Hillcrest Church will host Esther’s Banquet,a dinner theater experience set in banquet hall of King Xerxes of Persia.

The event will be presented March 22-23. Four showings are scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23. Tickets are available at the Hillcrest office, 40 Hallock St., Jamestown, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., by calling 716-483-3331, or in the church lobby on Sunday mornings.

The dinner theater experience honors the joyful festival of Purim, immersing attendees in the narrative of the Book of Esther. Witness the rescue of the Jews through an interactive performance. The dinner will include Balsamic Roasted Chicken Breast, Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, Tehina Green Bean Almondine, and to sweeten the experience, a chocolate-filled funfetti hamantaschen for dessert.

“Esther’s Banquet” is a freshly penned Reader’s Theater by Mark Hinman, Hillcrest’s lead pastor, who has creatively adapted the Old Testament Book of Esther for an ensemble cast. The production, featuring six speaking roles, dual narrators, and characters including Esther, King Xerxes, and the antagonist, Haman, marks the latest addition to Hillcrest’s dinner theater repertoire, following “The BIG Upper Room” and “Jesus and the 40 Days.”

“Our mission is to make scripture learning interactive, captivating, and fun,” Hinman said. “We plan to present ‘Esther’s Banquet’ every three years, aligning with Purim’s occurrence just before Easter. Next year, we will revisit our beloved ‘BIG Upper Room’ dinner theater.”