AUBURN — Hollywood has nothing on the East Auburn Baptist Church.

It was dress rehearsal for the big Easter show known as “The Event” Wednesday night, and the halls of the church buzzed with bodies in constant motion. In a production that involves nearly 300 souls, not a base was left uncovered.

“There’s tension, but it’s an excited tension,” said Jackie Dupuis, a woman who seemed to know everybody by name as she moved from one room to the next. “We’re excited to shine, to reach out to the community. There’s no better story than the story of Jesus Christ.”

In a small room off the main entrance, a woman is down on her knees, cutting through fabric in a way that makes you suspect that speed counts. This is the wardrobe room, and it’s dealing with a last-minute wardrobe crisis.

Around the corner, burly men dressed as Roman soldiers stand with their arms folded across their barrel chests. In these minutes before the curtain is raised, they look every bit as menacing as the real thing.

Menacing, maybe — but not nervous.

“Not really,” said Steve Whittier, among the burliest of them all. “The guys with speaking parts are probably a little nervous, though.”

There are more than 150 actors roaming the halls. Some are dressed as soldiers, some as shepherds, many as humble villagers. There are kids as young as two or three and men and women well into their retirement years. All are members of the church — from the stars of the show to those who built the set.

“We’ve got a system,” Dupuis said, “for everything.”

And boy, she’s not kidding.

In the kitchen, a half-dozen people are hard at work, preparing dinner for every member of the cast. Up and down the halls and in the quickly filling parking lot, a full team of security officers keep watch.

There’s a medical team and an evacuation plan. For every child, there are adults assigned to watch them. There are teams handling props and teams handling lights. There are ushers and greeters — numbering 90, all told — and there are men and women who are there specifically to handle any kind of crisis that may arise.

As far as Dupuis can tell, the crew has thought of everything. There are no loose ends.

“If there is,” Dupuis said, “we’ll find out about it tonight.”

Director David Corey isn’t sweating it. He’s got a Styrofoam cup of coffee balanced on a clipboard as he makes his way into the cast huddle. He looks calm and composed, and there’s not a drop of perspiration on his forehead.

“I’ve been doing this for 18 years,” Dupuis said. “There’s a little nervousness, maybe, but a little nervousness always helps.”

If anyone deserves to have pre-show jitters, it’s Corey. He’s the director who also has his hands in the lighting, set design — pretty much every facet of the performance. But Corey is also assigned to sing in the show — both a solo and a trio — and he’ll have to nail it for 10 shows, from the the dress rehersal to Easter.

That unnerving concept only makes him shrug.

“It’s all about faith,” he said.

Assistant Pastor Tim Howard has faith, too, but he’ll practice his from the comfort of the seats rather than under the white glare of the stage lights.

“Some people like being up there,” Howard said. “It’s something I shy away from. I prefer to work behind the scenes.”

For a dress rehearsal, the seats filled up fast. A half hour before show time, a van rolled up to the front doors and the most recent arrivals were led to their seats. These are the older folks from the Odd Fellows Home, who have come to watch the performance. For future shows, residents of other elderly housing facilities will make the journey. Sometimes they trickle in. Sometimes, it’s a full-on flood.

“They’ll be here almost every night,” Dupuis said. “Sometimes there are 10; sometimes, 40. It’s just awesome.”

The Event is billed as a celebration of Christ’s life through drama, dance, music and more. Most show dates tend to sell out, which by itself is impressive, since Easter always falls on a Sunday and the holiday celebrates a more somber period.

“Easter,” Dupuis said, “isn’t as warm and fuzzy as Christmas.”

By 7 p.m., the performers are out of their huddle and making their way toward the stage. The mood inside the church is anything but somber. If there is last-minute anxiety anywhere, it’s not easy to spot. For most of those involved, this celebration of Easter is as much about the journey as it is the final product. For most of the year, members of the East Auburn Baptist Church have been working shoulder-to-shoulder to pull it all together and in many ways, the show is already a smashing success.

“The friendships that get formed out of all this are unbelievable,” said Steve Reed, another Roman soldier who isn’t as ferocious as he looks in costume. “They’re friendships that will last a lifetime.”

It’s not that they don’t expect the show to be a hit. They don’t work this hard to put on a sloppy performance, and they have the success of previous years to prove it.

“Everyone who comes is blown away,” Dupuis said.

For tickets to the East Auburn Baptist Church Easter event, call 782-0348. Show dates are as follows:

March 26, 2015, 7 p.m.

March 27, 2015, 7 p.m

March 28, 2015, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m

March 29, 2015, 3 p.m.

April 2, 2015, 7 p.m

April 3, 2015, 7 p.m

April 4, 2015, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m

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