On March 21, 2025, Susan Kite was so nervous and excited, she could barely sit still. After seven years of pondering and prodding—and some might even say pestering—”Ten Miles Outside Damascus,” a Christian musical, was about to premiere. Even though Susan was in the audience, she had a starring role.
In 1972, Susan was a junior high student in Humble when her brother, Dr. Michael Davis, played Paul in Paul: A Rock Opera at First Baptist Church of Humble. David Meece, a musical prodigy and native of Humble, composed the rock opera while studying at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore.
“At the time in our culture in America, the word ‘love’ was being thrown around in everything,” David said. He turned to Scripture for deeper meaning, and 1 Corinthians 13 became the heart of the musical. “I put it on the wall of my dormitory. It may have been the culmination of Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the way to Damascus.”
David wrote one song after another about Paul’s transformation. Working with Dr. Jack Taylor, a dentist and talented music director at First Baptist, the youth choir premiered the show in 1973 and toured Texas, eventually performing at a national youth conference in New Mexico.
David’s music career took off shortly after, producing 15 albums and over 30 Top 10 hits, including the beloved song We Are the Reason. He was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. The original manuscript of the opera was tragically lost in a house fire, and David moved forward with his solo career.
Susan never forgot the powerful impact of the rock opera. “The music was raw and edgy… it pushed boundaries,” she said. “Paul’s transformation, the stoning of Stephen, the love and empathy shown — it stayed with me.” She held onto a partially recorded cassette and wondered what could be done with it.
By 2018, Susan was a clarinetist and long-time member of the Kingwood Pops Orchestra. She regularly chatted with Dr. Jack Taylor, now in his 80s and still active in the orchestra, about resurrecting the opera. When Jack found an old reel-to-reel recording of the performance, Susan approached Dr. Dennis “Denny” Willen, a quiet geophysicist and gifted trumpeter with a talent for arranging music.
Denny accepted the challenge of transcribing the show. “I didn’t plan to do the whole thing,” he said, “but one song led to another.” He even composed new music to fill in missing gaps. The result: nearly 30 songs blending rock, swing, Latin, and pop — reflecting David’s eclectic musical style. “When I finished, I thought, ‘this isn’t very homogenous,’ but that’s David.”
David Meece was thrilled with Susan and Denny’s efforts. “It brought back memories. I didn’t know how she could possibly do it… but she did. I’m so overjoyed it’s being used today.”
Susan went further. She sent out brochures to 25 theaters. One group suggested updating the format to a full musical, so Susan wrote a script and restructured the show for modern audiences. She also changed the title to Ten Miles Outside Damascus, inspired by a key song.
In 2024, Christ Memorial Productions in St. Louis agreed to stage the show. It was the first full performance of the revived work in more than 50 years. Susan and Denny were there for opening night, and the crowd responded with a standing ovation. Denny’s work was praised — though he humbly credited Susan as “the spark plug behind the project.”
David Meece also attended. “Kudos to Denny. The arrangements were wonderful—the whole orchestra, choir, production. It was one of the most memorable things of my entire life. I had a huge grin on my face the whole time.”
