2001
Book of Mormon Theater
June 2001

“Book of Mormon Theater,” Ensign, June 2001, 69

Book of Mormon Theater

To introduce our family’s study of the Book of Mormon, we planned a Book of Mormon theater for family home evening. The following is a step-by-step approach for putting on your own little play.

First, place props in a laundry basket to be used in the theater. Robes and cloth for headbands can be used for the costumes. Then, in a small bag put slips of paper with either titles of Book of Mormon stories or Primary songs about the Book of Mormon. Next, each family member takes a turn picking a slip of paper from the small bag. If the slip has the title of a song, the person who picked it leads the family in singing that song. If a Book of Mormon story is picked, the person chooses who will play the characters in that specific story. Then someone reads the story (we use a children’s version of the Book of Mormon stories) while the “cast” acts it out, using the clothes and props in the laundry basket.

Here are examples of songs you could use from the Children’s Songbook:

  1. “Book of Mormon Stories,” p. 118.

  2. “Nephi’s Courage,” p. 120.

  3. “Had I Been a Child,” p. 80.

  4. “Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus,” p. 36.

  5. “The Books in the Book of Mormon,” p. 119.

  6. “The Golden Plates,” p. 86.

Use your imagination to find stories in the Book of Mormon that your family could act out. Some examples we found are:

  1. “Nephi Building the Ship”

    Cast members: Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel.

    Building blocks could be used for making the ship, or a blanket or large towel could be a pretend ship the family could sail on.

  2. “King Benjamin’s Discourse”

    Cast members: King Benjamin, people listening to the discourse.

    The person playing King Benjamin could stand on a chair while family members sit on blankets and listen, or blankets could be used as tents.

  3. “The Conversion of Alma the Younger”

    Cast members: Alma the Younger, sons of Mosiah, and the angel.

    One person could represent the sons of Mosiah if there are not enough people.

    Acting ability is not necessary to help your family benefit from Book of Mormon theater. By acting out the scenes, you help the Book of Mormon come alive for your family and encourage the study of it at an early age.—Brenda Minor, Suncrest Fifth Ward, Orem Utah Suncrest Stake

Illustrated by Beth M. Whittaker