Kevin O'Brien runs the theater troupe "Theater of the Word, Inc." that presents tours of religiously-oriented drama throughout the country, and is the basis for the show.
The Honor of Israel Gow was kept a secret from almost the entire staff, because the few who knew about it thought that the cinematic style would be so appealing that everyone would want to work on it.
The cast started every day with Catholic mass on the grounds of the EWTN studios.
Kevin O'Brien originally was a fan of another EWTN show: "G.K. Chesterton: the Apostle of Common Sense." He told Dale Ahlquist that Dale should have other actors on his show than just Chuck Chalberg. Dale suggested Kevin to the studio brass, and Kevin brought members of his theater troupe to EWTN. After seeing their performances, producer Doug Keck suggested that Kevin make an entire show of his theater troupe, and "Theater of the Word" was born.
Dale Ahlquist and Kevin O'Brien have now worked on 4 projects together: "G.K. Chesterton: the Apostle of Common Sense", "EWTN Presents: The Surprise", "Theatre of the Word, Inc." and "Manalive".