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As a little girl, Diane Creamer remembers sitting in church, mesmerized by the production of the Passion Mime.

“It deeply moved me and everyone who watched it every time,” Creamer, 17, said.

Through the use of pantomime, the production tells the story of Jesus’ last few days. Creamer’s church, Centenary United Methodist, stopped doing the production a few years ago, but it was never far from Creamer’s heart and memory.

A senior at Weaver Academy, Creamer immediately thought of the Passion Mime when it came time to do her graduation project.

With the help of her church, Creamer is reviving the mime production at three local churches and is looking for more locations at which to perform.

“The Passion Mime is one of the things that first sparked my interest in theater, which led me to Weaver Academy,” Creamer said. “Every since I was little, I wanted to be a part of this storytelling.”

Through love offerings at the mime performance, she also is using the project to raise money to install a new water filtration system in the Dominican Republic with the help of World Water Relief. She hopes to raise $7,000. Creamer traveled to the Dominican Republic with her church and was moved by the needs she witnessed.

“This trip had a profound impact on me, and we were only there a week,” she said. “They have no clean water, no sanitary living conditions, little medical attention and are in need of help.”

Many have gotten sick or died from drinking the water. In fact, Creamer got sick on the trip and had to be re-hydrated through an IV.

“This was a crazy experience for me, but it was very eye-opening, as it made me realize just how easily the water can get to you and how people can die from something as simple as drinking the water, brushing their teeth or bathing,” Creamer said.

The daughter of Dennis and Beth Creamer of Greensboro, Creamer studies theater at Weaver, spending most of her time backstage building sets, running crew and being a technical director. She loves the outdoors and has traveled to 44 states. She participates in the Wilderness Trail, a backpacking ministry for youth in the mountains of Virginia.

A swimmer since age 5 or 6, she competes with the Western Guilford High School swim team. Creamer has been accepted to the honors program at Appalachian State University, where she plans to study anthropology and archaeology. She also is active in her church and looks forward to traveling back to the Dominican Republic.

“I have always been interested in serving other people,” Creamer said. “I think this really sparked in me after Hurricane Katrina hit, and I really wanted to help but was too young.”

For the moment, her time is devoted to the Passion Mime. In addition to Creamer, the play includes several actors who are new to the production. The group started rehearsing in December. The three directors realized how much they missed the drama and decided to join the production as actors, as well as directors.

“Anyone that is looking for a powerful, emotional and spiritual connection would love this,” she said. “I know that every year I looked forward to seeing this performance, and every year it impacted me and my family, really making us understand the true meaning behind Easter.”

Creamer said the Passion Mime is appropriate for all ages.

“It tells the story of Jesus, from the last supper to the crucifixion, including the beating of Jesus, Judas committing suicide and the death of Jesus on the cross, but the whole play uses few props and is based a lot on symbolism that is appropriate for all ages,” she said. “I know that I watched it growing up, and my parents were very strict on what I was allowed to watch.”

Creamer said she hopes those who attend find a personal and emotional connection and understanding of Christ and his last days on Earth.

“To understand why he came, what he sacrificed, his struggles, the struggles of the people around him and the love that he had for them and each of us — this is something hard to put into words, because it is different for everyone who sees it,” she said.

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer. brown@news-record.com.