Twenty-five years ago, Jan Camp Noyes performed in the inaugural production of Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection.
“There was something about Savior of the World where we all knew we were doing something bigger than ourselves,” Jan shares. “We knew it was extraordinary.”
She originated the role of Elisabeth, whose example of waiting on the Lord has profoundly shaped Jan’s testimony.
Through a series of miracles, Jan received the chance this year to perform as Elisabeth for the show’s 25th anniversary—this time, at the age of 80.
The Lasting Impact of “Savior of the World”
Savior of the World premiered in 2000 at the newly built Conference Center Theater. Since opening night, the Church has put on productions of the musical almost every year around Christmas or Easter.
Each performance season, there are dozens of sold-out shows. The theater has a seating capacity of around 900, which means that tens of thousands of people attend the show every year. And as of November 2022, tickets have been made available at no cost.
During the first production, Jan says Church leaders prayerfully revised even the smallest of details to ensure accuracy and reverence for the source material. This meant the cast needed to be extremely flexible, incorporating new musical numbers and script versions even after the show opened.
“It became very clear that the Lord was involved and that He thought [this show] was important,” Jan says. “By coming to understand, sense, and feel that the Lord was involved, it helped remind me how personally He’s involved in all of our lives.”
Three days after the first production of Savior of the World ended, Jan boarded a plane to accept a position in Japan with the United States Department of Defense Education Activity.
“If I had not developed the faith I did through all the experiences in Savior of the World, I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to accept that job,” she says. “It was something I knew that the Lord had brought into my life.”
Jan and her husband, David, lived in Japan for almost seven years. Then, career opportunities took them to Turkey for two years and to Belgium for three years. Through all these changes, Jan says the messages and songs from Savior of the World stayed with her: “Once I was in the show, I never stopped thinking about it all those years.”
Jan’s Unexpected Grief
After living overseas for over a decade, the Noyeses returned to the United States and retired in Texas. In the fall of 2012, Jan and David stayed with their son in Salt Lake City so they could audition for Savior of the World. They made it into the cast and participated in the ensemble for that year’s production.
In the following years, it became more difficult to align their schedules to accommodate rehearsals in Utah. Jan wrote and directed theater productions in Texas, and David started to experience significant health challenges.
“He and I had continued over the years to talk about Savior of the World,” Jan says. “I had even talked to him about it this year, but he said, ‘Oh, Jan, there’s no way I could do it. But why don’t you go?’ And I said, ‘David, I wouldn’t ever leave you.’”
Months after this conversation, David passed away from complications related to surgery.
For several months, Jan canceled her plans and struggled to feel motivated to sing and perform again. “We know why death happens, but I think when it happens to you personally, and with someone you love, nothing else seems important after,” Jan says. “It was too big.”
But a lesson that Jan learned in Savior of the World reassured her while she grieved. She explains:
“The song that Zacharias and Elisabeth sing that opens the whole show is called ‘I’ll Give God Forever.’ And there are several lines in there when Elisabeth says, ‘I’ll give God forever to make me what I am.’
“Over the years, as things would happen, I would think of that song. ‘I’ll give God forever to help me with this problem or to get me through this.’ In other words, things turn out differently than you think, but it’s the Lord’s way.”
And while Jan never expected to perform as Elisabeth over two decades after the first performance of Savior of the World, much less after her husband’s death, she believes the Lord had other plans.
Auditioning Against All Logic
As the time for this year’s auditions approached, Jan couldn’t shake the feeling that she should try out for Savior of the World. So, taking a leap of faith, she guessed when the appointments might be held and booked a flight to Utah for the end of August.
But as the trip got closer, the Church still hadn’t posted details. Jan considered canceling her ticket but says she experienced multiple spiritual “nudges” about auditioning that she couldn’t deny.
About a week before her flight, Jan awoke suddenly in the middle of the night and decided to check the audition site. She discovered that the try-out times had been posted, and miraculously, they lined up with her scheduled plans. She booked an audition appointment immediately.
Jan flew into Salt Lake City on August 27, 2025, which was, incidentally, her and David’s 54th wedding anniversary. She auditioned two days later and received a callback—and ultimately, an offer to play the role of Elisabeth in one of the casts.
As Jan has portrayed the miracle of Elisabeth bearing a son in her old age, she has witnessed miracles in her own life.
Like Elisabeth supports her cousin Mary in the show, Jan’s experiences returning to the show have deeply touched her own cousin. Jan’s cousin is also 80—only six days apart in age from Jan—and she felt inspired to start attending her ward’s choir rehearsals again after hearing about Jan’s experiences. This decision means walking to the church building in the early morning hours on Sundays, but Jan’s cousin told her that she has felt tremendous joy and love since returning to the choir.
“I know that I was led to audition for this show again after all these years and against all reason and logic,” Jan says. “When the Lord is involved in your life, all sorts of blessings happen to other people, too. … Everybody’s blessed by the experience.”
Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection is now playing at the Conference Center Little Theater through December 27 (excluding Sundays, Mondays, and December 9–13). Learn how to get tickets through the standby line here.
You can also listen to the full soundtrack on the Church’s website.
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