Sight & Sound: 50 Years Later

Glenn Eshelman: [00:00:00] We can’t put it together anymore, uh, in our human thinking Uh, it is unbelievable, uh, what has happened in these past 50 years.
Reporter: In the past 50 years, Glenn and Shirley Eshelman have witnessed the birth and growth of Sight & Sound theaters. Since opening their first auditorium in 1976, Sight & Sound has grown to become a theatrical and motion picture ministry that has presented the gospel to tens of millions of people around the world, and the couple behind it all are a match made in heaven.
Glenn Eshelman: And I tell her, “Without my throttle, you’d have got nowhere in life.” And she’s quick to remind me, “Without my brake, you’d have went over the cliff and crashed.” I said, “You’re exactly right, Shirley. We needed the both to make the successful journey.”
Reporter: And what a journey it has been. From humble beginnings painting farm scenes in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to multimedia slideshows, to simple stage performances, that have grown into elaborate theatrical [00:01:00] productions, to streaming television and even motion pictures, Sight & Sound has been setting its sights on bigger and better ways to tell the greatest story ever told.
Glenn Eshelman: We never started a project without being in agreement and supportive of what God was calling us to do. 300-foot wraparound stage, 300 animals in Noah’s Ark. I believed in giving God the best. His creation is glorious. We’re made in His image. We’re made in His likeness. He’s a creator, so should we be, and our creation should be glorious and beautiful unto Him.
Reporter: Sight & Sound has produced theatrical presentations including Noah, David, Queen Esther, Daniel, and most recently, Joshua, which is a continuation of the Eshelman legacy.
Glenn Eshelman: And my grandson produced it, and he, he’s a kind of cut of the old cloth from Grandpa. Uh, he has a standard of, uh, um, just doing it in all [00:02:00] excellence.
Reporter: Fans of Sight & Sound shows come to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Branson, Missouri from around the country and around the world to see and hear stories taken from the pages of the Bible.
Justin Colvin: We have a 300-foot wraparound stage, so it’s all around you. Animals are going up and down the aisle. I don’t know another place that that happens. That’s what sets us apart from a lot in Branson.
Kevin Wissink: We probably have seen eight to 10 different shows. Jesus, David, that was one of my favorites. Esther was a highlight.
Glenn Eshelman: They know they’re going to get two things, an excellent show visually, and they’re gonna get the word of God and the gospel with truth.
Kevin Wissink: I’ve seen people’s lives changed as a result, even sitting in the audience, you know, looking around ’cause, I mean, families, children, people that have never experienced something like this.
Reporter: Each Sight & Sound theatrical show ends with an invitation for audience members [00:03:00] to come to the front of the auditorium to receive prayer with members of the staff. Fifty years later, the vision of Glenn and Shirley Eshelman to use sight and sound to share the gospel continues on stage, on television, and on the movie screen.
For Global News Alliance, I am Sam Ebersole in Branson, Missouri

People Interviewed and their Titles
Glenn Eshelman, Founder of Sight & Sound
Justin Colvin, Branson House Manager
Kevin Wissink, Audience Member

Recording Location
Branson, Missouri

Organization featured in this Story
Sight & Sound

Reporter/Producer for the story
Sam Ebersole

Producing Organization
GNA