Local youth musical ‘Abandoned’ explores redemption and identity after Vietnam War

PRESS RELEASE:

May 6, 2025

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

Local Youth Musical “Abandoned” Explores Redemption and Identity After Vietnam War

Jackson, TN – May 1, 2025 — This May, the stage at Northside Church’s Hope Hall will come alive with Abandoned, a powerful original musical that explores the burdens of the past, the healing found in God’s grace, and the life-changing love of Jesus Christ. Opening night is Friday, May 30, 2025 at 7 pm, with additional presentations on Saturday, May 31 at 7 pm and Sunday, June 1 at 3 pm. Admission is free, and the community is warmly invited.

Abandoned, by definition, means forsaken. Deserted. Rejected or cast aside.
But it also means uninhibited. Liberated. Unrestrained.

Our story follows a young man named Paul, who abandons his old life in the early 1970’s when he returns from Vietnam. Faithless, despised and rejected by the world, he hides his true identity from everyone he meets in the small town of Damascus, Virginia. But by the grace of God and the kindness of strangers, Paul finds unlikely friendship and family as he begins to let his walls down – but will his newfound hope be enough to break the chains of the past and find him – and those close to him – living fully abandoned to the love and freedom found in Jesus?

The script draws its inspiration from John 1:12–13: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13

Presented by the youth of Northside Church, the production highlights the exceptional talent of local students, combining an original storyline, heartfelt performances, and a message that resonates with the power of redemption. It shares a story you can embrace; one you won’t want to miss.

Performance Information