NEW ROADS - A Lafayette pastor traveled to New Roads to stage a theatrical demonstration calling for an end to violence in the community. 

The event, called "The Funeral is Cancelled," was put on by Lawrence Levy, a pastor at Freedom World Ministries in Lafayette. The display was set up at a football field along Mill Street on Sunday. 

Andrea Brue is a community activist from New Roads. Due to recent violent crimes in the area, she decided something needed to wake up the community. Brue said she invited Pastor Lawrence Levy to open their eyes. 

"We've been plagued by violence the past few months," Brue said. "We've had a domestic violence incident where a female killed another female. We've had a murder of a close family friend and a murder of one of my husband's coworkers."

Most recently, two people were arrested for killing a 26-year-old man in early October. 

Levy says about 20 actors participate in the show. He wants each character to portray how a person can be affected by violence like domestic abuse, gang violence, and drug overdoses. Levy says seeing the staged violence could curb the problem in New Roads. 

"It's one thing to tell somebody not to do something and the effects of crime, negative influences, bad decision making," Levy said. "But when they can see it, and they can imagine themselves there in a place they don't want to be, it's a little different."

Sunday's presentation was the third performance in New Roads. During the nearly two-hour-long event, Levy stressed ways he thought could end the cycle of violence. 

"We have to meet them where they are, and we have to understand the pain of our youth, the pain of our young kids, the reasons why they're doing what they're doing," he said.