Sight & Sound Theatres

The Largest Faith-Based Theater Company in the Nation, Right in the Heart of Amish Country

A 2,000-Seat Theatre, a 300-Foot Wraparound Stage, Live Animals, Sets 40 Feet High, and Over 30 Million Visitors Since 1976

There are theaters, and then there is Sight & Sound. The Lancaster County operation — technically located in Ronks, 1.5 miles south of Route 30 on Route 896 near Strasburg — draws more than 800,000 visitors per year to watch professionally produced, large-scale live stage productions based on Bible stories, performed in one of the most technically ambitious theater environments in the country. The 300-foot wraparound stage surrounds the audience on three sides. Sets reach 40 feet high. Live animals, including horses, camels, sheep, and others, walk through the audience as part of the productions. It is, by any measure, a production spectacle.

Both matinee and evening shows are offered Tuesday through Saturday.

The theatre is closed on Sunday and Monday.

Reservations are strongly recommended — popular dates book weeks or months in advance, and the holiday production (Miracle of Christmas) typically sells out its entire run. Always check the current schedule and purchase tickets directly at https://www.sight-sound.com or by calling (800) 377-1277.

Each show is approximately 2½ hours long and includes a 20-minute intermission. Concessions are available inside the theater during the show. Free on-site parking is available, with traffic staff directing arrivals. The theater is fully wheelchair accessible; guests requiring wheelchair seating should call in advance to arrange accommodation.

Children under 2 do not require a ticket for the current season. Children ages 3 and up require a ticket. The theater is best suited for children age 5 and older; a Family Room is available for restless younger children who need a break during the performance.

The History: From a Rented Auditorium to a National Attraction

Glenn and Shirley Eshelman started Sight & Sound in the summer of 1976 with a 10-week multimedia show called The Wonder of It All in an auditorium rented from Lancaster Bible College. Based on that early success, the Eshelmans built their own facility on Route 896 in Ronks, expanding steadily as production scaled and the audience grew. Live actors were added to the productions in the 1980s, and the first full-length live stage production — Behold the Lamb — debuted in 1987.

A larger facility opened in 1991, but fire destroyed it in January 1997, taking most of the costumes and sets stored in the shops. The Eshelmans rebuilt on a larger scale. The current Millennium Theatre — now simply called Sight & Sound Lancaster — opened with the capacity, technology, and wraparound stage design that has defined the experience ever since. A sister facility in Branson, Missouri, opened in 2008.

The company remains a family-owned business, with Glenn Eshelman’s sons-in-law Matt Neff and Josh Enck serving as CEO and president, respectively, since 2015.

Trivia: The company’s name, “Sight & Sound,” was inspired by Jesus’s words in Matthew 13 regarding parables — specifically the observation that people were seeing without truly seeing and hearing without truly hearing. The company creates all of its own set work in a shop located in the back of the theater complex, making it one of the few theaters in America that designs, builds, and stores its entire production operation on a single campus.

The Productions

Sight & Sound produces one major new original production for the Lancaster stage roughly every one to two years, typically drawing on Old Testament narratives. The 2026 Lancaster production is Joshua — a brand-new original production premiering in March 2026, following nearly three years of development. Prior productions have included Daniel, Noah, Moses, Samson, Joseph, Jonah, Abraham, and Jesus — each produced with the full scale of the Sight & Sound theatrical apparatus: professional cast, trained animals, massive sets, elaborate costumes, and original musical scores.

The holiday production, Miracle of Christmas, runs in the November–January period and is a perennial sell-out. Check https://www.sight-sound.com for the current seasonal schedule.

Visiting Sight & Sound

The theater is located 1.5 miles south of Route 30 on Route 896, near Strasburg — within easy driving distance of the Strasburg Rail Road, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and Dutch Wonderland, making it a natural anchor for a multi-day family visit to Lancaster County. Language translation devices (English captions, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and simplified Chinese) are available free of charge; reserve in advance by calling (800) 377-1277.