‘Be the Witness’ Brings the Story of Jesus to the Stage

A grassroots musical production telling the story of Jesus through the eyes of His followers is coming to Sydney, with organisers inviting believers to get involved both on stage and behind the scenes.

Key points:

Be the Witness tells the story of Jesus through the perspectives of His apostles and those closest to Him.
The production will be staged at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres in September 2026.
Churches, volunteers, choir members and community supporters are being invited to help bring the project to life.

Actor, director and theatre-maker Jon-Claire Lee says Be the Witness aims to introduce a new generation to the story of Jesus through live theatre.

In a conversation with Hope Mornings, Lee described the production as a revival of a Christian musical that originally found success during the 1970s alongside productions such as Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar.

“Be the Witness was a very big hit at that time, and I think it brought a lot of people to the faith,” Lee said.

The project came onto Lee’s radar through a Facebook advertisement seeking a director for the production.

“I just responded to it,” Lee said.

Be the Witness tells the story of Jesus through the people who knew Him best.

Seeing Jesus through the eyes of His followers

Rather than focusing solely on Jesus Himself, the musical tells His story through the people who witnessed His ministry.

“You are right, because it is the story of Jesus’ life on earth,” Lee said.

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“But it’s told through the point of view of His apostles and those who are close to Him – Peter, the other apostles, Mary.

“I think everybody within the cast is a witness to what happened during those years that He was here with us.”

Lee believes that perspective helps audiences connect personally with the gospel story and consider their own role as witnesses today.

Bringing a classic story to a new generation

Having worked across film, television and theatre for decades, Lee said live performance offers something increasingly rare in a digital world.

“With the coming in of AI and all these forms of entertainment that may be not real, actually, because that’s infiltrating film and television especially, I think stage performance is what is real because we can’t fake it,” Lee said.

“There are no second takes.”

The production is being presented by Mary Queen of the Family Parish in Blacktown, with support from churches and Christian communities across Sydney.

Lee said the goal is not only to encourage believers but also to reach people who are searching for meaning and faith.

The production hopes to spark both first-time discoveries of faith and renewed belief.

“It’s not just for the believers, but it’s for the people who are searching,” Lee said.

“For the young people who are facing uncertainties in life and for us who are facing a world that is full of conflict, chaos and confusion now, I think the Christian faith will give them comfort and guidance.”

A true community effort

The scale of the production is significant, involving a large cast, creative team and community choir.

Lee said the show features 10–15 principal characters alongside a choir of more than 50 singers drawn from local communities.

The production budget exceeds $200,000, something Lee described as an extraordinary commitment from the church community.

“We have such encouragement from everybody within the community to make this happen and to make it work,” he said.

Organisers are continuing to seek additional choir members, volunteers and people with technical or organisational skills to support the production.

“People can just go on and say, ‘I want to be part of this project. I want to be a witness,’” Lee said.

More than eight performances

The musical will be staged at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta during the second week of September 2026.

Alongside the performances, organisers are planning preview events at churches around Sydney, featuring songs from the show and opportunities for audiences to learn more about the production.

For Lee, success is about more than ticket sales.

“I think it is important when you come to the show that you enjoy it,” he said.

“Through the performance, you get that deeper understanding of what the Christian faith is about and what Jesus is about.

“That can be either a first discovery, a renewal of your discovery, or a confirmation of what you’ve always believed for so long.”

The vision is for the message of Be the Witness to continue long after the curtain falls.

Lee hopes the production will inspire future conversations, seminars and community discussions centred on faith and the story of Jesus.

Listen to the full interview in the player above.

Feature image: Supplied

Ben McEachen

Ben hosts Mornings on Hope 103.2 and the ‘Money: Faith & Finance’ podcast. He is well known for his long-running work as a movie reviewer on Open House and The Big Picture. With a background in journalism and theology, he brings thoughtful insight to conversations around faith, culture and current affairs.