One of our family’s annual Christmas traditions is reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. It’s a rather funny story of the time the Herdmans, a family of 6 kids, who were known to be the worst kids in town, took over the church Christmas pageant. They force their way into all the major parts, adding their own take on what it would mean to be Mary or a Shepherd or Wise Man (including burping baby Jesus and giving him a Christmas ham), in the process frustrating all who want the play to be “just so.” But in the simplicity, even in the imperfection and humanity of it, the reader finds a greater message.
I’ve seen many kinds of drama ministries doing various kinds of productions (and, as the daughter of a Drama teacher, have been in more than my fair share). But I’m sad to say that I’ve rarely seen it done well (or, indeed, done it well). Unless we have trained actors and huge budgets, it’s difficult for a church to pull off an ambitious or serious work of theater.
So how can we use the dramatic arts in a way which is still meaningful? Is there a unique kind of potential in dramatic works which are knowingly simple, low-budget, self-effacing or even tongue-in-cheek? If Christianity is supposed to be about humility, transparency and authenticity how can we reveal those things by making the most of our less-than-polished presentation? Often the issue with Christian drama isn’t that it’s low budget but that it’s trying to make faith look too pretty or it’s totally devoid of humor or it’s just trying too hard.
Look at how these examples use simplicity, humor, and authenticity. How can you adapt their style for your own dramatic arts endeavors?
To create a feeling of simplicity through set and costume design, flip through Stage It Right: Beautiful, Practical, Theatrical Ideas for On and Off the Stage by Lena Wood and Arian Armstrong (The design of the book is, in itself, inspiring!)
Watch these great examples of Christian sketches which are self-effacing through the use of humor (while still raising some important faith issues like “How present are we when we pray?” and “What is our motivation for kindness?”)
Two movies are being released this Fall which are worth mentioning: Higher Ground and Blue Like Jazz The Movie. They’re note-worthy because they represent, for the first time in my memory, cultural offerings which have a positive approach to faith without presenting it in an overly-simplified or sentimental way. They are more self-aware and more comfortable with complexity, irony and rawness than most Christian drama I’ve seen.
How will your costumes express simplicity? How can your actors communicate that they don’t take themselves too seriously? How will your script deal with both the darkness and the light?
Image © iStockphoto
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