Pawcatuck church continues tradition of new Easter plays.

Stonington — Lighthouse Community Baptist Church, which has developed an annual tradition of presenting original plays based on various aspects of the Easter story, will premiere a new production about the days between Jesus’ crucifixion and his entombment on Good Friday, March 30, at the church.

The 90-minute play, which is free and open to the public, will be staged at 6 and 8 p.m. at 22 Pequot Trail in Pawcatuck. Those who wish to attend can reserve a spot at www.lighthouse-community.org.

In past years, productions have featured people whose lives were changed by Jesus speaking out from the crowd during pivotal scenes of Easter week, the women who followed Jesus from his arrest to the crucifixion, the time from just before Jesus died to the discovery of his empty tomb and a “Living Last Supper,” in which Jesus and his disciples were depicted coming to life from the famed Leonardo da Vinci painting and speaking.

All of the productions were written by Lori Jones, the wife of church Pastor Ray Jones.

This time, Jones has merged a story of modern-day loss with the painting “The Entombment of Christ” by 19th century Danish artist Carl Bloch.

Jones said that when the church presented the “Living Last Supper,” people enjoyed the fact that it featured such a famous piece of art. While Bloch’s painting is not as well known, she said a lot of family Bibles feature his religious works, which are characterized by dramatic lighting.

Jones said her inspiration for the play came from several sources.

She said her sister, who is a graphic designer for a large church in Chicago, told her about a gallery of Easter art her church was presenting. More importantly, she said, she knows a lot of people who lost loved ones over the past year.

“It’s been one of those years when we lost a lot of people,” she said.

Jones said the play begins in the present day with a woman, who recently lost her husband, attending an Easter art gallery and meeting some friends who have lost their son.

“It’s all about loss,” she said. “Who can imagine what the disciples felt about the loss of Christ.”

The play then transitions into four scenes after the death of Jesus — Peter and Andrew talking after Peter denies knowing Jesus three times on the day of his death, the mother of John giving him the news of Jesus’ death, Mary Magdalene and other women at the cross and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus preparing Jesus’ body for the tomb. While the Bible offers some description of these events, it is up to Jones to complete the scenes with actual dialogue and action.

Jones said she hopes the play will help show “the power of the resurrection and the comfort it can give us.”