27 Years of skits

27 years of skits.....we have come a long way since those early days of total impromptu craziness.

Just some notes....in 1995, 96, 97, and 98 the skits were a simple pantomime deal. I would describe a story and our actors would play it out. In 96 we videoed all the skits but finished them on stage. Jon Shoulders, Jonathan Tucker, and Mike Shepherd were main stays in those early days. These were really there just to create "family" share a fun story that would involve inside jokes for everyone at the camp.

In 99 we returned to the video skits. This was also the first year Skidmore joined Jon and I in the skit, and the first year I did not serve as the narrator but a character.

In 2000-2003 the skits were still silly stories of good vs evil which featured inside jokes from the week. However in 02 Rubio joined the team.

Then in 04 "This Mystery"  we realized the skits could be something more. It was still silly stuff but we actually were going somewhere with the story spiritually for the first time ever.

In 05 "Escape" it was very similar to 04.....mostly silly but with a very serious ending. This was really the first time the crowd hushed at skit end realizing the "point" of the parable.

To me '06 "The Story" was the game changer. For the first time ever we realized the skit could teach all week long. We realized we had the creativity to do so much more. We had talented actors and actresses.

Then we moved to Allen Arena in 07 for "The Mighty", and while "The Mighty" was probably one of my least favorite of the post 06 skits, it was still an amazing moment on that last night.

Then there was '08 "Day of Reckoning" one of the all time greats. This time Impact went dark. Based on the prophets, this theme was incredible and one of the most memorable skits ever.

09 "Hidden" and 10 "Buried Alive" kept the tradition of great stories with epic finishes.

2011 "Hooked" will remain one of the most epic skits ever...mainly because of the incredible story. No one who was there will forget Dave Clayton playing Peter Pan and spreading Pixie dust everywhere, and then Skid's Captain Hook demanding Pan "to grow up".

2012-2016 Were all epic themes, we were hitting a stride. 2013 was the first year our actors actually worked from a script for the first 4 acts.I would always write act 5 on site during Impact up until 2019. 2012  would also begin the tradition of the skit's including musical numbers.

2017's "Seek", another epic year. "Seek" which was just fabulous was our most ambitious theme. Cinderella meets Treasure Island in an epic adventure.

2018 and 2019 both featured very talented teen actors and actresses and took the emphasis away from adult actors to teens. Subsequently both dealt with tougher issues and both featured written out scripts.

In 2020 we exclusively used video for the first time ever. In 96 and  99 we primarily recorded everything but we always had a stage element.

2021 saw the return to the stage although it was only a three day Impact.

Here are my rankings of the best skits ever...


27. Not Of This World 1997
26. The Journey 2000
25. Ten 2001
24. Unmasked 1999
23, The Mighty 2007
22. Deep 2003
21. Shield About Me 2002
20. TV 31 2020
19, RPG 2014
18. Go West 1998
17. Hidden 2009
16. Abandoned 2015
15. Buried Alive 2010
14, Major League 1996

13. This Mystery 2004
12. Escape 2005
11. Hyde 2016

10. The Secret 2021
9. Stranger Than Fiction 2012
8. Super Christian 1995
7. Honor 2013
6. Day of Reckoning 2008
5. Olly Olly Oxen Free 2018
4. Seek 2017
3. Bound 2019
2. Hooked 2011
1. The Story 2006