I suppose what this church did was alright. But I do wonder, like a poster above, whether she played Daniel as a female character or played him straight.
I certainly have nothing against a church (or a subgroup thereof) doing a drama, but in a portrayal right out of scripture, perhaps it should not be done unless there are enough qualified actors/actresses right for the parts, as well as a director and other essential personnel who have the expertise and take it seriously enough. It's just a matter of the casting not becoming an issue such that the drama itself takes second place, or at least that it not stir a few people up.
But don't take this to the extreme... like if a baby is needed to play Jesus, Moses, Samuel, or others, that a girl baby couldn't be considered. I don't think that would matter.
For more generalized dramas, things are more flexible. I have written several, and on 2 or 3 occasions I had to change the gender of the character because of the availability and willingness of potential cast members. Thus, in The Makeover Machine [which takes off on the modern "extreme makeover" theme], I had to change shy Susie Seekingworth into shy Sammy Seekingworth on the day of the skit in a couple of minutes before that character was 'made over.' Really, not many words in the script had to be changed, but that was the character that was made over right, so the reluctant 'actor' did nothing but read the lines and go through the 'machine,' which sort of spoiled the effect.
