Epiphany
For more than 30 years, the Epiphany ensemble has carried on a tradition of bringing thought-provoking drama to schools, churches and prisons. Through the years, this touring company has presented a wide variety of music and drama to thousands.
Each program is designed to benefit a specific audience, whether it’s for elementary-school children, a youth group, or an entire church congregation.
Schedule
Epiphany is a group of actors, musicians, writers, and storytellers, exploring stories of faith through performance. The group's performances are winsome, powerful, and worshipful. We're confident Epiphany will be a blessing to your community.
We invite a $250 suggested donation to have Epiphany perform for your school, church, event, or group. However, as a ministry-focused ensemble, we will do our best to accommodate your performance invitation regardless of compensation. We'd love to share our stories with your community!
Epiphany's all-original set includes a variety of pieces, making it easy to adapt performances to any time length between 5 and 55 minutes. The 2023-2024 set is titled "Home for a Minute" and explores themes of home and belonging as they relate to God, community, family, and hope.
To book Epiphany for a performance, please complete the form below. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Ben Tissell (Epiphany Director) at btissell@georgefox.edu.
Director
Alumnus Ben Tissell returned to campus in the fall of 2023 to serve as an assistant professor of theatre.
Since graduating from the university with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 2011, he has been active on the stage and screen throughout the Northwest as an actor, while also working extensively in ministry and as a singer-songwriter. He has acted with the Portland Center Stage at the Armory, Third Rail Repertory, Portland Playhouse, Broadway Rose Theatre, and other theatre companies, and done print, film and voiceover work for LG, Amazon, Portland Center Stage, and others.
He also arrived with nine years of full-time ministry experience, working for six years in worship, youth and teaching programs at Eastridge Church in Clackamas (2012-18) and most recently as the worship ministry director and member of the preaching team at Grace City Portland Church (2021-present).
Ben has also worked as the music director at local schools, as well as a guest teacher and lecturer, including at George Fox. He also serves as the artistic director of the Wild Goose Repertory theatre company, which he founded with the intent to “tell stories of faith, hope and love.”
In addition to his bachelor’s degree, he did two years of graduate study for a master’s degree in biblical and theological studies at Western Seminary in Portland (2015-17). Ben lives in Portland a few blocks from his Grace City church and many in his church family.
His hobbies and interests include spending lots of time with his nephews and nieces, all sorts of outdoor activities (backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, etc.), co-hosting a Christian history podcast with his dad (a Western Seminary professor), international backpacking, running, gardening, and reading copiously.