The Bridge to Freedom from RiverCross in Pre-Production

UPDATE, 4-17-23: Our first edition of this post mentioned that Cathy Sara would be involved in this show. That is not the case, though a younger version of the character of Maria, which she played in previous shows, will be appearing.

RiverCross came on the audio drama scene in 2019 with the 7-episode miniseries, Holding Esther, followed the next year by another miniseries, titled Jabota Bridge. Both of these shows tackled some very heavy subject matter, such as child trafficking and exploitation. While the shows are told in a narrative fashion that outside listeners can follow, the primary purpose for these audio dramas is to use them as ministry tools for the victims of these horrific crimes, and as training aids for the caregivers who work with them.

These high-quality, award-winning audio dramatizations were produced by a world-class creative team and now that team is reassembling to produce the next show from RiverCross. Writer, Kathy Buchanan, is working on the script for this new offering, The Bridge to Freedom, with John Campbell and Todd Busteed returning to their roles of composer and sound designer, respectively.

The Bridge to Freedom will be a five-part series that traces the journey of an African sibling group in the aftermath of losing their parents. Through this program, listeners will travel with these children as they face unthinkable challenges and cross their own bridge to the freedom that Christ offers. 

RiverCross Executive Director, Cindy Finley, tells ATC that they are currently raising funds to cover the production costs for The Bridge to Freedom. They need to raise $38,000 by May 1, 2023. If you are interested in donating to RiverCross to fund this show, you can give on their website, adding the word "BRIDGE" to the note, and 100% of your donation will be allocated specifically to this production. Once the show is completed you will receive a digital copy of the series and access to behind-the-scenes content with the cast and crew.

You can check out some samples from Jabota Bridge below:

Meet Salem, Matthew, and Luca whose life is shattered when their village is overrun by a rebel faction:

Luca shares what happened to him when he returned to the village to rescue his mother:

Join Luca in the camp of the commandant where he is being groomed to be a child soldier:

Dr. Ngabire speaks words of value and hope over Luca as he struggles with the trauma he has experienced:

Again, your full donation will go toward producing the new audio drama The Bridge to Freedom, not to overhead, staffing, operations, etc. – but all toward production, if you add "BRIDGE" to the note section when you donate.