiary Student Ministry director, delivered a message on having hope in the darkness.

“The theme was ‘Illuminate’, which was a fitting response to the events of 2020 and the need for finding hope in such dark times,” says Patel. “In two days these kids learned drama, dance, and songs to perform to a church filled with their parents and friends, communicating to them that hope can only be found in God.”

In addition to the workshop, next year Patel will host a Gobsmacked Ministries program every Tuesday night from 6-8 p.m. for children ages 10-17. So far, the program has been met with great enthusiasm.

“I had so many kids sign up to be a part of this ministry, and I’ve had parents emailing asking if their children can join,” she explains. “I am hoping to produce music videos, concerts, and mini-musicals that can be performed in our community, on Hope Channel and other Christian television stations.”

Having started out writing musicals from scratch as a director of performing arts in Cairo (Egypt), Patel says she believes Gobsmacked is a God-given vocation where he gives her the energy, creativity, and the right people in her life in order to produce high-quality musicals.

“One of my best friends, Melanie Schubert, who I met at Avondale College, would edit my scripts, and then when I started my company she became the official Gobsmacked Productions scriptwriter,” Patel says. “I found my music producer online, after he produced my very first Gobsmacked song, totally grasping my vision and producing the most amazing song, and six months later I found out he was a Seventh-day Adventist after he apologized for one of his songs being late because it was his Sabbath. He has now produced over 120 songs for Gobsmacked Productions for my 11 musicals,” she says.

Patel continues: “What started as a dream and vision for myself with my performing arts company turned into a reality beyond my expectations! Although this year has been filled with darkness, last week was a testimony to God’s desire to shine in these times. He is ready to use these times of adversity to do something new.”

To check out what the kids achieved in two days and ministered to their family and friends through the performing arts, go to gobsmacked.nz. Or if you’d like to donate to the ministry, you can email patrice@gobsmacked.nz.

This article was originally published on the website of Adventist Record