When the Passion Meets Cirque du Soleil
JOHN BOLIN, a former youth pastor, is the creator the The Thorn.
CONNECTION TO OUTREACH: An article about The Thorn appears in the January/February 2012 issue. Outreach magazine’s parent company, Outreach Inc., is partnering with The Thorn to provide churches The Thorn Easter Experience Church Kit.
2011 Thorn Trailer #1 from Thorn Productions on Vimeo.
Why did you create The Thorn? The Thorn was originally created for a group of high school students as a way to communicate the incredible price that Christ paid for us on the cross and to give a glimpse into the reality of the supernatural. It was created and first performed in October 1997. Where did the idea for The Thorn come from? 
As youth pastors at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., John and Sarah Bolin created The Thorn as an interactive, relevant retelling of the meta-narrative of the Bible. Over the years, it has grown, and the production sometimes is described as “The passion meets Cirque du Soleil.” In 2011, The Thorn went on a four-city tour, with core cast and crew joining hundreds of local actors and artists in each city to bring the production to life. In 2012, The Thorn will tour additional cities, in addition to the release of The Thorn Easter Experience Church Kit resource.
At the time, I was reading two books—a medical report on the physiological aspects of Christ's death and a Frank Peretti novel. I suppose that's how you get the passion story together with an epic, supernatural battle. In 1997, my wife, Sarah, and I were very moved watching the show O by Cirque du Soleil, amazed at how they managed to express deep emotion with just movement and music. We wanted to put all of these things together into a show that would inspire and amaze believers and nonbelievers alike. The Thorn uses mystery, tension and artistic beauty to tell the story of God in a way that just hasn't been done before.
Why did you want to incorporate gymnastics, mixed martial arts and pyrotechnics into the production?
Because it's cool! No really, because it's super cool. We love the arts; we love the artists; we love really amazing, top-notch talent and big explosions. Using some of these elements sort of turns the idea of a "passion play" on its head. We find that when people’s perceptions are challenged and a sense of mystery is introduced, it opens them to consider what else they might have missed. People always leave saying, "I didn't expect that!" There's nothing like watching a brilliant performer who is sold-out committed to telling God's story.
Was creating a stage production like this a new experience for you?
I suppose you could say I was born into it. I grew up in a very artistic family. My mom and dad were both actors at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. Later, my dad became a folk singer and mother became a fine artist. I've experimented with skits, video, special effects, set building and theatrics, stuff like that, since I was in junior high. But I was discouraged from pursuing theater because it seemed like a tough way to make a living. I love anything visual to help drive a message home. Even when I preach, I usually like to have some device, video, object—something creative to kind of drive the point home.
What has been the most challenging aspect of creating, maintaining and expanding The Thorn?
Probably having the continuous faith and risk tolerance it takes to pull this off. The Thorn is entirely dependent on thousands of volunteers, but we never really know who will show up, and the show changes each year depending on who's there. We always try to change up something—costuming, scenes, music—while still maintaining those parts that people know and have really come to associate specifically with The Thorn. Some things are core to the show and just can't be changed. Some things have become sacred cows but need to be changed. There is so much we'd like to add, but finding the resources to pull off the big, new things is always a challenge.
What has been the most rewarding aspect?
The most rewarding is to be able to share the story of the cross with thousands of people, knowing that some are hearing it for the first time and others are being vividly reminded of why they believed to begin with. And we love being able to have a mechanism for some amazingly talented people and thousands of everyday volunteers to be part of telling this story. Every one of those volunteers have their own personal story and connection to The Thorn that helps weave the rich texture that you experience in the production. We love these crazy Thorniacs!
When and how did the The Thorn Live come about?
Over the years, we have received numerous calls from churches and communities inquiring about hosting The Thorn in their city. For years, we produced The Thorn in several cities simultaneously and then in 2011, decided the best way to serve more communities was to "take the show on the road." That year, we loaded up a couple of semis and hit the road. Now, The Thorn Live is an annual touring production that collaborates with local church communities. With the tour, we're able to bring our high-level performers and production team but still involve local volunteers.
How do you partner with local churches to get The Thorn or The Thorn Live to different communities?
We love the local church! After all, The Thorn began and grew because of one church's commitment to retelling God's story. Now, we partner with local churches in each Thorn community to host rehearsals, recruit volunteers, get the word out, invite their community, and most importantly, provide a safe place for attendees to connect after the show and continue spiritual conversations. We work to connect Thorn-goers with a local church, which is where, we believe, they will receive friendship, counsel, aid, teaching, growth, and community. In addition to the full-blown Thorn Live where we bring in our national talent to meld with local talent, we also offer a licensed version of the production that local churches can produce on their own, if they have the resources.
How can a small or midsized church with less resources or space provide The Thorn experience to its community?
The all-new The Thorn Easter Experience Church Kit that Outreach is offering for the first time in 2012 gives any size church a way to really jump in to the Easter story. It will have much of the sights and sounds of The Thorn coupled with the flavor and feel of that local church. The Thorn Experience is designed to be a compliment to those that have seen The Thorn Live or stand alone as a unique and powerful worship experience.
Are multiple churches in various communities uniting, working together and pooling resources to bring The Thorn or The Thorn Live to their communities? Is that something you’re encouraging?
Yes! This is our goal moving forward—that multiple churches would band together to share God's story as a unified voice. We recognize that people choose different churches for a variety of reasons and that diversity provides a rich texture to The Thorn in each city.
A great example is Denver. Last year, four churches came together to be part of this outreach, universally saying it was a big win for their churches. The artists in their churches had a way to use their gifting and the people of their church had an opportunity to invite their friends to experience the story of God without the risk of being embarrassed. They were excited to be part of a production that presented the Gospel in a clear but breathtaking way. We can't do it without the local church!
What guidance or assistance is available to churches of any size that are producing The Thorn Live?
There are two ways to bring The Thorn Live to your city. If there is a network of churches in a city, Thorn Productions may partner with you to bring The Thorn Live to a neutral venue in your city. If a local church thinks they can do The Thorn with their own resources, Thorn Live licenses are available, and we provide everything needed to pull it off. It's taken us 15 years to put together this production, but it should take a church a mere three months with what we provide. You'll get video backgrounds, music, scripting, makeup and costume examples, even stage design examples if you want.
Where will The Thorn or The Thorn Live be shown in 2012?
As of this moment, Austin, Texas, Colorado Springs, Colo., Denver, and Branson, Mo. We may fill in a few more cities that are on hold right now. We're watching to see if we get the church partnership we'd need in those cities.
In the future, we are hoping to expand the tour to include the East Coast, West Coast and central U.S., as well as South America and Europe. Also, we are looking for a semi-permanent home for The Thorn that could also be a training center for college students who want hands-on experience in the performing arts. We'd work in partnership with major Christian universities. Additionally, we continually get asked if we have any other shows in the works. The wheels are definitely spinning. 
HOW TO LINK: Connect with John Bolin at TheThorn.net, TheThornLive.com, on Twitter @JohnBolin, or on Facebook.
