Carol Rezelle has always had a vision for the future.
Even when naming her Enopion Theatre Co., Rezelle saw something more. The name itself comes from a Greek word meaning “within sight of, close enough to see,” according to the theatre’s website.
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Her vision of building a theater in Columbia County is close enough for her and all of Columbia County to see. She broke ground on a 10-acre tract of land on Flowing Wells Road for the Flowing Wells Theatre in fall 2020 and hopes to start construction in the spring. Enopion will be the theater’s resident company.
Rezelle believes it’s divine providence to have found the prime location on a significantly named road.
“Flowing wells has a spiritual meaning,” said Rezelle. Her theater company is one of a few Bible based theater groups in the nation. She only knows of two others. Most of the plays the company does are theatrical adaptations of Bible stories but with a twist.
The group recently restarted rehearsals for its play, “The Witnesses,” which focuses on the trial of Jesus Christ with Pontius Pilate as the judge. What’s interesting about this production is that Jesus never appears in the play.
Rezelle said Jesus is never a character in any of the Enopion productions.
“People ask ‘How are you going to do the trial of Jesus without Jesus?’ Just come and see,” she said.
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The production had been scheduled for last spring, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Rezelle said they are doing rehearsals now in hopes of performing this in the spring and summer. It will be performed in the Ivory Box Theatre, 3814 Commercial Ct., Martinez.
Rezelle started Enopion in 1999 with her one-woman show “I, Mary.” In the beginning, she traveled to churches. Then, the company started renting spaces to have churches come to them. In 2018, she found a former glass company on Commercial Court and transformed it into a 60-seat theater. She purchased the Flowing Wells property in 2018.
At the Ivory Box location, Rezelle has offered theater classes for children. She hopes to resume those and other children’s programming soon.
The long-term goal is the construction of the theater which will cost $2.2 million.
In the fall, Enopion held its first fundraiser, an outdoor production of “The Seed.” It raised $40,000.
Rezelle said memorial bricks are also for sale for $100 and $200. They will be installed at the site.
For more information about Enopion, visit www.enopion.com
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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