About Songs of Revival
Songs of Revival is a musical journey that takes you through the powerful revivals of the past and present. Our "singing play" tells the story of three freshman at Asbury University who hear about the 1970 Revival there, study the 1904/05 Welsh Revival -- which was going on when the first Asbury Revival began February of 1905 -- and experience the 2023 Asbury Outpouring. Through music and storytelling, we bring these revivals to life and inspire audiences to seek a deeper connection with God. Join us on this journey of revival and let the music move your soul.
We can't create revivals, but we can set our sails to receive what the Lord is doing. This began as a musical about the Welsh Revival of 1904/05, but when the Asbury Outpouring broke out we realized we needed to shift gears and tell that story as well, and that really started when the students of Asbury University heard about the one-week revival in 1970 at the 50th anniversary, so that's where we begin. As students study revivals of the past we flash back to the Welsh Revival of 1904/05, which was quite similar to the Asbury Outpouring because it was mostly singing that carried the services.
Meet the Team
The revivals we portray had young people at the center of the action, and our plan is to train up local actors in their late teens and 20s to fill those roles, but here are the creators and key performers.
Musical Director/Narrator
Rev. Timothy J. Mercaldo
Rev. Timothy J. Mercaldo has been an ordained Christian minister for the past thirty-four years. Twenty-nine of those years have been spent specifically in worship ministry. Tim has had the privilege of ministering in the American evangelical context of every facet indigenous to the local church.
Writer/Evan Roberts and others
Rich Swingle
Rich Swingle is an award-winning actor who has developed a dozen one-man plays, and has presented them and workshops on six continents, in 39 nations, and in hundreds of venues.
Dramaturg/Jeannine Brabon
Joyce Swingle
Joyce Swingle has performed and spoken all over the world. She's performed in four feature films: Indescribable, The Unexpected Bar Mitzvah, Courageous Love, and Mayflower II. Joyce has developed her own one-woman, one-act play, "The Shepherd's Daughter", which she has performed in the New York City area as well as in The Shepherd's Cave in Bethlehem.
