The Singles Ward (film series)

The Singles Ward film series consists of two low-budget Christian comedies based on original characters, co-written by Kurt Hale and John Moyer. The overall premise centers around members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who are not yet married and their religious congregations, known as wards. The story details the humorous experiences for attendees in these congregations.

The Singles Ward
Official film series logo
Based onCharacters created by
John E. Moyer
Starring
Distributed byHalestorm Entertainment
Release date
2002-2011
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000 (1 films)
Box office$1,250,798 (1 films)

Films
Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
The Singles Ward January 30, 2002 (2002-01-30) Kurt Hale John Moyer & Kurt Hale John Moyer Dave Hunter
The Singles 2nd Ward December 11, 2007 (2007-12-11) Kurt Hale & John E. Moyer Dave Hunter, George Dayton and Bryce W. Fillmore
The Real Life Singles Ward March 1, 2011 (2011-03-01) John E. Moyer John E. Moyer, Mario DeAngelis and Brad Olsen

The Singles Ward (2002)

After faithfully serving a full-time mission, then getting married, Jonathan Jordan finds himself divorced and once again attending one of the church's single-adult wards. As he attends a congregation specifically for unmarried adults, where the ultimate goal is eternal marriage he quickly becomes disenchanted with the experience and stops going to church. As he copes with his experiences, he creates a standup routine lampooning the nature and lifestyle of being a member. His resistance to the church continues, until he falls for Cammie Giles who is an active member at a local singles ward. Suddenly, Jordan finds church attendance more appealing, but begins to question whether he is going for the right reasons or if it is just to impress his new girlfriend.

The Singles 2nd Ward (2007)

Dalen Martin, a young professor at Brigham Young University becomes engaged to his girlfriend, Christine, who is an student attending the university and is also a recent convert to the LDS Church. As the couple prepared for their upcoming wedding, Christine's divorced parents arrive, with their new partners, for the occasion. The couple explores their relationship and preparations while attending the church's congregation of single adults. Dalen tries to create a lasting relationship with Christine's separated parents, who are critical of the religion, and assists his friend, Jonathan, with developing a feature film based on his experiences in a Latter-day Saint singles ward. Together, Dalen and Christine build on their love and look forward to being married in a Latter-day Saint temple, though must also explain to her parents why they cannot attend the marriage ceremony.

The Real Life Singles Ward (2011)

Filmed in a documentary style, the movie follows the real-world experiences of a few Latter-day Saints attending their singles ward activities. Over the course of the production, the project examines the positives and negatives of dating; while exploring the young men's journey in trying to find their eternal companion. This occurs through various aspects of the process including engagement for someone who is divorced versus one who has never married. Each of the young men answer questions regarding their faith, and their desires to grow closer to God in their pursuits at church.[1]

Main cast and characters
List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
  •  P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
Character Title
The Singles Ward The Singles 2nd Ward The Real Life Singles Ward
Principal cast
Jonathan Jordan Will Swenson
Cammie Giles-Jordan Connie Young
Dalen Martin Kirby Heyborne
Christine Martin Erin Chambers
Eldon Coates Daryn Tufts
Hyrum Michael Birkeland
DeVerl Lincoln Hoppe
Zak Aldridge Robert Swenson
Jenny Lisa Higbee
Willard Brad Johnson
Laura Katherine Purdie
Kate Kelly Hennessey
Scott "Skippy" Jessop himself
Nathan Smith Jones himself
Micah Lisonbee himself
Supporting cast
Mrs. Martin Michelle Gould Liz Winter
Mr. Giles Ron McBride
Brother Angel Wally JoynerC
Emotional ward member Jeremy HoopC
Sunbeam teacher Danny AingeC
Auto mechanic Shawn BradleyC
Brother Niner Steve YoungC
Miniature golfer LaVell EdwardsC
Julie Stoffer herselfPC
Thurl Bailey himselfC
Gordon Jump himselfC
Wes the neighbor Richard DutcherC
Mitch English himselfC

Additional crew and production details
Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer(s) Editor(s) Production
companies		 Distributing
company		 Running time
The Singles Ward Cody Hale Ryan Little Wynn Hougaard Halestorm Entertainment Halestorm Distribution 1 hr 42 mins
The Singles 2nd Ward Brandon Christensen John Lyde 1 hr 27 mins
The Real Life Singles Ward — Mario DeAngelis, Brad Olsen
& Kyle Raney		 Mario DeAngelis, Brad Olsen
& Zachary B. Marsh		 Halestorm Entertainment,
4Ever Films		 1 hr

Reception

In the book Religious Humor in Evangelical Christian and Mormon Culture, Elisha McIntyre highlighted the proposal scene between Dalen and Christine, stating that it was "a delicate balance of the serious and humorous mode."[2]

Box office and financial performance
Film Box office gross Box office ranking Video
sales gross		 Worldwide total
gross income		 Budget Worldwide total
net income		 Ref.
North America Other territories World-wide All time
worldwide		 North America
The Singles Ward $1,250,798 — $1,250,798 #8,369 #13,967 Figures not publicly available >$1,250,798 $500,000 >$750,798 [3][4]
The Singles 2nd Ward — — — — — Figures not publicly available >$0 Figures not publicly available >$0 —
The Real Life Singles Ward — — — — — Figures not publicly available >$0 Figures not publicly available >$0 —
Totals $1,250,798 $0 $1,250,798 x̅ 2,790 x̅ 4,656 >$0 >$1,250,798 >$500,000 ≤$750,798

Critical response
Film Rotten Tomatoes
The Singles Ward 50% (8 reviews)[5]
The Singles 2nd Ward [6]
The Real Life Singles Ward —

In other media

The Singles Ward soundtrack

The soundtrack is a collection of Latter-day Saint artists performing songs from the LDS Church's hymnbook and its Children's Songbook. The soundtrack album was released by Guapo Records.

  • "The Church of Jesus Christ" – Magstatic
  • "Come, Come Ye Saints" – Slender
  • "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today" – Ponchillo
  • "Do What is Right" – Mismash
  • "Popcorn Popping" – Rooster
  • "Book of Mormon Stories" – Pipe Dream
  • "In Our Lovely Deseret" – Mr. Fusion
  • "Keep the Commandments" – Mighty Mahogany
  • "I Feel My Savior's Love" – Mismash
  • "We Are All Enlisted" – Magstatic
  • "Battle Hymn of the Republic" —Slender
  • "Let Us All Press On" – Mr. Fusion
  • "When Grandpa Comes" – Slender
  • "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" – Jamen Brooks

References
  1. Letterboxd staff (March 30, 2011). "The Real Life Singles Ward (2011)". Letterboxd. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  2. McIntyre, Elisha (2018-01-25). Religious Humor in Evangelical Christian and Mormon Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-350-00550-1.
  3. "The Singles Ward (2002)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services LLC. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  4. "The Singles Ward (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  5. "The Singles Ward". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  6. "The Singles 2nd Ward". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
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