Leaving Jerusalem - From the couch to the pew.

Drama is a total event. In otherwords it utilizes all aspects of the audience's senses. This is good, yet has it's challenges. The most powerful sense is not one of the physical five, but a mental one - imagination. We want the audience to be transported to a place of suspended belief. While there we want them to be free to examine what they see and compare it to their lives. This comparason is the key to awaking their soul to God's plan for them. If they identify with the characters on stage we can guide them through to what they should or should not do. It is so essential that each element of the evening contributes to that goal.

Unfortunately, we often neglect aspects of the evening that may end up having a negative effect on that goal. Below is a list of things to think about. It takes the visitor from their home to their car to the church to the pew. Each moment gives you the opportunity to create the atmosphere of change - or create a feeling of "why'd I bother."

1) Be sure your guests know what time the drama starts and how to get to the church. Any advertising must have this information boldly.

  a) How many times are people late and we hear, “well, I wasn’t sure how to get there.”
  b) If they are guests of non-performers teach your church to meet them at some common place and follow them to the church. Better yet, the church member should chauffeur them.
  c) For guests of performers, assign someone to do this task for you.
  d) As a last resort, be sure the guest has a simple, understandable map with the time of the performance on it.

2) Preferred parking must be created for the guests.
  a) Don’t let performers or church members hog the closest spots.
  b) Have escorts with umbrellas in inclement weather.
  c) The first contact by a church member should be OUTSIDE the door of the church.
    i) This lets the guest know where to go.
    ii) Obviously, in the dead of winter this is not feasible.

3) The foyer sets the stage.
  a) NO performer should be seen before performance time!
    i) It is so tempting to run upstairs to greet your guests or to say ‘hi’ to your friends. DO NOT ALLOW THIS! This is SO disruptive to the dramatic process.
    ii) Also, do not allow friends and family of performers to sneak downstairs to talk. Place a guard – seriously.
    iii) The audience deserves to view the performers as their characters. When you allow them to appear outside of the performance environment in costume, then the joy of discovery is lost. There is no ‘surprise’ and belief is not suspended.
  b) Decorate the foyer.
    i) Pictures of the current and/or past performance.
    ii) Create a feeling comparable to the set
    iii) If you are performing “No Room” the foyer could be a wayside oasis.
    iv) If you are performing “The Throne” the foyer could be the antechamber of Herod’s throne room
  c) The ushers and greeters may be in costume. What’s the difference between an usher and a greeter?
    i) Usher: Acts as a servant by taking guests to chairs, preventing squabbling children from getting out of hand. They control the environment off of the stage.
    ii) Greeter: Acts as a friend to everyone. Hands out programs, gets guest cards filled out and turned in, show the way to the bathroom and nursery.
4) Upon entering the auditorium the guests must be allowed to assimilate the environment.
  a) No one is to be seen going on the platform! – actors, directors or technicians.
  b) No one is to be seen going across the platform!
  c) No one is to be seen peeking out at the audience from the platform!
  d) No one is to be seen … you get the picture.
  e) Let the audience absorb the atmosphere. Let them begin their journey from reality to belief!
  f) (This idea also applies to the intermission)

Keeping these concepts in mind will help your production in it's true goal - Altar Calls!

"Leaving Jerusalem" - Back stage or in Front?

One of the difficulties in church drama is that we too often focus on ourselves and not the congregation. Yes, we have all of the platitudes down and in our hearts want to see people saved and lives changed, but are we really doing all we can to accomplish that?

If we are doing church drama just for the entertainment of the local church, then, okay, throw this blog out the window, but if you are serious about evangelizm of your city and/or helping those in your church strive for a closer walk with the Lord, then read on.

Your drama team has spend hours and hours putting together an anointed and powerful presentation. You have prayed and fasted for God's Spirit to sweep through the house. And He is willing! But there are so many little things that hamper most church drama presentations. Worst of all is when we do things that cause the audience to "Leave Jerusalem". In other words their attention is off of the message or worship and they focus - even briefly - on the fact that they are sitting on a church pew instead of at the stable in Bethlehem or viewing the Last Supper. Here are a few things that can cause your congregation to Leave Jerusalem.
Cameras flashing, people entering or leaving, babies crying, long scene changes, actors peeking out between the curtains, actors in costume seen before the drama, dropped lines, fidgity sign or dowel presenters, tech problems, yada yada yada!

I will address these all in future posts and how to solve them, but let's look at one item - Presenters entering from the audience and returning after they are done. Seems like no big deal, right? It is to those trying to worship and it definitely slows down the presentation. Now if you are doing one piece as a special during church, no major harm done, but if you are doing an evening concert, then this can get out of hand.

Ideally all presenters should remain out of sight and ready to enter during the entire evening! Ooh, but then they don't get to see the service. And your point? I thought this was about the congregation? The lost? The visitor? Are you willing to focus on their needs or is your desire more important? Popping up and down from the audience is a sure way of disrupting the flow of the Spirit. I am especially concerned if people reenter from the back, walk to the front DURING ANOTHER GROUP'S PRESENTATION! Arrrrrggggh! But that's for another post.

If at all possible train your team to stay out of sight, praying and worshipping from the sidelines until it is their turn to be on the platform.

Keep It Moving!

One of the most irritating parts of many plays and drama events are the transitions. These may be scene changes or one group preparing after a different group finishes a presentation.

Your audience wants to see as tight a presentation as possible. You've worked hard to present a sign language piece or song interpretation with acting or dowel rods and the audience is responding as desired. They are worshipping and God is touching lives. Then we have to wait while the signers walk off the platform and the next song is set up or the choir files in. How frustrating!

Often churches will have an emcee step into the program and speak to bridge the gap. Still frustrating. You have advertized this as a drama and/or music event. Don't force us to listen to the same person come up between EVERY single piece! Save that person for the opening prayer and altar call. If your presentations have been prayerfully prepared then the emcees are doing your evening service more harm than good.

There is no reason that each piece should not flow from one piece to the next with no interruptions other than the worship of the audience. But this takes planning. Where do the microphones need to be placed? What door does each group enter or exit from? Are props for the acting pieces in convenient and accessible places?

Practice moving one group off and the next on. The effort will be well worth it. This way each piece will build off the previous and as the evening concludes there will be a powerful move of the Spirit!