About Audience of One

Written by Bethany Harrison

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Audience of One is listed as a non-profit on paper, but it is a mission field at heart, with a focus rooted much more on purpose than profit seeking entertainment. More so than sporting events, nightclubs or dining experiences, the theatre provides a canvas for not only connection, but for change. Audience of One not only capitalizes on the transformative power of the theatre, but does so for the love of all and for the One which love is named; focusing heavily on the empowerment of the artists who participate in the productions. An artist centered focus, under the umbrella of the overwhelming love of God, attracts a wide variety of artists and audience members, from every walk of life.

That is something that Angie Dee, founder of AOO, credits as the lifeblood of the organization: “There are so many people, from every walk of life, that simply just need to know they are loved. They need to connect with people and know that every single person’s story matters, and the theatre provides a mechanism to tell vast amounts of people ‘you matter. You are not alone.’ That’s why we pour so much heart into what we do. We aren’t only offering an activity for families to do together in the community, we are offering a space for the human heart to connect and create, which is something innate in every single person. We were all designed with creativity in mind, and the stage allows large groups of people to intimately connect in a shared creative experience that is immersive and transformative”.

In other words, one simply cannot leave the doors of the theatre the same. That, for the artists and directors at AOO, is ministry at its finest. Marketing Director and AOO performer Bethany Harrison notes: “The beauty of the Gospel is that it meets us where we are, and invites us to change through the ultimate display of love. If we let it, the stage has a beautiful way of making the reality of that gift-the unfailing love of God- come to life with every bit of text, music, and choreography that is displayed on the stage through storytelling, even if the name of God is never mentioned. The stage asks hard questions. It gives us a lens into different ways of life. It provokes us to think and take action and change, hopefully, for the better. More than anything, it gives us a space to sit in another person’s story for a bit and make it our own. And in turn that makes us all a little more introspective and a little more compassionate.”