After witnessing an incredible show at Sight & Sound Theatres in Branson, Missouri, Josh Munn decided to send in an application and was quickly hired to join the crew in 2018.

After several years of auditions and repeated "No"s, Ellie Faggion was finally hired to join the cast of "Noah" at Sight & Sound Theatres in Branson, Missouri in 2020. Till that moment, she hadn't even known where Branson was!

Josh says our first meeting was in the break room (January 2020) where Ellie, excited to make new connections, walked up to him and cheerily asked something to the effect of, "Hi, I'm Ellie! I'm new. What's your name?" Which would be very on brand...but unfortunately Ellie doesn't remember this first interaction!

What Ellie does remember is a conversation several weeks later that would start to change things...for her!

Ellie: We were behind the Ark set piece during a very slow rehearsal period. I can't remember how the conversation started, but Josh and I started talking about deeper, more meaningful things - our faith, what we wanted out of life, etc. I remember he was so kind, so easy to talk to, and I ended up sharing way more than I had intended! I remember walking away from that interaction thinking, "I hope he doesn't think I was flirting with him..." and then another thought shortly followed, "...but maybe I wouldn't mind?"

Ellie's interest was piqued. There were occasional "hello's" and joking around, a couple lunches in the break room, and one distinct memory of meeting up at a common location backstage where Josh said, "We have to stop meeting like this!" and Ellie wondered if maybe Josh was dropping a line? Although he wasn't meaning to do this at the time, the interaction still made Ellie realize "this guy is cute AND funny!" A killer combo. ;)

Then Covid hit. "Noah" ran for one week in March, then we shut down all operations till June. Ellie went home to North Carolina to spend time with her family, and Josh headed home to Kansas for a couple weeks.

Ellie thought of him occasionally while they were apart, wondering if something could happen there, but as time went on began to wonder if she'd ever be back in Branson! Thankfully the theatre reopened and life got back to normal...NOT! Let's just say, it was difficult trying to flirt with masks on, six feet apart!

Through a series of unfortunate events, some awkward moments and misunderstandings, Josh's interest was finally piqued toward Ellie as well. Josh smoothly slid into her Instagram DMs, got her number, then the flirting REALLY began!

Near the end of August, 2020, Josh asked Ellie if she would meet up with him and walk around the neighborhood, since we live in the same apartment complex. Josh finally told Ellie that he liked her and she reciprocated with a huge sigh of relief!! They set up a time to go out on their first date, after Ellie got back from a trip to Pennsylvania.

Then an outbreak of Covid hit the theatre, and Ellie came down with it and was quarantined at the same time Josh was quarantined. But that didn't stop him! Josh came and stood below Ellie's porch to talk to her while she was sick and made her feel better just by not being alone! He came back every day for a week while she was in the worst of it, and eventually ended up on the porch with 6 feet's distance...then maybe a little closer... ;)

We talked for hours and hours on what we called our "Quarantine Dates", so when we finally had our first "real" date on September 17th, 2020, Josh asked Ellie to be his girlfriend and she gave a resounding yes!

And so began a relationship that would very quickly be tested and tried by a global pandemic and loss. We had many wonderful moments, fun adventures, and several "firsts" - including the longest relationship either of us had ever been in! But unfortunately, Ellie found out in October 2020 that she did not receive a contract for Sight & Sound in 2021 and had to start searching for a new job, deciding to stay in Branson with Josh. It was a difficult time that brought along a rollercoaster of emotions and hard conversations, but we look back and see that God was working even in the hardship! We dated for almost nine months, then officially broke up in July 2021. It wasn't our time yet and God had a lot of individual growth ahead for us both!

We all know that getting some space can really help you heal after a breakup...but as it turns out, Ellie got a contract to return to Sight & Sound and join the cast of "Jesus" right before we broke up! We learned to live in the awkwardness and both believed that we would never get back together, but it was still difficult at times.

For ten months we worked, traveled, and grew in our walk with the Lord! There was the occasional interaction in person and via text, but things began to stir when Ellie got Covid AGAIN in January 2022. Josh texted her several times to make sure she was alright, and Ellie started to wonder...does he want to get back together?

In March 2022, Josh initiated a conversation about how awkward it had been between us lately. We had a very encouraging, healing conversation that ended with Ellie asking: "I would kick myself if I didn't ask this...but is it completely off the table that we would ever get back together?" Neither of us knew the answer to this question at that moment, but the ball was left completely in Josh's court. And luckily, he decided to play ball!

Our second first date, Josh took us mini-golfing and as we sat chatting over funnel cake at an old-timey diner in Branson, we both knew things were very different...and very good! A couple months later we officially became boyfriend and girlfriend again and hit milestone after milestone - the Lord helping us through the good and hard times! We went on many adventures, prayerfully asking the Lord if we were meant to adventure together for the rest of our lives. In time, He gave us both that answer! On December 17th, 2023, Josh took Ellie down to Table Rock Lake for a walk and surprised her with a paddle board ride to an island in the middle of the lake where earlier that day he (and his brother Aaron, aka Best Man) had set up a generator, string lights, Christmas lights, a picnic blanket and flowers for an absolutely magical proposal! Ellie gave an emphatic "yes!" over a flock of singing geese!