About | Manna Theatre Company

Our
Story

Manna Theatre Company was founded and is run by the Crick Family. They as a family are full-time missionaries, taking the gospel all over the world through the arts! You can find out more about them in this episode of their family podcast!

About Manna Theatre Company

Manna Theatre Compay (MTC) is a Christian performing arts company with bringing the bible alive as its core mission. Through the arts, MTC brings stories from the pages of our bibles alive and has turned many stages into altars where people have met and been touched by Jesus.

In over 11 years, MTC has produced over 20 musicals that have been performed all over the United Kingdom and created media adaptions of these same musicals that have been featured on Radio and TV all over the world!

Our Mission Areas

Theatre

Theatre has a way of reaching people in a way that words alone can't. We have seen many people touched and deeply moved by our musicals and the way God moves through them. Theatre is our passion.

Film

Creating short films that bring truth and promote biblical values is something we are super passionate about. In the last year, we have produced several short films that have had an impact all over the world.

Audio

Our Audio Theatre is an ever-expanding library of family-friendly stories crafted into high-quality audio productions that put you right in the moment. Our desire is to provide a place that families can turn to for wholesome entertainment for the whole family.

The Crick Family

We are self-supporting missionaries and rely on sponsorship, and financial support for all our family's income. Each one of us in the family has a part to play, and to say we find it hard to stop at the end of the day is an understatement. We love what God has called us to do.

As a family, we not only run Manna, but we have spoken at many Christian events such as Christian Unions, youth events, and Church events, sharing our story, our love, and passion for the arts, and training those who desire to use the arts for mission and outreach.

The Lord has blessed us with four amazing children, all home educated: two grown up, (both Charis Bible College Graduates, and the youngest two still home-educated. My husband and I are also Charis graduates. We love the richness the Word brings to our family.

We founded Manna in 2012. Since then we have worn multiple hats to do the jobs that make the mission tick. We have ministered from Birmingham City to Devon, working with many different organizations from Mothers Union to Rig London and Ecumenical events in our local towns. We have written 22 musicals to date, composed the music, and directed and produced each musical, including a tour in 2021, which was amazing and such fun with a cast of some 50 adults and young people from all over the UK.

After a long fight with an incurable genetic disease, I ( Jaime) was able to step out again into the world of performing arts, this time with a huge vision and passion to see the arts used for the Lord, as a way of communicating the gospel, by forming Manna Theatre Company.

After starting with a handful of young people in Surrey, we have increased in vision and locations. In 2019 God moved us to the West Midlands where we are now based.

We have the vision to see a permanent base established here in the West Midlands, where we can train people in musical theatre, outreach, and the arts for use in missions, to evangelize our area and further afield, using the arts as a way of sharing the gospel.

We are praying in that spacious place to form a permanent theatre base and studio to rehearse in.

We would ask you if you would consider being a part of our personal support group my partnering with our family, as we move forward in all that God has called us to do. The vision is massive and with your help, we can do all He has called us to do.

You can support us with a one-off donation or on a monthly basis. Every penny will go into the work of Manna and support our family.

Partner with The Crick's

Our Podcast

Hi,

I am Gary.

Having started in Eastbourne just after we were married in 1997, the Lord moved us to Hertfordshire where we spent two years training children and young people weekly, putting on performances in local YWAM facilities.

We have always loved the Creative Arts; we ran a creative literacy business in primary education together as a couple before Manna started.

In the last 11 years, Manna has developed into a family-founded and family-run organisation.

We are a family of six, and one way or another, all our children are involved in the ministry with us now. Our grown-up son oversees all the media and graphic design across the ministry; our daughter helps with choreography and teaching of the musical theatre numbers. Our middle son writes and creates all the songs for the musicals with my wife Jaime, and our youngest inspires us to be a child in faith and heart.

I enjoy watching old movies, eating curry, walking, my kids, my wife, and our dogs! Not in that order!!! We are honoured to be full-time Christian workers through the charity 'Stewardship'. This is an exciting journey and God has done so many miracles for us as a family!

Jai and I oversee the whole mission with a support group around us for wisdom and advice.

We are often wearing all kinds of hats from the props team to the painter to the administrator to the teacher, and that is between being a daddy, husband, and son of my Father God! Ministry is the best and my wife and I and our children love what we do and say, “Bring it on Jesus we want more!"

Hi,

I am Jaime. I am the Artistic Director for Manna, it is a dream to volunteer to work for Manna Charity. I was involved in dance and theatre from a very young age and attended dance school through my childhood and teenage years. I volunteered at many Christian Camps and events as an artistic lead and performed in many theatre productions myself both in chorus and as a lead. I have worked in the world of Performance arts for over 10 years now and tutor as a Trinity College London Tutor to both young people and adults once a week. If you would like to find out more about tutoring please email me

Manna was born in our hearts nearly 19 years ago now when we pioneered a Performing Arts ministry in East Sussex that produced musical theatre productions and involved children from a wide range of churches and denominations. I (Jaime) then had to lay my shoes down 12 years ago, as I was bedridden with a serious illness. It was during this time that the Lord gave me the desire for Manna, a Christian theatre company that would be accessible to all, regardless of financial status, and that would allow the Word to speak in our communities and in the marketplace.

https://www.potsuk.org/

https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/

I spent much time longing to teach again and have seen a significant degree of restoration in my health already. It is still a walk of faith for me, as I trust for my complete healing and take each day at a time.

I write the musicals - I give all credit to the Lord, He always gives me inspiration and ideas. He is my Musical Director and my best friend. As artistic director, I oversee and write all our content across our Theatre Company. I am the mum of four wonderful children! They are my inspiration and best friends. We work as a real team, team Crick! We could not do this without the love and support of our children. They are courageous and inspirational and their joy and laughter ring out in our home with the humour of them all and the music they all play and sing.

Our house is never quiet. There is always someone playing, singing, composing, preaching, and dancing somewhere. It is sometimes needed to throw my apron over my head and pray in the little still spot I get each day. Would I change it? Never. My family and my Manna family are the greatest, and I love each one with all my heart. May God use us as He wills, send us where He wants, and open hearts and heal lives through the people we train and the team He brings!

We would be honoured if you would journey with us as a family.