Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center

★Sky

This theater presents itself as a wholesome, faith-based space for kids, but the reality behind the scenes is deeply disappointing!! The productions rely almost entirely on unpaid volunteers who are expected to give up countless hours of their time, only to be met with poor communication, disorganization, and a lack of basic respect (*cough* Sherri Webb *cough). Volunteers frequently quit, not because the work is hard, but because Sherri treats them SO poorly. Despite the fact she wouldn't get paid if it weren't for them. Parents should be aware that while they are paying for their children to participate, many of the people actually running rehearsals and shows are not paid at all. Directors, stage hands, choreographers, people who actually do the hard work, ARE VOLUNTEERS. Meanwhile, leadership (who get paid...) appears disconnected from the day-to-day chaos, offering little structure, guidance, or accountability. The result is stressful environments where volunteers scramble to hold productions together with minimal help. What makes this especially troubling is that this is a Christian theater. One would expect values like kindness, stewardship, and care for others to be reflected in how people are treated. Unfortunately, that is definitely not what happens here. The kids deserve better. They deserve organized productions, supported mentors, and adults who model the values the theater claims to stand for. Please consider taking your kids somewhere that treats all their patrons, staff, and volunteers with basic human dignity.

★★★★★Jay Eisenhauer

HCPAC’s ministry has greatly affected my life. I am 15 years old, and I have been doing shows at HCPAC for 4 years now, I started when I auditioned for HCPAC’s production of Frozen Jr. I’ve made many friends and have grown up with HCPAC. I view HCPAC As a home, and I feel as if I’m friends with everyone there, it all feels like one big family. I’ve done about 20 shows at HCPAC and enjoyed every single one, and it helped me grow as a person. Outside of the theater I have always been rather shy, but this theater changed that for me. I’ve wanted to be an actor my entire life, and I feel like I learned so much within HCPAC’s ministry, and I am so grateful for opportunities given to me there. I have been able to work as a student leader with HCPAC’s summer camp, and I have been allowed to try student choreographing for a few of HCPAC’s shows such as “Secret Garden,” and “Adventures of a Comic book Artist.” HCPAC is a wonderful ministry for kids to learn to open up, about theater, and about Jesus.

★★★★★Jackie Eisenhauer

I can not say enough about the important role HCPAC has played in my child’s development. As soon as she realized that she could get people to clap for her by doing something entertaining, she was determined to take to the stage. Her first experience at a different community theatre was devastating, as she was asked to leave a children’s show at the age of 9 for being too fidgety. She was heartbroken, but did not want to give up on her dream. In 2019 we discovered HCPAC was going to be performing Frozen Jr., and being a girl of that age Frozen had been a big part of her childhood, so we decided to give this place a shot. Now here we are, 4 years later, and she is a confident 15-year-old who loves nothing more than to shine on the stage. We are so thankful for the opportunities HCPAC has given her to try all sorts of different roles, from ensemble to lead characters, as well as the ability to be a student leader and help with choreography, and to learn the technical side of theatre as well. She truly feels that HCPAC is her second family, and she would not have been able to grow in this way without the caring and acceptance that was shown to her, even as she struggled through the complications of adolescence. I have also been given the opportunity to volunteer at HCPAC, which makes it something we can bond over doing together, and I love to help provide the same opportunity to all the students. We will forever be grateful for our HCPAC family.

★★★★★Taylor Gonzalez-Castellanos

Both of my daughters have now been in several productions here and I must say it has been an amazing ride! Watching my oldest grow from a shy girl this summer with a tiny background part in Spongebob to the amazing lead of Jojo in Suessical brought tears to my eyes! She has truly learned so much and grown more than I could imagine! Both of my girls are now ready to move forward to their next productions and can be seen on the HCPAC stage again soon! All of the volunteers that help to run these productions also have truly gotten to know my daughters well and taken the time to ask questions when necessary to help them grow and prosper! I want to take the time to thank each and every volunteer for helping to teach these kids responsibility and to clean up after themselves in an welcoming environment.

★★★★★Zelda Telsar

My son and I have been involved in one way or another at HCPAC since March 2021 and it has been AWESOME! The volunteers and staff are committed to the kids and youth in growing their life skills along with teaching theater. I love that my son enjoys making new friends and has a great experience with being in the plays, but on top of that I have seen the teams pour into him and the other kids! Confidence, faith, standing for what is good, having compassion and love- this is so much more than a theater- it's a ministry!