Theater Arts in the Church
Ever since I was a young boy I have always been mesmerized by theater in the church. I grew up in a time of Church musicals. Every Christmas and Easter there were many actors and tons of people that would volunteer and make a beautiful production, from the costumes to the lights to the sets to the actual scripts. All of it was done beautifully by the church and it always made me as a child be in awe of what could be done. I found that it was so moving even as a young child to see the performances that were reenacting the Bible as well as the stories of Christ. I would love to speak on the idea of adding Theater Arts to your church service.
Theater in the Church
The Bible is full of writings that can be considered beautiful stories, many with villains, heroes, with very interesting storylines that all compliment one another. Jesus even taught with stories when He would tell parables that would have meanings deeper than just the stories. Why then do we not put these types of stories in our worship services by using the art of theater? I believe that this is important and I would love to give a few examples about how that can be accomplished. The way that we can bring theater arts into our worship services is through three different mediums, the monologue, short-form, and through full theater productions.
The monologue is well known in the church world because it can be done in many different ways. Sometimes this can occur by spoken word or through a poetic reading. In some places this can take place with a sole actor on the stage giving a few paragraphs of script as part of the service within which they are telling a story through their acting and what they are performing. A short-form story can be a small skit or short performance that has a couple actors that act out a scene together that could be done in the middle of the service that can compliment and communicate a short story that can fit well. These do not take as much rehearsal and can be don in a relatively short amount of time. The final thing that can be done in the church is a full production. This is something that is very near and dear to me because of the fact that I have done a lot of theater throughout the years and the first show that I ever did was in a church musical. These productions take the most amount of people and a ton of time and rehearsal. They can take months in order to prepare. They can be great times during Christmas or Easter that can be full productions telling the story of Jesus, His birth, death, and resurrection.
There are many different resources that can be used but I have found that the best can be YouTube. This is a great resource that can be used in planning for monologues, short-form acting, and full productions. This is a place to study and find great things to do within your church. Another thing that will help is knowing in advance what your pastor will be talking about.
Conclusion
I believe that theater arts can be used well in the church if there is a specific method that you use. Whether it be monologue, short-form, or full production, they are each so important. Whatever one you choose make sure that it is something that will help communicate a message of the Gospel to your congregation. I cannot wait to see the theater in more churches around the globe!
