Prayers for Keri Shryock's Family

Church performer dies after fall

By Jessica Brown and Quan Truong • jlbrown@enquirer.com, qtruong@enquirer.com • December 18, 2008

• • Print • ShareThis • Type: A A • Click-2-Listen
OAKLEY -- An actor in an elaborate Christmas production died this morning after falling as much as 30 feet Wednesday night while performing in the theater at Crossroads Community Church.
Keri Shryock, 23, of Sylvania, Ohio, was a graduate student at Xavier University who joined the non-denominational megachurch in August.
Audience members described the horrible scene on the opening night of the production "Awaited,'' a contemporary retelling story of the Christmas story.

They said the fall came about 20 minutes into the performance. Shryock and two other actors were playing the Three Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem. They ascended from the ground harnessed to ropes and moved slowly up toward a star.

Three others stood on the ground below them holding the ropes. The three actors began performing acrobatic-type moves similar to those in "Cirque de Soleil'' productions. One audience member said Shryock was trying to move farther up the rope to be as high as the other actors.

Suddenly, Shryock fell headfirst about 30 feet into an aisle in the audience portion of the theater. A silence fell over the audience of 2,000 people, the lights came up and people raced to Shryock.

The pastor urged everyone to remain in their seats so that EMS workers had room to help Shryock. An ambulance took Shryock to University Hospital.

Audience member Daniel Doepke, 55, of Middletown, said the performers were high up on a cable and pointed toward a star in the ceiling as music played. They wore Middle Eastern head wraps and pants.

“Toward the ending of the song she came loose,'' Doepke said. "I can’t describe how heart-wrenching it was, her fall to a hard concrete surface.''