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Content A SURVEY OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA IN THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, U.S. SYNOD OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BY JAMES EDGAR BODMAN A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Communi ca tion— Drama) September 1976 Copyright James Edgar Bodman 1976 UMI Number: DP22915 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI' Dissertation P u b lis h in g UMI DP22915 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ProQuest Qu§ \£? 9 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY PARK x ^ LOS A N G E LE S . C A L IF O R N IA 9 0 0 0 7 5 77 T his dissertation, w ritte n by ........ James. „Edgar„.Bodman......... under the direction o f h ?r3.... D issertation C o m mittee, and approved by a ll its members, has been presented to and accepted by T h e G raduate School, in p a rtia l fu lfillm e n t o f requirem ents of the degree of D O C T O R O F P H I L O S O P H Y Dean C DISSERTA^?Q£? COMMITTEE j L S ^ = s . ay. .. TO MY PARENTS IGNORANCE IS THE CURSE OF GOD, KNOWLEDGE THE WING WHEREWITH WE FLY TO HEAVEN. II Henry VI, IV, 7 William Shakespear ACKNOWLEDGMENT S First, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Toscan, my Dissertation Committee Chairman, for his guidance and patience throughout my graduate studies at the University. His comments and criticism were always poignant and con structive. Without his interest and help, this disserta tion would never have been written. Also, I would like to thank Dr. James Butler, now re tired; Dr. Herbert Stahl; and Dr. Richard Toscan; for their inspiration and outstanding teaching as professors in the drama department. These men have added immeasurably to my understanding of the theatre. Further, I would like to thank the other members of my Dissertation Committee and Guidance Committee: Dr. Herbert Stahl; Dr. Grayce Ransom; Dr. Janet Bolton; and Dr. Edward Kaufman. All of the time given to me by these busy pro fessors is deeply appreciated. In addition, my special thanks go to the many people who contributed to this study through personal interviews, including: Charles M. Tanner; Father Maynard Geiger; John Arnold Ford; Albert and Bertha Johnson; Dr. Norman Fedder; Everett Robertson; Mikel Taxer; and Dr. Pam Woody. Without the contributions of these people, this study could not have been completed. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...........................................iii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM . . 1 Statement of the Problem ................... 3 Definition of Terms ........................ 4 Significance of the Study ................. 8 Review of the Literature................... 9 Justification of the Study....................15 Design of the S t u d y ...........................16 Summary of the Remaining Chapters.........2 0 II. TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA 24 III. A BRIEF HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA IN THE UNITED STATES ................................. 38 IV. DRAMATIC ARTS SURVEY OF THE UNITED PRESBY TERIAN C H U R C H................................... 66 V. MODELS OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA PROGRAMS .......... 90 VI. MODEL OF NON-DENOMINATIONAL RELIGIOUS DRAMA . 105 VII. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER S T U D Y .................................. 117 APPENDIX A ...............................................129 APPENDIX B ...............................................132 APPENDIX C ...............................................141 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................. 152 iv LIST OF TABLES Page TABLE I Current and Future Dramatic Arts in Worship........................................65 TABLE II Dramatic Arts in Christian Education (Children and Youth)...........................73 TABLE III Dramatic Arts for Adults...................... 80 TABLE IV Correlation of Dramatic Leadership........... 87 v CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM During the late 1950's and early 1960's, the revival of religious drama in the Protestant churches of America be came so widespread that many theologians and writers con sidered it a "movement," somewhat comparable to the secular little theatre movement in the early part of the century.^ By the mid-1960's, however, Protestant church membership and attendance were on the decline throughout the United States and religious drama seemingly fell victim to this downward trend. From 1962 to the present, there has been an obvious gap in scholarship relating to religious drama. The last major publication about religious drama, a book by Harold Enrensperger, was published in 1962. Only a few short articles have appeared in various periodicals during this period. Although there is really no data clearly showing that religious drama declined with church member ship and attendance, such a decline can be inferred from the lack of written material concerning religious drama during these years. There is no recent definitive study revealing the status of religious drama in Protestant churches. 1 In spite of the limited amount of available informa tion, it is common to hear Protestant church leaders making claims and counter-claims regarding the status and use of religious drama in the church. It is probable that such claims are largely based on hearsay. Therefore, there is a definite need for valid, documented evidence regarding the use and status of religious drama in contemporary Protes tant churches. Such data would be extremely useful to local churches in developing their own programs using the dramatic arts. Many Protestant church leaders strongly believe the religious arts can and must play an important role in the rejuvenation of the church, helping to make it a more rele vant and attractive force in the contemporary world. Iron ically, however, with continually diminishing Protestant church attendance and tightening of most church budgets and expenditures, the first areas to be ignored or eliminated from church programs are usually those involving the arts. A major example of this is the elimination of the Department of Radio and Television from the United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Synod of Southern California, leaving a total vacuum in this area. It is known that many of the non-denominational reli gious drama groups that are traveling repertory companies, such as the Covenant Players, are increasing in number and having greater success. This success could be due in part 2 to the lack of dramatic programs in many Protestant churches Often such churches feel that they cannot afford to develop their own dramatic programs, but they can afford to have an outside group perform on special occasions. Of course, these same churches utilizing outside groups should realize that the expense involved in a meaningful dramatic arts pro gram does not have to be great. Perhaps the greatest ex pense or problem is providing the necessary leadership and training. Most Protestant churches are aware of the contribution of music and are willing to support church music financially while the dramatic arts are often ignored. There are several things that can be done to alter and improve this situation. First, church leaders need to have a useable definition of religious drama and know something of its scope and history. Next, an understanding of current drama tic practices in other churches is helpful for new ideas and comparison to their own church programs. Also, several de tailed models of drama in the church may be useful as examples of the varieties of religious drama. To compile and present this information is the major task of this study. Statement of the Problem It is the purpose of this study to determine how drama is being used in the United Presbyterian Churches in 3 Southern California. To properly interpret the survey of drama in the local churches, it will be necessary to develop a meaningful understanding of religious drama and outline the history of religious drama. As a result of the drama survey, several models of religious drama will be presented in some detail. Definition of Terms Throughout this study, it has been necessary to use a number of terms that require clarification. All of these terms are defined here with the exception of religious drama which is defined in Chapter II. 1. Christian Education. This term primarily refers to the more formal educational programs of the various Presbyterian or other Protestant churches. Such educational programs usually include Bible study, Christian ethics, and basic theology. Of course, it must be realized that Christian educa tion is not limited to such formal, institutional training, but may also occur informally in Christian homes. 2. Communication. Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or be havior. In this study, communication is generally used with reference to the Christian gospel as the 4 message being exchanged. The symbols, signs, or behavior used are words, primarily through dis cussion, in combination with such behavior as pan tomime . 3. Interpretation. This term has various shades of meaning, but it is used in this study as explana tion in the light of individual belief, judgement, or circumstance. Generally, the individual belief refers to the Christian faith, and the explanation is in light of the specific Christian belief. In most cases, religious leaders themselves will be the guides in successful interpretation often in conjunction with the performers of religious drama groups. 4. Pageant. Essentially, the pageant is an expression of the democratic and community spirit and can be loosely defined as a festival, in episodes, of thanksgiving, worship, or history. The ancient Greeks were perhaps the first civilization to pre sent pageants of various kinds. Types of pageants include the processional, which is the oldest type; the historical, concerned with ideas or institu tions and employing dialogue, pantomime, music, and spectacle. Pageantry in the United States pro gressed with greater activity than is usually 5 realized. It probably reached its modern zenith in the work of Paul Green in the South. 5. Presbyterian Judicatories. The Presbyterian Church is organized around a series of judicatories simi lar to the United States Courts. Unlike the courts, however, the Presbyterian judicatories are also governing bodies of the church as well as be ing judicial in nature. Every local church has a "session" composed of the minister(s) and ruling elders. The minister(s) and at least one ruling elder from every session belong to a higher judi catory called a "presbytery," which is determined geographically. From every presbytery, members are selected to represent the body at the "synod," which covers a larger geographical area, such as the Synod of Southern California. Every synod maintains a permanent office and paid staff, and holds general synod meetings twice yearly. Finally, the highest body, the General Assembly, meets annually and maintains a national office in Philadelphia with a full-time staff. Every related Presbyterian Church is free to send one minister and one elder as delegates to the General Assembly. 6. Protestant. Most church people consider a Protes tant as any Christian who is not a Roman or Eastern 6 Orthodox Catholic or a member of the Church of England. There are, however, certain denomina tions, such as the Quakers, Christian Scientists, Seventh Day Adventists, and Mormons, who do not consider themselves as belonging to the mainstream of Protestantism. Therefore, in this study, Prot estant refers to Christians of the following de nominations in America: Baptist; Congregational; Episcopal; Lutheran; Methodist Episcopal; United Christian; United Methodist; and all branches of the Presbyterian. 7. United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Synod of Southern California. Presbyterian refers to a system of church government in which a series of courts, composed of both clerical and lay pres byters or elders, exercise the legislative, admin istrative, and disciplinary powers delegated by the church membership. In the United States, there are two major branches of the Presbyterian Church: the smaller "Southern" denomination, the Presbyterian Church, U.S., and the larger "Northern" denomina tion, the United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. The Synod of Southern California includes all United Presbyterian Churches, U.S.A., in the Counties of Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino, San 7 Diego, and Los Angeles, a total of two hundred sixty churches. Significance of the Study For the past few years, there has been a renewed in terest in religious drama. More articles are being written, several new performing groups have begun, and the American Theatre Association is beginning a new Religious Theatre Project. Still, there is no current scholarly work avail able concerned with drama in the local parish church. As far as it is known, there never has been a survey of local churches to determine how the dramatic arts are being used at this level, nor has an effort been made to develop work able models of religious drama for these churches. Many times interesting and unique innovations are being used by individual churches, or groups but they usually are not documented so that other groups can take advantage of their work. A number of scholars throughout the country are showing an interest in religious drama, and the demand for addi tional scholarship is being felt. There are many facets of religious drama that need to be explored, and many things that need to be documented. A number of these entities need to be collected and presented together along with specific recommendations for further study. This study is of value, as it presents a great deal of related information about 8 religious drama that has not been previously available. This information can serve as a basis for further, more specific studies in the future. Review of the Literature One of the most useful books in this study was Harold 2 Ehrensperger's Religious Drama; Ends and Means. Upon further examination of Dr. Ehrensperger's writings, it was discovered that much of the material in this book is based 3 on his earlier work, Conscience on Stage. (Both books are now out of print.) Over the ensuing years, the author's ideas seem to have become more clarified making his second book a better work and a more complete statement of the subject. Religious Drama; Ends and Means has three major parts plus appendixes. Part One deals with the meaning of the dramatic, play-structure types, and formal and informal dramatic expression. Part Two contains a useful definition of religious drama, a brief history of religious drama, uses of the dramatic, and chancel drama. Part Three in cludes standards for choosing a play, and a discussion of play production and its component parts. The appendixes contain a great deal of general information relating to re ligious drama. Finally, the book contains a lengthy bibli ography which has been helpful in tracing source material for this study. 9 The book tends to be overly prescriptive in its funda mental approach with too much emphasis on "how to do it," both religiously and dramatically. Nevertheless, the book is a useful tool of research in religious drama. 4 Religious Drama, edited by Raymond Chapman, is a hand book for actors and producers published by the Religious Drama Society of Great Britain. Although it contains much of the same information included in the Ehrensperger books, three chapters are especially useful: Writing a Play; Some Thoughts on Speech; and How to Start and Run a Responsible 5 Drama Group. Of course, most of the ideas m this book are from the British point of view, but many of the ideas and suggestions are valid and useful for religious drama through out the world. Drama and Education, by Philip Coggin, is another British book of interest. The title is somewhat misleading, however, as it is a historical survey from Ancient Greece to the present day focusing primarily on religious and/or Christian drama.^ The book includes twenty-five chapters and a select bibliography. Of these chapters, Chapter Thirteen, "Plays and Protestants," is especially useful in providing background information about the Reformers and their attitudes toward drama. Interestingly, Luther found his authority for drama not among the Ancients but in the Bible. "He wanted the whole Bible used seriously, sincerely, 10 7 and devoutly, as a source of drama." On the other hand, the Puritans vehemently objected to drama and banned it in 1642 as irreligious. Fred Eastman's Christ in the Drama, is a small volume that "simply records an effort to discover the influence of Christ in representative dramas of these two countries ^England and America^. The author suggests that the ex amination of three factors is essential here: (1) principal character; (2) author's spiritual insight; and (3) effect of the play on an audience. Further, Eastman points out that "it is not the material, not the background, not even the plot— but the total result of the author's insight and his 9 handlxng of the material that produces the final effect." This statement helps give credence to the definition of re ligious drama being set forth in this study. Drama in the Church, as authored by Fred Eastman and Louis Wilson,^ was first published in 1934 and was truly ahead of the times, in terms of new ideas and a new view of religious drama. The definition of religious drama ex pounded at such an early date is similar to the definition presented in this study. Although this definition was clearly outlined in this book, few people seemed to under stand or use the definition. Also worth noting in this volume is the chapter, "How to Kill Religious Drama." His suggestions are: "Wish it upon the children . . . Turn 11 it over to the Choir Director . . . Give it to some nice young girl who once had a part in a high school play. She ought to know what's what . . . Choose only non-royalty plays and cut the expense . . . Provide no equipment for it . . . Follow the play with a sermon pointing out the moral (s) . " ' * ' 1 How poignant these statements are to those of us involved in church drama. 12 Church Plays and How to Stage Them, by Albert Johnson, at first glance appears to be a typical how to do it hand book for staging biblical plays. On further examination, however, it becomes apparent that the author deals with several important problems facing church drama groups, e.g., how to stage without a stage and how to do and make do. Un fortunately, Johnson's definition of religious drama is rather ambiguous, and the three plays that are included do little to clarify the matter. One of the plays, Journey to Judgement, was commissioned by the Southern California Council of Churches and first presented in Los Angeles, October 1957. There have been surprisingly few articles written over the years that relate to religious drama. Of these, there are only five that merit consideration here. 13 "The Refiner's Fire: Church and Theatre" is the most recent article written about religious drama and perhaps the most useful to this study, particularly in its definition of 12 religious drama: "Many think that religious drama is a nar row, limited field, populated by . . . biblical characters in bathrobes . . . and deus ex machina. But the field is really quite broad. Important playwrights from Sophocles to Arthur Miller have treated basic questions of human identity and human destiny. Such questions are religious questions; therefore, while the plays may not talk about God, they are 14 religious drama." Further, the author elaborates on four problems regard ing prevalent Christian attitudes toward drama: (1) they tend to confuse stage reality with life reality; (2) they tend to mistake biblical pageantry for good art; (3) Chris tians often under-react or over-react to certain kinds of dramatic material; and (4) Christians often require a very explicit message. Thus, the task of the Christian dramatist is formidable. He will sometimes use plays merely to please and inspire; at other times, his material will expose, dis turb, awaken, or condemn. In his article, "Religion and the Arts: Religious 15 Drama," E. Martin Browne makes two important points about religious drama. First, when looking at drama, we cannot help but feel that it is religious by virtue of its very nature. Thus, in the growth of religion in human civiliza tion, there has been a tendency for those advancing in re ligion to fear drama as an expression of a rival religious 13 vision. The most notable example may be found in the post- Reformation period in Puritan England. Second, there is explicit and implicit Christian drama. Traditional reli gious drama has tended to be explicit and has often been used in teaching biblical stories. On the other hand, re ligious drama today tends to be more implicit, encompassing all types of plays and authors that deal with the problems of human existence. "Drama in the Church: An Experiment"^"6 concerns a spe cific church, Judson Memorial in Greenwich Village, New York. The church considers its drama a serious matter and a way of ministering to the needs of the community. Artists from the community were invited to write, direct, and pro duce plays with some religious impact in the church. The experiment worked and changed the entire ministry of this church, even though its facilities for drama were limited at first. Thus, the author suggests that there are several problems most churches must face with drama in the church: (1) space for the drama and proper use of the space; (2) people with an ability to write, direct, and act; and (3) play selection and who does it. The church is only ready for drama when it can open itself up to the implications of drama, when the congregation can accept the world of the theatrical and can risk being excited, risk being frightened, risk being changed. Perhaps that risk has something to do not only with the peripheral programs of the church but with the very heart of its message. ' 14 18 W. A. Poovey, in his article, "Preaching and Drama" successfully makes a case that drama can and should be an ally of preaching. He makes it clear that drama can do two things better than the preacher: (1) it can state a problem very clearly; and, (2) it can dramatize the solution. While this may appear to be an innovative concept, one can find that preaching and drama were regularly combined in the 19 early 1930's by Riverside Church, New York City. Due to a change in the Riverside staff, the practice did not continue over a long period of time. Thus, this article brings into focus an almost forgotten idea that was once very successful in one of the largest Protestant churches in the United States. In 1957, Nancy M. Tischler's "The Shrinking World of 20 Christian Drama" used the narrow traditional definition of religious drama. Tischler makes no allowance for "implicit" religious drama, but demands the Christian dramatist write "explicit” religious drama of the Graham Greene variety, whose plays are all very explicitly Christian. Such plays can be effective at times, but their appeal is usually very limited. Justification of the Study There are four major reasons which clearly justify this study: (1) Historically many definitions of religious drama have been developed, but no single definition has ever been 15 generally agreed upon by those actively involved in this area. Therefore, in this study, an all-inclusive under standing of religious drama has been developed, reflecting recent attitudes toward Protestant drama in the church; (2) This year the American Theatre Association has once again established a Religious Theatre Project due to the apparent renewed interest in religious drama. The survey conducted in this study clearly shows that there is indeed a great interest in religious drama today in the United States, thus documenting the feelings of the American Theatre Association and others actively promoting religious drama; (3) The leaders of the United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., them selves, encouraged this study to help determine the ways dramatic arts are being used in various parish churches, as this information was not available. This knowledge will help the Synod leaders to develop and share dramatic arts programs with churches throughout the entire Synod and per haps the entire denomination. (4) No study has ever at tempted to develop and present living models for religious drama that can be adapted to the needs of individual parish churches. Such models are vital to churches wanting to use drama; it gives them a workable pattern to follow, espe cially as new programs are being developed and expanded. Design of the Study In an effort to discover how the dramatic arts are be- 16 ing used in Protestant parish churches, it was determined that a survey of a related group of churches would be the most feasible. Further, it was decided that the survey would be conducted through the use of a questionnaire with a personal interview type of follow-up. After a great deal of preliminary investigation, the United Presbyterian Churches, U.S.A., Synod of Southern California was the group of churches selected for the survey. The Presbyterian Church is usually considered middle- of-the-road, both theologically and politically, which is one reason for selecting this church. Further, this study has been encouraged by leaders of the Presbyterian Church, since little or no published information is available re garding the use of drama in the church. Of all the major Protestant denominations, the Presbyterians at the national level probably have done the least to encourage drama in the local churches. Yet, from personal experience with many Presbyterian churches, it is clear that many local churches have active drama programs of various types. This survey has been designed to determine the ways and the extent to which the two hundred sixty-two United Presbyterian Churches, U.S.A., in Southern California are using the dramatic arts in the programs of these churches, and in the community. A major problem in this study was getting churches to return completed questionnaires. One minister admitted that 17 he discarded the questionnaire, for example, because his is "a dying congregation." Another minister ignored his ques tionnaire, since there are currently no dramatic activities in the church. These attitudes and actions appear to be typical behavior of the twenty percent no-response churches. In analyzing and presenting the results of the survey, all five parts of the questionnaire will be described and analyzed. Whenever possible, a summary and final conclusion will be drawn from the results. When "church" is mentioned throughout Chapter IV, the United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Synod of Southern California is the church(es) being referred to, unless otherwise stated. Introductory Section. To allow for a certain amount of anonymity, the name of the church was indicated as optional, and the name of the person completing the questionnaire was not asked, only the person's church position. Fortunately, only a few churches omitted this information, otherwise it was discovered that follow-up and completing unanswered questionnaires would have been an impossible task. Of the two hundred sixty-two churches in the Synod, it was possible to contact two hundred thirty-four. In the planning of the questionnaire, it was felt that it would be important to know the position of the person completing the questionnaire. It was thought that the per son's position with the church might affect his answers to 18 the questions. It was discovered, however, as the question naires were returned, that it was impossible to test and evaluate the person's position in relation to his answers of the questions. This would only have been possible to deter mine, it two or more people from the same church had re sponded to the questionnaire. The next items asked for the pastor's seminary, year of graduation, and the pastor's undergraduate major. This in formation seemed desirable, as there might be a correlation between this data and the extent to which dramatic arts were being used in the particular church. In most cases, consid ering all of the completed questionnaires, it was impossible to establish any definite correlation other than the fact that churches having staff members who are trained in drama generally have the most successful programs. Another group of items concerns the size and composi tion of the church staff. This information seemed desir able, as it was felt that the size and composition of any particular church staff would affect the use of the dramatic arts. While there are some notable exceptions, almost ninety-six percent of the larger churches with multiple staffs tend to use drama more than smaller, lesser staffed churches. The exact composition or types of positions in volved have little or no relevance. Clearly, this means two things. First, multiple staffs have more man-hours to 19 expend on creative activities such as drama and are likely to do so even if no one on the staff is specifically trained in the theatre arts. Secondly, such staffs are more likely to have a person with special dramatic training and/or ex perience who will use drama extensively. Of course, there may be other factors involved and at work in specific local situations. The final information requested in this section was church and church school attendance to determine the size of each church more accurately. Church membership alone can be misleading, as most churches have many more members than those who attend regularly. Summary of the Remaining Chapters Following this introductory chapter, Chapter II is con cerned with a workable understanding of religious drama. Chapter III focuses on the history of religious drama in the United States, especially in Southern California. This information is essential as the survey itself is con cerned with Presbyterian churches in Southern California. Chapter IV is the heart of this study. In this chapter the results of the survey are presented and analyzed. As a direct result of the survey, two models for reli gious drama are presented in Chapter V. The first model is based on the drama program of Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, and the second model is taken from Westminster 20 Presbyterian Church, San Diego. These models were both direct results of this survey, and are discussed in some detail. Further, both models are evaluated in terms of the criteria necessary for religious drama as defined and discussed in Chapter II. Application of the models to other parish churches is also considered. In Chapter VI, a non-denominational model for religious drama is presented. This model is designed around the Cove nant Players of Reseda, California. This model seems to be developing as a popular form for new religious drama groups throughout the country and deserves special attention. The model was discovered in the course of the survey, as the group developed out of Presbyterian Churches in Southern California. Chapter VII is devoted to summary, conclusions, and recommendations for further study. 21 FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER I ^J. Edward Moseley, Using Drama in the Church, Rev. Ed. (St. Louis: Bethany Press, 1955), p. 9. 2 Harold Ehrensperger, Religious Drama: Ends and Means (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962). 3 Harold Ehrensperger, Conscience on Stage (Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1947). 4 Raymond Chapman, ed., Religious Drama (London: William Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1959). 5It should be noted that every chapter of this volume was written by a different author with Chapter 5 having five authors, as it is divided into five parts. ^Philip A. Coggin, Drama and Education (London: Thames and Hudson, 1956). 7 Ibid., p. 100. 0 Fred Eastman, Christ in the Drama (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1947). ^Ibid., p. x. ■^Fred Eastman and Louis Wilson, Drama in the Church, Rev. ed. (New York: Samuel French, Inc., 1961). 11Ibid., pp. 1-2 12 Albert Johnson, Church Plays and How to Stage Them (Philadelphia-Boston: United Church Press, 1966). 13 Gordon C. Bennett, "The Refiner's Fire: Church and Theatre," Christianity Today, May 10, 1974, pp. 20-21. "^Ibid. , p. 21. 15 . . E. Martin Browne, "Religion and the Arts: Religious Drama," Union Seminary Quarterly Review, March 1957, pp. 60-64. ■^Alvin Carmines, "Drama in the Church: An Experiment," Theology Today, January 12, 1966, pp. 505-12. 22 17Ibid., p. 512. IQ W. A. Poovey, "Preaching and Drama," The Lutheran Quarterly, 1968, pp. 373-80. 19 R. C. Alexander and Omar P. Goslm, Worship Through Drama (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1930). 20 Nancy M. Tischler, "The Shrinking World of Christian Drama," Christianity Today, October 13, 1957, pp. 18-20. 23 CHAPTER II TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA When the Christian church began to use drama in the Middle Ages, it was basically used for teaching in an ex plicit way, a largely illiterate population. Since the services these people attended were in Latin, as was the Bible, they had to learn about their faith from word of mouth and the arts, especially painting and drama.'*' Surely the most useful of the arts for this purpose was drama; scholars believe that many medieval paintings were based on 2 scenes from the well-known Mystery and Miracle plays. Of course, the plays were explicitly Christian. They set forth the history of man from a Christian outlook in terms of human life as understood in their own times. The dramatis personae were not ancient Palestinians from the past, but the actual shepherds of Wakefield, York, or Chester— the people who themselves helped create these 3 Medieval dramas. Their faith was as explicit and imme diate as the themes and messages of their plays. By contrast, however, the most effective contemporary 4 religious drama has tended to be implicit. Dramatic works that give an audience any profound experience of conflict 24 which is not artificial— having a story that is accepted because its plot and characters evolve out of meaningful life situations and demand emotional responses— is reli gious drama, usually implicit. With this view in mind, many of the great plays of Ibsen, Shaw, Strindberg, O'Neill, and others clearly can be classified as religious dramas, as well as the well-known plays of T. S. Eliot and Christopher Fry. Also, it should be made clear that any religious group could view most of these dramas as reli gious using this guideline. Each religious group would, of course, interpret the drama in light of its own religious philosophy. Over the years, religious drama has been defined in various ways, often depending upon the theology of the de- finer. Perhaps this is inevitable, since most definitions of religious drama have been set forth by "religious people." In fact, it is no more possible to construct a normative definition of religious drama than to construct a normative religion. Therefore, rather than trying to de velop still another definition in this study, several defi nitions already in use will be examined in an effort to arrive at a more complete understanding of religious drama. In 1962, Harold Ehrensperger, developed an insightful definition of religious drama that is close to the position presented in this chapter and will serve as a useful 25 starting point. Religious drama is not a kind of drama, it is a quality of drama. It is pro duced like any other type of drama, but the quality of the production is judged both by the artistic and theatrical re sults as well as by a quality inherent in the process of production itself. Re ligious drama presupposes a standard of work that is religiously oriented . . . It is therefore potentially a genuinely religious activity.^ This means that it is dramatic activity with an added di mension, since it deals with people both as the characters in the play and as the people who are giving life to the characters in the production. Given these conditions, therefore, religious drama potentially becomes a truly re ligious activity. Using this broad definition, religious drama is not limited to subjects based on material from religious books or the Judeo-Christian Bible. Also, religious themes do not necessarily have to be dramatized to qualify the drama as religious. Of course, these things may give religious significance to the dramatic material, but they should not be considered as the exclusive sources for religious drama. Further, drama really becomes truly religious when it por trays meanings and purposes for life which lead people to a deeper understanding of themselves and of life itself. This means that such drama seeks to relate man to the "totality of his being.In other words, when life 26 situations are used dramatically, they may be presented with a focus upon their implications for the ultimate con cerns and purposes of human life, or they may be presented simply as experiences in the laboratory called life. The first traditionally tends to be the framework for religious drama, but the latter can and does have equal religious significance for life through the proper interpretation. Roderick Robertson has suggested three basic areas of human experience which should concern writers of religious drama. His first area concerns man's state as unrelated to God, and may be classified as the "drama of religious 7 alienation." Days Without End by Eugene O'Neill is an example of this type of drama. Robertson's next area con cerns the process through which man goes in order to achieve his relationship to God and may be termed the "drama of re- 8 ligious experience." This Way to the Tomb, an explicit religious drama by Ronald Duncan belongs to this area. In his third area, Robertson places dramas concerned with in dividuals who have found successful orientation to God— 9 "the drama of the religious hero." Perhaps one of the best examples of this type of play is George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan. Robertson's classifications have merit, but they fall short of including all religious drama. Something more seems to be needed. 27 The Religious Drama Project of the American Educa tional Theatre Association developed this definition: Religious drama includes not only a lit erature but also a body of acts and skills religiously inspired and motivated. Re ligious drama, as literature, is based upon a centrally religious theme and has a religious impact upon its participants and witnesses. This may include experience of worship, plays for entertainment, educa tional drama, and creative dramatics. It is not concerned exclusively with propa ganda and/or edification. It is not limited to acts of worship and chancel drama, although it may be these things. Religious drama is written, produced, and performed in a spirit of reverence and with concern for the enrichment of its participants, church and community.10 While this definition is useful and is not in conflict with the position in this study, it also has several weak nesses. For example, the statement "a body of acts and skills religiously inspired and motivated." What exactly does that mean? Who is to judge if the acts and skills are properly inspired and motivated? Further, what is meant by "based upon a centrally religious theme?" What makes a theme religious? What criteria do we use for evaluation? Finally, it is necessary to question "performed in a spirit of reverence ..." Again, what exactly is meant? How can such a thing be determined? Is it truly essential for re ligious drama? It would be inconceivable, for example, to perform Waiting for Godot in a spirit of reverence, al though this play is a type of religious drama. Thus, to 28 make this corporate definition meaningful, further work and much more detailed explanation are needed. During the summer of 1959, a Religious Drama Workshop was conducted at Boston University and several more defini tions of religious drama were formulated."^ The extensive range of thinking involved is exemplified by four of the definitions which came from this workshop experience: 1. Religious drama is action involving man in the ultimate concerns of his relation ship with men and God for the purpose of aiding him in his search for maturity. 2. Religious drama is the enactment through staged action and dialogue of human situa tions that conveys men's concepts about ultimate reality? and the transcendence of that enactment into a relationship that involves the participants (actors and audience) with the concepts presented. 3. Religious drama is a peculiar attempt to communicate through involvement of writers, actors, and audience by means of psychological, physical, and mental action, man's endeavor to respond with his whole being to that which is most real and most important. 4. A religious drama is any drama which allows man to discover or deepen his re lationship to the ultimate, or God.-*-^ The first three definitions have some merit and show extensive thought, but raise more questions than they answer. They use abstract terminology which demands further definition and explanation? the fourth definition is very broad and seemingly includes everything that could 29 be considered religious drama. Drama does not have to be based on religious books or stories to have religious significance. However, those based on religious books and/or stories are the most obvious type of religious drama. Unfortunately, this type of drama often tends to be the least dramatic and often not well-written. This does not have to be the case. Biblical stories can provide exciting dramatic material as so many Hollywood films have clearly shown us, such as The Ten Commandments7 Sampson and Delilah; David and Bathsheeba; and plays such as Archibald MacLeish's J.B. and the rock- musicals Jesus Christ, Superstar and Godspell. Yet, they were dramatically effective and successful largely due to good writing, good directing, and good acting, which is the simple secret to the success of any dramatic material. There is a growing awareness by church people that there is a sense in which the Christian faith is more sus ceptible to interpretation in dramatic terms than in any other form. This means, according to E. Martin Browne, that 13 the Christian "new life" can be presented on the stage better than in any other way. We can see the new creation beginning to work— through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, and their ultimate effect in 14 the renewing of life of man. 30 Interpretation becomes very important since the drama will ultimately succeed or fail depending on the interpre tation. In most cases, religious leaders themselves will be the guides in successful interpretation often in con junction with the performers of religious drama groups. For example, after any performance of a play, the actors could sit on the stage in front of the curtain and have a direct dialogue with the audience moderated by the director or pastor. In his last speech, the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town stands alone on the stage, looking at the stars while he observes that scholars seem to think there is no life on them. "Only this one is straining away, 15 straining away all the time to make somethxng of itself." In many regards, we can say that religious drama is man's straining away trying to make something of himself, because he seems endowed with this capacity. The success or fail ure of ones making something of himself is usually judged in light of some specific religious philosophy requiring interpretation. In recent years, many theatre critics have come to re spect the French dramatist Henri Gheon (1875— 1944), who primarily wrote plays with biblical themes. According to his translator, M. S. Goldman, Gheon's major purpose was to express his Christian faith in all his writings. While he 31 seems to have had a "sensitive, artistic conscience," he apparently did not feel that piety and good intentions 16 could ever replace good wrxtxng and good drama. Further, Gheon believed that his greatest duty as a dramatist was to write plays that would work well on the stage and really entertain the audience. His primary purpose was "to de light" and not to teach. As an accomplished artist, he abhored most of the pious plays of his time which were usually presented under ecclesiastical auspices. In fact, Gheon openly referred to such plays as bondieuseriea, as X7 / "good-goderies" or "goodie-goderies," and Gheon himself wanted to purge the theatre of these plays. Humor was a hallmark of all Gheon plays, which is highly unusual in this type of explicit religious drama. Yet, it worked well for him. This should not be surprising, X8 however; Medieval dramatists often used humor. Further, Gheon believed that religion, especially Christianity, had a place in the theatre. If an actor or actress could assume the role of a Greek god or goddess or a Homeric hero or heroine, Gheon concluded, there was certainly no reason why actors and actresses should not be able to portray 19 well-known people from the Bible in a Chrxstxan society. Laughter can be a part of honest, true piety, and this, along with a true dramatic style, was Gheon's great contribution to Christian religious drama. His plays are 32 surely some of the best of this type ever written. It also should be noted that while Gheon wrote as a Roman Catholic, the spirit of his plays is certainly never sectarian or ex clusive. Rather, his plays are addressed to all men, "re- 20 gardless of creed, race, and nation." Morality concerns not only "doing right," but is also 21 concerned wxth discovering "what is right." Moral prob lems are those arising from sincerity and conscience and have little to do with those created from living according to some specific moral law or code. In this regard, there fore, drama can help people discover what is right for them by portraying people who are struggling with moral issues. While the drama itself will probably not give members of the audience clear-cut solutions, it can help guide them toward solutions because the drama has in someway touched a per sonal problem or need. When this happens, it can clearly be classified as religious drama. 22 In Kaj Munk's He Sits at the Melting Pot, a melo drama written a few months before the German occupation of Denmark in 1939, the character Fraulein Schmidt says: "Then let it be playacting, and let me be beside myself, and let this be the great idea of the play— that we humans may 23 be allowed to come out of our narrow selves." This capa city of drama as it lives in performance, to allow people "to come out of their narrow selves" is surely one of 33 drama's most important functions in our society. Any drama which produces this result will have religious value and can be designated religious drama. In light of these various definitions of religious drama and examples thereof, it seems even clearer that it is virtually impossible to define religious drama in hard and fast terms. Rather, any drama is potentially religious depending on interpretation and evaluation. To evaluate the religious aspects of any drama, it is necessary to judge the drama in light of three basic criteria. First, the quality of the presentation has a special dimension. It is concerned with people both as characters in the play and as people who are giving life to the characters in the production. Second, the religious content of the play itself— it may be either explicit or implicit religious drama. Any drama can be implicit re ligious drama if it portrays meanings and purposes for life which lead people to a deeper understanding of themselves and of life itself. The essential religious values of any play must first be present in the playscript itself. When these values are transmitted to the audience in perform ance, the productions can rightly be referred to as "religious drama" because of its religious impact and sig nificance. Lastly, religious drama is concerned with in terpretation. Explicit religious drama usually needs 34 little interpretation, as the interpretation is clearly in the playscript. Implicit religious drama often requires extensive interpretation by religious leaders. Without such interpretation, the drama seldom goes beyond the entertain ment level. Thus, it is clear that "religious drama" is a term that can no longer be seen in such precise or simple terms as it has in the past. Instead of a restrictive definition, it is more important that scholars— both of the theatre and of the church— attempt to come to an understanding that the term and subsequent definition is less important than the aware ness of the fusion of the elements of theatre with the con cerns of the church. From this perspective, it can be accurately concluded that "a religious drama is any drama which allows man to discover or deepen his relationship to 24 the ultimate, or God." 35 FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER II iOscar G. Brockett, History of the Theatre (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.), pp. 81-86 - 2 E. Martin Browne, "Religion and the Arts: Religious Drama," Union Seminary Quarterly Review, Vol. XII, No. 3 (March 1957), p. 62. ^Ibid., p. 62. 4 It must be noted that implicit religious drama can be written without the writer necessarily intending to do so. Thus, any drama can be interpreted as religious drama by those reading and seeing the play. 5 Harold Ehrensperger, Religious Drama: Ends and Means (New York-Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962), p. 67. 6 Daniel Day Williams, What Present-Day Theologians Are Thinking (New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1952). pp. 53-57. 7 Roderick Robertson, "Toward A Definition of Religious Drama," The Journal of the American Educational Theatre Association, IX, No. 2 (May 1957), p~. 99. ^Ibid. 9Ibid. "^Ehrensperger, p. 69. ■^The information concerning the Boston University Re ligious Drama Workshop is very incomplete with few details. Several personal telephone calls to Boston University pro duced no leads. The definitions formulated by corporate groups are available, but there are no precise details. 12 Ehrensperger, p. 69. ^Browne, p. 61. 14 Ibid., p. 62. 1 5 Thornton Wilder, Our Town, Rev. Ed. (New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1965), p. 85. 36 Henri Gheon and Henri Brochet, St. Anne and The Rector and Other Plays, trans. M. S. Goldman and 0. R. Goldman (New York-Toronto: Longmans, Green and Company, 1950), pp. vii-xxi. 17 Ibid. ■*"®An excellent example is The Second Shepherd's Play, an English mystery play of the Wakefield cycle. Allardyce Nicoll, World Drama (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1949), pp. 158-59. 19_ / Gheon, p. xxx. 21 Richard L. Rubenstein, Morality and Eros (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1970), pp. 42-59. 22 Kaj Munk, He Sits at the Melting Pot, trans. R. P. Keiguin (New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1953), pp. 209-59. 23Ibid., pp. 229-30 24 Ehrensperger, p. 69. 37 CHAPTER III A BRIEF HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA IN THE UNITED STATES The beginnings of religious drama in the United States can be traced first to Southern California and later to the Mormons in Utah. Although none of this early religious drama was middle-of-the road Protestant, it was the earliest religious drama in the United States and warrants some attention from a historical perspective. Los Pastores (The Shepherds) was a traditional Christ mas play of Spain dating to the sixteenth century and first presented in Southern California in the early 1800's. Spanish missionaries used this morally instructive play to introduce Christianity to the Indians of Mexico and Southern California.^ Los Pastores is a species of sacred drama, something like the Passion Playr the principal characters were the Archangel Michael, the devil, a lazy, clownish individual named Bartolo, and shepherds. The pastores went from house to house enacting the same scenes in the courtyards. The first act represented the shepherds watching their flocks by night. The second was the appearance of an angel announcing 38 the birth of Christ and commanding them to go and adore Him. The third scene was the scene in the stable, the Infant, Mary, and Joseph being invisible. The last play given by the pastores in Los Angeles City was on Christmas eve 1861. The place selected on this occa sion was the site on which now stands the present Pico House, then a large courtyard pertaining to the Pico home stead. This was the residence of Don Pio Pico and his bro ther Don Andres— the former the last Mexican governor of California. These men told the pastores to make the great est display possible, as it would probably be the last time that the play would occur, for the people would soon choose between the North and the South. Another Navidad or Christmas play, but of higher order and more refinement than the Pastores, was called Pastorela. In this last one all the crude passages of the former were left out, and many beautiful and realistic ones took their place. For example, "the scene of the annunciation to the shepherds, combats between angels and devils, glimpses of hell, etc., would make a spectacular drama of no mean order. Basically, all of the texts were facets of a single literary jewel, drawn from the Gospel of Luke, and subse quently set in the vernacular to form the medieval dramas beloved for centuries throughout Christendom. The Spanish 39 auto de nacimiento appears to have been transmitted to the Viceroyalty of New Spain immediately after the conquest of Mexico, and in the new lands, the precious heirloom was re set by the missionary fathers for the edification of Indians as well as colonists. Sometimes it was in an indigenous language, sometimes in Spanish, but always with the American theatre in mind. "Thus, simplicity and realism continued to mark the religious drama of the New World long after more sophisticated forms became popular in the northern country; and simplicity is still the keynote of the Spanish nativity plays performed annually at Christmastide in Mexico and in 3 many villages of the Southwestern United States." Another related dramatic activity of this same period was called Las Posadas, which are the songs of those seeking shelter and were traditionally sung in Mexico nine days be- 4 fore Christmas. They seem to have influenced the Pastorela. Originally, Las Posadas was a ceremony of the church, but it was domesticated and dramatized until it was not only per formed in the church but in courtyards and homes. Las Posadas consists of two groups of participants. One group either carrying the images or representing Mary, Joseph, and the Angel ask shelter from the other group which is inside. For the first eight nights shelter is refused; but on the ninth, Christmas Eve, the doors and gates are opened wide, and Mary, Joseph, and the Angel are invited to 40 enter. Las Posadas, in these early days in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, replaced Christmas carols, Christ mas trees, hanging of stockings, and so forth. Also, a 5 fiesta accompanied every performance. In many parts of Mexico, this is still the custom today. Probably the first Christian denomination to view re ligious drama similarly to the way it has been outlined in this study was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. "The stage can be made to aid the pulpit in impressing upon the minds of a community an enlightened sense of a virtuous life . . . These were the words of Brigham Young quoted soon after he had led his first company of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Thus, the attitude of the Mormon Church, especially fostered by Brigham Young, was unique in the annals of theatre history. The great theatre at Salt Lake City, which became a favorite playhouse of famous actors crossing the country during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, was the Mormon's monument to their great love of the theatre. Since all of the plays done there were plays appropriate for the entire family, emphasizing many positive aspects of virtuous living, this was an early ex ample of religious drama at its finest. On the evening of March 6, 1862, the Great Salt Lake Theatre first officially opened its doors and began its history as the "Cathedral of 41 the Desert. For this special dedicatory program, President Young invited officials of the Church, State and County, and the men— and their families— who helped with the construction of the theatre. Although the seating capacity was fifteen hun dred, this first audience far exceeded that number. The program included special choral music and several speeches. Finally, the Deseret Dramatic Association presented The Pride of the Market, and the entertainment was concluded with dancing on the stage. On March 8, 1862, the first reg ular performance for money was presented at the Salt Lake 8 City Theatre. Built with tremendous difficulties in the middle of an isolated desert eight years before the railroad, the Salt Lake Theatre was indeed a "Shrine of Drama, Music, and 9 Art." Well-known performers appearing at the theatre, long sensed its historic influence and symbolism. They were al ways very vocal in expressing their esteem and affection for it. For example, William Gillette made the following comment after performing at the theatre: ". . .What a won derful place this is and (I was) throwing mental bouquets to Brigham Young, whose genius planned it. Such theatres are rare, indeed! In the final analysis, it is difficult to determine the exact effect of the Salt Lake Theatre upon the development 42 and course of religious drama in America. Like so many fea tures of the Mormon enterprise, the theatre was an anomaly, for no other Christian denomination has ever attempted to build its own theatre solely for dramatic presentations. It was also living proof that religion and drama do not have to be enemies but can really complement each other. The "Old Playhouse," with its perfect acoustics stood for sixty-six years, giving to its patrons the best family drama America had to offer. Finally, due to a host of financial problems, the theatre was sold and torn down in the late 1920's. The early religious drama of Southern California was derived from Catholic milieu and was a part of the people's folklore? whereas, the Protestants had no such precedents to follow. From the time of the Reformation, Protestants had been suspicious of most liturgy and ritual which is really a type of drama. Therefore, it was not without some resis tance that Protestant leaders began to explore and use drama. In the early years of the twentieth century, a number of people, especially in New York and Chicago, began to seek ways in which religious experience could be given dramatic expression. "This was a day of spiritual awakening when the churches were seeking every means to breathe new life into 11 their formalistic routine." Thus, Drama League of America, founded in 1911, approached the various churches 43 with an appeal to restore drama in the church with an empha sis on the teaching aspects of dramatic art. Most major protestant denominations accepted this idea with enthusiasm. It was thus at this time that the term "religious drama" began to be used extensively to refer to dramatic arts in the church. One of the denominational bodies offered the following evaluation. May I tell you how highly we value the assis tance being rendered by the Drama League of America to the dramatic endeavors of the churches and to our whole task of religious education. The drama tic work is one of the most important lines of endeavor in the church's educational program . . . But it is appalling when we consider how little has been done in this field and how weak is the leadership we find in the churches. During the last few years, we have felt much encouraged by the approach to this problem made by the Drama League of America. The practical suggestions and advice regarding dramatic materials, which go out . . . to the churches is of great help and serves as a source of information which we have never had before. In addition to this, there is the realization on the part of leaders of religious education that there is such an organization making a study of the foundation principles of this work, and interpreting the results of such study in ways most helpful to the churches. We regard the Drama League as a tower of strength in the working out of the best educational prin ciples and also as a source of the best practical information and advice in connection with all phases of our religious dramatic w o r k . 12 Further, the Drama League felt that it needed to im prove the standards for selection of religious plays. Thus, the League conducted three religious drama contests and con tracted George Doran and Sons to publish its Religious Drama 44 Series. This was the first time that any major publishing company decided to publish "religious" plays. The Religious Drama Committee served as a clearing-house for advice, sug- 13 gestxons and council to churches and their Sunday schools. Thus, the term "religious drama" and "religious plays" came into common usage during this period. This, of course, was explicit religious drama which usually meant plays with Biblical and/or Christian themes suitable for presentation in churches. At this time, therefore, implicit religious drama was not considered to be a part of the religious drama movement. By the 1920's, important dramatic experiments were be ing conducted by Hulda Niebuhr in the Riverside Church, New York City, and by Mrs. A. Starr Best and her Pilgrim Players in the First Congregational Church in Evanston, Illinois. Walter Russell Bowie was also experimenting with dance in terpretations in New York City, and Elizabeth Eland pub lished Principles and Techniques in Relicrious Dramatics, as 14 a result of experiments centered m New York City. Ac tually, the many experiments with educational uses of drama and the real beginnings of active drama groups in churches developed about the same time. Phillip Endicott Osgood, working at St. Mark's Church in Minneapolis, was among the early pioneers who worked with church drama groups. His book, Old Time Church Drama 45 Adapted, contains a preface which, is an excellent statement concerning the meaning of the revival of drama in the 15 church. His work with the Episcopal Church helped make that denomination one of the early active churches in the religious arts. During the first two decades of the twentieth century, pageantry and spectacle commanded a great attention in American drama, both secular and religious. For example, the civic masques of Percy MacKay played to huge audiences throughout the United States."^ In spite of the growing interest in church dramatics, many churchmen still opposed anything connected with drama, especially many of the prot- estant denominations including the Methodists. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising to discover that a part of the one-hundredth anniversary celebration honoring the founding of the Methodist missions in the United States was The Wayfarer, a gigantic, religious pageant/spectacle attended by thousands. This was surely the largest event of its kind in this century in the United States. The Wayfarer opened July 20, 1919, as a part of the Methodist Centenary Missionary Exposition which was held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, Columbus, Ohio, during June and July of that year. The production played in Columbus for about four weeks and was reportedly filmed by D. W. Griffith though the film has never been found. From Columbus, the 46 production was moved to New York, where it played for five weeks at Madison Square Garden with Walter Hampden and 17 Blanche Yurko m the leading roles. The Wayfarer was composed of three episodes, similar to acts. The first episode was called "The Captivity," it in cluded three scenes. The first scene was called "War," which showed the evacuation of a ravished village in Flanders. This proved to the Wayfarer, played by Henry Herbert in Columbus, that God was unable to prevent such a disaster. In the next scene, "Desolation," the Wayfarer clearly sounds his despair but soon encounters Understanding played by Blanche Yurko. She tells him that he must put his faith in God as the only way. The last scene of the first episode is called "Despair and Deliverance." It takes place in Babylon where God's chosen people, the Israelites, are yoked in servitude. The second episode is entitled "The Christ," and it de picts the ways of God as revealed through the life of Christ. The audience never sees Jesus Himself, but the events and acts of His life are portrayed in four scenes. During the crucifixion scene, the Wayfarer is bewildered be cause he cannot understand how God would permit such a thing to happen. At the Resurrection scene, however, the Wayfarer understands that nothing, not even death, can stop the ulti mate victory of Jesus Christ and His kingdom. 47 In "The Conquest," which is the final episode, we find the Wayfarer with a new spirit; he has changed from despair to faith. This final episode begins with an angel of the Lord encouraging Understanding and the Wayfarer to go forth in Christ's service. Following this is a great procession of Christ's faithful— the Messengers of the Cross from St. Paul to figures of more contemporary times. The main pur pose of the procession was to show more clearly how God's kingdom has grown and extends throughout the ages. This procession was followed by still another procession— thousands of ordinary people, followers of Christ, who have received salvation from Him. Thus, the Wayfarer is made to understand the victory in the future. The episode and the pageant is concluded with a hugh chorus singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. The Wayfarer 18 himself pronounces the brief benediction. In many regards, The Wayfarer had much in common with the medieval mystery plays. First, The Wayfarer, like the mystery plays, had at its basis the object of presenting dramatically the biblical story. In this sense, it was a type of historical religious drama. Secondly, it is clear that the producers of the early mystery plays wanted to de light their audiences and were fully aware of what we call 19 "entertainment value." Similarly, The Wayfarer was filled with entertainment value largely through the use of spec- 48 tacle and pageantry. Finally/ both the early mystery plays and The Wayfarer were clearly interested in the portrayal of historical religious events for the sake of popular piety. It is not known if The Wayfarer was intentionally fashioned after the mystery plays or not, but it is clearly related. In terms of religious drama, The Wayfarer might in fact be labelled a twentieth century mystery play. It was announced early in 1920 that The Wayfarer would be moved from New York to Los Angeles opening March 15, 1920. Although there is some evidence at the University of Southern California in the form of special numbers for the Los Angeles production, there is no evidence that the pro duction was ever actually moved from New York after its closing there. Seeking an antidote for the hatred engendered by the conflict of World War I, Christine Wetherill Stevenson founded the Pilgrimage Play in 192 0, a story in dramatic form portraying the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Her enthusiasm for the project was endless, and she surrounded herself with men and women of equal zeal. Ultimately, Mrs. Stevenson and Mrs. Chauncey D. Clarke bought most of the property that is now the Hollywood Bowl. For some unknown reason, it was considered too large, and they sold the prop erty to the group that developed and built the Hollywood 49 Mrs. Stevenson and Mrs. Clark then purchased a smaller and more suitable site across the Cahuenga Pass from the Hollywood Bowl site. This new site was a vineyard, and many of the vineyard workers began the task of building an out door theatre. Skeptics said that it could not be done, but the new theatre was completed on schedule. When it first became evident that the theatre would be built as she had planned it, Mrs. Stevenson made a special trip to the Holy Land. She brought back trunk loads of material, fabrics, cloth woven from camels' hair, textiles of wool, and other properties for the play. Thus, everything used in the pro duction was authentic. The Pilgrimage Play is a transcription from the New Testament by Mrs. Stevenson, a presentation of the life of Jesus Christ. It is divided into two parts with six scenes each. After the opening prologue, Scene I, Part One, takes place in Jordan followed by scenes at Capernaum, Samaria, Galilee, Bethany, and Jerusalem. Following the intermission, Part Two begins with The Last Supper. From Scene I, Part Two we move to five other scenes: Gethsemane; Before Caiaphas; Before Pilate; The Crucifixion; and, On the Road to Emmaus. The play is concluded with an "Epilogue of 21 Promise." The Pilgrimage Play had its premier performance June 27, 1920, and was presented every summer in its original 50 outdoor structure until it was destroyed by a brush fire on October 24, 1929. A new theatre, seating one thousand three hundred twelve, was built of concrete using ancient Judaic architecture, and the play reopened for its eleventh season in the summer of 1931 and continued from then on except during the war years. In 1946, with the help of Los Angeles County, an extensive program of improvements was completed. This included erection of two forty-foot towers which flank the stage and serve as light towers and storage for scenery. After World War II, the play, which was non-profit, be gan to need financial assistance to meet increasing operat ing costs. Since the Pilgrimage Theatre had been deeded to Los Angeles County in 1943, the Department of Parks and Recreation began to give the Pilgrimage Play financial sup port. This continued until 1961 when California Attorney General Stanley Mosk declared that it was illegal to use public funds to support a religious play. Thus, the summer of 1961 was the last season of the Pilgrimage Play. According to John Arnold Ford, director of the play from 1955 through 1961, it was presented six nights a week for four weeks each summer. During the final season, over 22 nxnety-one thousand people paid to see the production. In spite of the many difficulties surrounding both The Wayfarer and the Pilgrimage Play, it seems clear that both hold unique places in the history of American theatre. The 51 Wayfarer especially represents pageantry and spectacle at its highest peak of excellence in this country. The Pilgrimage Play also provided excellent pageantry but on a lesser scale. It was an annual event enjoyed for many years. Although there is no clear evidence, it surely influenced other explicit religious dramas produced in Southern Cali fornia over the years. Yet another special type of pageant is the Passion Play based on the Passion of Jesus— the last week of his life. The first episode to be dramatized was the reenactment of the Resurrection, first staged on Easter morning by members of the clergy in the churches of central Europe. This simple tableau was the beginning and foundation of all known 23 Passion Plays. Only a few of the plays have survived over the years and are presented at various time intervals, usually annually. The oldest of these plays is the Luenen Passion Play, which was first presented as early as 1242 by the Monks of the Cappenberg Monastery in Germany. In 1932, the passion play was first staged in America by German-born Josef Meier in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The task of "adapting this powerful story to the 24 American stage was done with great care." Inspired by the beauty of this country, Josef Meier decided to remain in the United States and establish a permanent home for his passion play in the Black Hills at Spearfish, South Dakota. The 52 production was renamed the Black Hills Passion Play of America and played its first season in its new home during the summer of 193 9. It has played every succeeding summer with a winter season added in 1953 at Lake Wales, Florida. The play presents in "dramatic dialogue and elaborate pageantry the events of the last seven days of Jesus Christ 25 on Earth." Highlights of the twenty-two scenes of the play include: The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem; the Fare well at Bethany; The Last Supper; The Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane; The Trials; Before the High Priest; Before Pilate; Before Herod; The Sentencing of Jesus; The Carrying of the Cross to Golgotha; The Crucifixion; The Descent from the Cross; The Burial; The Resurrection; and The Ascension. "Because the American public has received the play so enthusiastically and because of its very nature and charac ter, it is safe to say that the Passion Play is now well- established and accepted as an American institution. It offers to the American people a place of pilgrimage; a place where racial and denominational differences are without meaning; a place where beauty and power are revealed, in the simple story of the Man of Nazareth. The Methodist Episcopal Church began its Department of Plays and Pageants under the direction of Lydia Glover Deseo in 1927. With the Depression, however, most of the drama organization ceased operation, and it was not until 1934 53 that the Methodists reorganized the Department of Plays and Pageants. It continued to function until 1939 under the 27 . . . direction of Harold Ehrensperger. A dramatic organization related to the Methodist Student Movement and called the National Society of Wesley Players was organized in 1924. As the only known student religious drama group, it con tinued until 1960. It was then made a part of the Depart ment of College and University Religious Life of the Method ist Church. Fred Eastman became interested in drama sometime in the early 1920's, and his drama department at Chicago Theologi cal Seminary— along with the department at Boston Univer sity— were among the first such departments in the United States. Eastman felt that there was a need for good "reli gious plays" and he spent much of his time writing such plays. In addition to his many plays, Eastman left a resi due of material which is significant as a pioneering ven ture in religious drama. Along with Eastman's early contri bution of plays, Dorothy Clarke Wilson wrote over sixty 28 plays, a number of which enjoyed great popularity. Following the pioneering efforts of the drama depart ment established at Boston University's School of Religious and Social Work and Chicago Theological Seminary, other schools began to include drama departments. Garrett Bibli cal Institute, Evanston, Illinois, organized its department 54 in 1927 with Harold Ehrensperger as Professor of Drama. A few years later, Alfred Edyrean organized the drama depart ment as part of Butler University's School of Religion. Hulda Niebuhr left Riverside Church to join the faculty of McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago where she contin ued her work— primarily dramatics with children— until her death. In 1953, the School of Theology at Boston University was offering a Master's Degree of Fine Arts in Religious Drama with courses in the Division of Theatre Arts and the School of Theology. Through a special grant from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1955, Union Theological Seminary, New York City, started its drama project under the guidance of Dr. Robert Seaver. E. Martin Browne, professional director of all the T. S. Eliot plays and leader of the religious drama revival in England came to the United States as a member of the Union faculty. By the early 1960's, courses in church drama were available in many colleges and universities throught this country. In the spring of 1954, the President of the University of Redlands, Redlands, California, requested that Albert and Bertha Johnson of the Drama Department, form a mobile drama unit that could travel around the country without scenery, costumes, or a bus load of actors. The dual purpose of the group was to deal with current religious problems as it publicized the University of Redlands and its Christian 55 environment. The Drama Trio was begun at the University of Redlands in October of 1954 with the premier of Albert Johnson's play, Roger Williams and Mary, at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles. In the years that followed, the Johnsons did annual cross-continent tours with their groups, often taking two, and occasionally three groups of three actors each. En gagements included major cities as well as many smaller ones, from Boston to Honolulu, with performances in such places as Convention Hall, Atlantic City? Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.; the Civic Auditorium, San Francisco; and the Coliseum, Portland, Oregon. Also, the trios of two men and one woman appeared at numerous churches, schools, colleges, clubs, and festivals throughout the United States. During four summers, 1959 through 1962, the Drama Trio was in resident at Green Lake, Wisconsin. Since there was virtually no literature for the trio form, Johnson wrote all ten of the plays used by the group. Most of the plays are published and continue to be performed in various parts of this country and, to some extent, 29 abroad. Other major performing groups in the United States in the 1950's included The Chapel Players of the Broadway Con gregation Church, New York City and the Bishop's Company of Los Angeles, California. The Chapel Players presented two 56 productions annually for ten Sundays each. Sometime in the late 1960's the group ceased to operate, and the church building itself no longer exists. The basic concept of The Bishop's Company really began in 1939 with a concept by founder-producer Phyllis Beard sley. It was not until 1952, however, with the advice and approval of Methodist Bishop Gerald Kennedy, that the com pany was actually formed. Productions were designed for any type of theatre or other location using no scenery and only simple properties and costumes. Plays presented were often adaptions of other plays such as Pass by this House, based 3 0 on The Ugly American. The group soon became a national touring company with as many as five individual traveling units. From their initial performance January 11, 195 3, in Los Angeles through 1968, the group was very successful all over the United States. Apparently, the group had diffi culty with the Methodist Church sometime in the last 1960's causing the disbanding of The Bishop's Company. A spin-off of The Bishop's Company, Alpha-Omega Players, still exists with a home office in Rockport, Texas. This group does cut-down versions of well-known plays designed especially for production in churches, such as A Man for All Seasons. A number of national church bodies, such as Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Latter-Day Saints, Methodist, and Presbyterian, have been variously involved in religious 57 drama over the years. It is known that two of the denomi nations, Southern Baptist and Latter-Day Saints, have and are developing extensive programs in religious drama. For example, the Southern Baptist now employes a full time Drama Specialist, Everett Robertson, for the purpose of developing 31 an effective drama program throughout the denomination. The drama committee of the Young Men’s and Young Women's Mutual Improvement Associations of the Church of the Latter- Day Saints have been active for many years in community drama that includes most of the Mormon Church Groups. The Lutheran Foundation for Religious Drama was founded in 1958 and has been fairly active in the denomination. The reli gious drama activities of the other Protestant denominations at the national level have been sporadic at best. Other important groups and conferences that have been involved with religious drama include: The National Council of Churches of Christ (The Commission on Drama, Department of Worship and the Arts and The Drama Committee of the Division of Christian Education)? the American Theatre Asso ciation? the Conference and Consultation on the Next Steps in Religious Drama, Boston University 1959? and the Bay Area Religious Drama Service (BARDS) founded in 1960. 58 FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER III Father Maynard Geiger, O.F.M., Ph.D., Director of the Archives Center, Archives Library at Mission Santa Barbara, California. Personal Interview May 8, 1976. 2 Arturo Bandini, Navidad: Pastorela (San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1958), pp. 14-18. 3Ibid., pp. 26-27. ^Ibid., p. 9. 5 Bess A. Garner, Las Posadas (Claremont, California: Padua Hills Theatre, 1935), pp. 1-2. ^Deseret News, March 9, 1959. 7 George D. Pyper, The Romance of an Old Playhouse, Rev. Ed. (Salt Lake City: The Deseret Book Company, 1937), p. 137. 8 Myrtle E. Henderson, A History of the Theatre in Salt Lake City (Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1934), p. 71. 9 Pyper, p. 389. 10Ibid., p. 392. ^Mrs. A. Starr Best, The Drama League and the Church, A Report Submitted to the Drama League of America, 1920. 12 Ibid. 13 ,. Ibid. 14 Elizabeth Eland, Principles and Techniques m Reli gious Dramatics (Cincinnati: The Methodist Book Concern, 1926). 15 Harold Ehrensperger, Religious Drama: Ends and Means (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962), p. 171. 16 Percy MacKay, "Monograph on the Masque," Wakefield, A Folk Masque (Washington, D.C.: George Washington Bicenten nial Commission, 1932), p. 107. 59 17 Blanche Yurko, Bohemian Girl (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1970), pp. 81-82. 18 "The Wayfarer Scrapbook, 1 1 University of Georgia His torical Library, Special Collections, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. 19 Allardyce Nicoll, World Drama (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1949), pp. 153-54. 20 "History of the Pilgrimage Play" (Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, 1955), p. 5. (Typed/Xeroxed). 21 Ibid., p. 11. 22 . . . Mr. Ford plans to reopen the Pilgrimage Play m the summer of 1977 at an open canyon in Valencia, California. He plans to cut costs of the production by using non-union performers. John Arnold Ford, Personal Interview, Los Angeles, California, May 18, 1976. 23 "History and Synopsis of the Black Hills Passion Play," Spearfish, South Dakota: Unpublished, 1976. 24 Ibid. 25, . Ibid. 26 , . , Ibid. 27 Ehrensperger, p. 172. 2 8 _, . , Ibid. 29 Albert Johnson, Personal Interview, Laguna Niguel, California, May 18, 1976. 30 Robert Earl Reynolds, "A History of Four Acting Com panies in California Devoted to Producing Drama-for-the- Church," Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota, June 1967. 31 Everett Robertson, Personal Interview, Nashville, Tennessee, June 2, 1976. 60 CHAPTER IV DRAMATIC ARTS SURVEY OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The design of this survey has been described in some detail as part of Chapter I. The results of the survey, with some partial conclusions are presented in this chapter. Dramatic Arts in Worship. Since worship does involve ritual and is considered to be an important function of most churches, it seems that this should be the first area to explore for use of the dramatic arts. Although most worship services are a dramatic form in themselves, many churches have reservations about new innovations in their traditional services. Six questions were designed in this section to help determine innovations in worship using the dramatic arts. 1. Do you ever use "dialogue sermons" as a part of your worship service? Dialogue sermons are sermons which involve active participation by the congregation with the minister, or a dialogue with the minister and one other person. The dialogue can be as simple as short-answer questions or more complex, involving various dramatic forms such as pantomime. For a number of years, it has been 61 common knowledge among church, leaders that dialogue sermons have been growing in popularity. In the Presbyterian churches surveyed, forty-eight percent have at least attempted this form in their worship services. The fre quency of use has ranged from one time to forty times in twelve months. Thus, it can be concluded that a number of churches find dialogue sermons a meaningful part of the total worship experience. 2. Is any form of dance ever used in your services? Slightly less than twenty-five percent of the churches have experimented with dance forms in their worship services. The majority of those using dance did so only one time in a twelve month period. One of the churches, however, used dance six times during a twelve month period, the most fre quent usage. It must be noted that the pastor of this church has a background in modern dance, and dance classes are a regular part of the weekly church program. At this juncture, the puritannical Presbyterian back ground clearly came into play, as many Protestant denomina tions have traditionally considered dancing evil and sinful. Apparently, many pastors still have these strong negative feelings, since several chose to answer the question with red ink. Comments such as "dancing is not appropriate in church" were included. It is difficult to determine, how ever, if these negative feelings are really representative 62 of the church responding to the question or merely the attitude of the minister completing the questionnaire. (Only ministers completing the form gave these strong nega tive reactions; other staff members reflected little nega tivism toward dance.) In any case, it seems clear that it may be sometime before the majority of churches are ready and willing to use creative dance forms in their worship services. 3. Do you ever combine music and the dramatic arts in worship? Almost sixty percent of the churches have done this at various times. The frequency during a twelve month period ranged from one to sixteen. The average, however, is five times in twelve months. 4. Would you like to see the dramatic arts used more in your worship services? Sixty-nine percent of the churches were positive in their response and nine percent were negative. The remaining twenty-two percent were un certain. This rather large "uncertain" percentage resulted for two primary reasons. First, the churches were not told which dramatic arts which created uncertainty for some. Second, the person completing the questionnaire in many cases could not accurately assess the feelings of the total congregation in this regard which also created uncertainty. As more and more churches use dramatic arts, future studies will probably reveal less uncertainty in this area. 63 5. Would you like more services involving a combina tion of music, dance, and the dramatic arts? Twenty-seven percent responded as uncertain, and twelve percent answered "no." In spite of this negativism by some churches, sixty- one percent are in favor of more music, dance, and dramatic arts combined in worship. It would appear that the inclusion of dance in this question again created some negativism, probably for similar reasons as question number two. In addition, it should also be pointed out that many people resist dance because of sensual attitudes toward the body and lack of competent training. The percentages seem rather positive, but the question called for comments as well. Most of the comments are negative statements regarding dance. Therefore, this a- gain emphasizes that there is strong negative feeling a- bout dance in worship. Churches interested in experiment ing with dance in worship would be wise to fully determine the sentiment of their congregation before incorporating the medium. Of course, proper and positive education about the meaning and value of dance would reduce negative attitudes. A future survey, after training and further experimentation with dance, might show very different re sults. 64 TABLE I CURRENT DRAMATIC ARTS IN WORSHIP N YES % NO % ....S ' " .. Per Yr Avg # Per Yr Dialogue Sermons 234 112 48 122 52 0-40 3 Dance 229 57 25 172 75 0-06 1 Combination Dance/Music 234 138 60 40 96 0-16 2 FUTURE DRAMATIC ARTS IN WORSHIP N YES % NO % UNCERTAIN % More Dramatic Arts 234 161 69 21 9 52 22 More Combination 234 143 61 28 12 63 27 New Innovations 234 171 73 63 27 - - 65 6. Do you often try new innovations in your worship services? Seventy-three percent checked yes; twenty-three percent checked no; and, four percent gave no response at all. There was a place for comments, but the comments were seldom specific. For example, one church checked no, and the comment was "occasionally," while another church checked yes and commented: "Worship each Sunday is 'different.'" Thus, none of these comments are really very clear and help ful to the survey. These are the six questions that comprise the "Dramatic Arts in Worship" portion of the survey. From the results of these questions, it is clear that most churches are inter ested in experimenting with various forms of dramatic arts in worship. More concrete details, such as specific feel ings and attitudes of entire congregations, are needed for a more precise evaluation. Further, these questions have revealed that a significant number of church leaders have strong negative feelings with regard to the use of dance in worship. (See Table I, page 65.) Dramatic Arts in Christian Education (Children and Youth.) From the earliest experiments with drama in the church at the beginning of the century, Christian Education and teaching in general has always been of paramount impor tance. The use of dramatics with children and youth was strongly emphasized by Hulda Niebuhr and other pioneers 66 in the United States."*" 1. Do the children and youth of your church ever pre sent special programs involving the dramatic arts? Since in many churches, dramatic activities are considered things for children and youth only, the "yes" response to this question was very high— eighty-six percent. All of the negative responses came from churches having no interest in dramatics, very new churches, or churches without a pastor. In the final analysis, all churches that use dramatics at all are almost certain to begin with children and youth. Perhaps this is true because drama has proved to be an effective teaching tool in Christian Education and most 2 children seem to love drama. The frequency of use here varied from one to twenty-one times in a twelve month period, with the average being four. 2. Are there any teachers on your church school volunteer staff who frequently use role-playing and other dramatic arts and/or techniques in their teaching? Sixty- two percent of the churches gave positive answers to the question; thirty-eight percent were negative. The number of teachers using these techniques varied from two in a smaller church to fourteen in one larger church, although at least one small church indicated that everyone of its six teachers is effectively using these techniques in teaching. 67 While the positive response to this question is fairly high, it was expected to be much higher, because role- playing and other dramatic techniques are greatly empha sized in teacher training in most Presbyterian churches. 3 Locke Bowman, an educator and teacher training specialist, has actively stressed these techniques in churches through out Arizona and Southern California. Nevertheless, it must be recognized that some teachers feel uncomfortable with dramatic techniques, even though they have been trained by people such as Bowman. Teachers can be trained, but, as volunteers, they can seldom be forced to use dramatic techniques in their teaching, unless they are directly in volved in team teaching. 3. Is any member of your paid church staff directly related to your educational program who has had special training in theatre arts? Only seven percent responded positively to the question with a ninety-three percent nega tive response. Staff members with special training in cluded: one pastor; several assistant pastors with various types of training; two Directors of Christian Education; and two or three seminary assistants. All of these people are using their dramatic training only in secondary capacities in the church. Their primary jobs require little or no dramatic training. 68 From this information alone, it is not surprising that most church drama is so very limited and usually very mediocre. There is not a church in this country, as far as can be determined, that employs a full-time drama special ist. In fact, the Southern Baptist Denomination is the only Protestant denomination that employs a full-time drama specialist at the national level. After three years with this specialist, the dramatic activities in the Southern 4 Baptist Church are showing tremendous positive progress. The people on church staffs who have special theatre arts training usually help improve their church's drama program. Yet, these same people are very limited in what they can do, as they are usually expected to carry on their full-time jobs in the church with drama as a secondary con sideration. It would be an interesting innovation to have a drama specialist in a local church whose prime function would be working with the dramatic arts. There is a possi bility that such a person could revolutionize the entire church through the use of dramatic techniques. 4. Do you have children and/or youth groups primarily for the purpose of dramatic productions? Only twelve per cent answered "yes" to this question with eighty-eight per cent giving a negative response. Some of the groups that do exist are: workshops for children; youth groups; and, special choirs. The frequency of production varies from 69 one to ten times a year. Some additional information that would be useful is the composition of the groups, the type of productions, the director’s training and experience, numbers involved, and requirements, if any. Of course, from the present question, it can be determined that this is an area greatly in need of development. Churches who have developed their own special children and youth groups seem very enthusiastic about the groups. Such groups can help facilitate better 5 communication throughout the church. 5. Is there any special area(s) and/or special equip ment in your church for dramatic production? Fifty-three percent of the churches replied "yes"* forty-seven percent replied "no." The most prevalent "special equipment" is an area or room with a stage. Almost fifty-percent of the churches have some type of stage. Slightly over thirty- five percent have some basic theatrical lighting with twenty-eight percent having dimmers. Twenty-one percent own some costumes, and nineteen percent have dressing rooms. A few of the larger churches have lighting boards, follow spots, and theatrical make-up. It is easy to see that special equipment for produc tions is really rather minimal in the majority of churches. Of course, this type of equipment greatly adds to the success of major productions, but it is not essential for 70 drama in the church. Role-playing, improvisations, theatre games, and readers theatre are forms of dramatic art that require no special equipment. All churches can really be come involved in dramatic arts, if such a program is mean ingful and useful to the particular congregation involved. Special equipment is not necessary for the use of all drama. 6. How are your children and/or youth dramatic pro grams financed? Of the few churches having these special groups— twelve percent or approximately twenty-eight churches— forty-three percent of the programs are totally supported by the church budget. The groups in the other churches are financed by a combination of ticket sales, private donations, and special offerings. From the responses, including comments, to this question, churches having the most success with special groups generally seem to be the ones financed by the church budget. This is probably due to the fact that other means of financing are usually very uncertain. If the children and youth drama group is an item in the church budget, how ever, more advanced planning can take place and no effort has to be given to selling tickets. Thus, these budgeted groups have enjoyed the most success, but it cannot be con cluded that the budget-financing is their sole reason for success. From personal experience, it is probably a combi nation of reasons including advance planning, good direct- 71 ing, and highly motivated participants. 7. Do you have programs for children and/or youth which combine dramatic arts and music? The response here was: fifty-nine percent "yes" and forty-one percent "no." Types of programs include: seasonal events— forty percent; musicals— twenty-two percent; and, pageants— seventeen per cent. The other twenty-one percent of the churches who have such programs use a combination of these types of events or their own special programs such as Christian "rock" concerts. It is rather difficult to draw any conclusions or make any valid suggestions as a result of this question. All of the responses were rather matter-of-fact with very few valuable explanations and/or comments. The few who did comment gave the name of a musical, the name of their group, or other similar comments. Yet, it can be observed that the majority of the churches— almost sixty percent— seem to find value in such programs. 8. How would you evaluate the extent to which drama tic arts are being used in the educational program(s) of your church? The majority of the responses here tended to fall toward the negative side of the curve. Over-all re sults were: outstanding, three percent; above average, eleven percent; average, twenty-seven percent, below average, forty-five percent; and, none used, fourteen 72 TABLE II DRAMATIC ARTS IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION (CHILDREN AND YOUTH) N YES % NO % COMMENT Special Programs 234 201 86 33 14 0-21 Per Yr Drama in Teaching 234 145 62 89 38 0-14 Teaches Special Training 234 16 7 218 93 a Youth Groups 234 28 12 2 06 88 1-10 Per Yr Special Equipment 234 124 53 110 47 b Financing 234 c Combination Programs 234 138 59 96 41 d Evaluation 234 e a Includes: 1 Pastor? 5 Assistant Ministers? 3 Choir Directors? 4 Directors of Christian Education? 2 Seminary Assistants? 1 Professional Actor b Number and %: Stage 117-50%? Costumes 49-21%? Lights 82-35%? Light Board 5-2%? Dimmers 56-28%? Spots 2-13%? Make-up 7-3%? Dressing Rooms 44-19% c Number and %: Church Budget 12-43%? Ticket Sales 3-10%? Donations 4-12%? Offerings 5-15%? Dues 0-0? Combination 6-19%? No Group 206-88% d Number and %: Musicals 30-22%? Seasonal 55-40%? Pageants 23-17%? Workshops 7-5%? Classes 8-6% e Number and %: Outstanding 17-3%? Above 26-11%? Average 63-27%? Below 105-45%? None Used 33-14% 73 percent. In addition to the above results, there were a number of comments which generally indicate that the churches feel they should be doing more with the dramatic arts in Christian Education. The major problem is probably the lack of fundamental training and the people to provide the churches with such basics. From interviewing a number of church leaders personally, it appears that most churches would indeed like to make better use of drama in Christian Education, but they need training and experience. There is no evidence, however, that such help is forthcoming from the higher judicatories of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Help with dramatic arts is possible, if churches would join together and pool their resources and talents in workshops. A few Presbyterian Churches in Southern California have done this in the past, and these tend to be the churches with the most useful and meaningful programs involving the dramatic arts. (See Table II, page 73.) Dramatic Arts for Adults. From extensive personal work in church drama and study with Hulda Niebuhr, it is known that many churches and church leaders tend to believe that dramatic arts are exclusively for children and youth. To be sure, most children and young people love drama, and it can be an effective tool in Christian Education. Drama tic arts can be just as effective in adult programs of the 74 Church. This section and group of questions is designed to determine the involvement of adults in church drama. 1. Is your adult choir ever involved with special dramatic programs, e.g., musicals or pageants? To this question, forty-six percent answered "yes" and fifty-four percent answered "no." The frequency of times during a twelve month period varied from one to seven times with the average being two. It is interesting to note that the church doing this seven times in twelve months is the same church that has a complete dance program and its own "all church" drama group— all of these activities being directed by the pastor with volunteers from the congregation. The membership of this church is approximately three hundred fifty with a limited staff. There appears to be significant interest in combined programs involving the entire church and community. Other churches having been similarily in volved usually report extremely positive results. A dynamic dramatic arts program can be the beginning of total-church involvement, which would likely enhance communication throughout the church. 2. Do you have an adult group(s) whose primary pur pose is play production? Of all the questions in the entire survey, this question revealed the most one-sided results. Only five percent of the churches have an adult drama group. The number of adults involved in a specific group ranged 75 from ten to one hundred seventy-five. One of the groups did as many as six productions in a year, but the average number of productions is two. This question clearly reveals that very few churches have active adult drama groups. Again, from personal in volvement and many discussions with church leaders, it is known that many churches would like to have adult drama groups or drama programs of some type. Most of them simply lack the proper training and leadership to develop an act ive adult drama program. This is another area where churches could pool their knowledge and help each other. Of course, this would take time and tremendous motivation which is not readily available in most situations. 3. Are any members of your professional church staff ever directly involved in adult dramatic productions? Only seventeen percent of the churches have professional staff members working with their adult drama. This percentage is greater, however, than the churches having adult drama groups because the question asks for involvement with adult dramatic productions. It is not limited to performing groups as such. A number of churches use some adult drama, but do not have active, special groups. Assistant pastors are the ones most often involved, but it has been impos sible to determine how frequently from the available data. 76 It is personally known that the staff members who do become involved in drama are often pressured into working with some special program such as a Christmas pageant. The first tendency is to think that such a situation is unde sirable which is not necessarily the case. Some churches have become active in adult church drama because a staff member was forced to work with drama at the outset. To be sure, the first results may be rather mediocre, but, as interest grows and techniques improve, an effective adult drama program can result mostly out of experience. 4. Who determines the kind and type of productions to be presented by your adult drama group(s)? This question was included to help determine the freedom of choice in play selection. In most cases, it seems that choice of production is determined by a combination of special commit tees, the church staff and the pastor. A few of the churches indicate that the people directly involved make the selections themselves. On the surface, this data seems to indicate that there is little freedom of choice for people involved in church drama. Further examination of the facts reveal that this is not the case. Churches wanting to become involved in adult drama and having no group usually begin with some type of committee often chaired by the pastor. Perhaps their proposed production has a very specific purpose, such 77 as fund raising. Thus, the pastor and the committee selects the type of drama to be done, and other people, usually church members, volunteer to do it. If the per formers do not like the type of drama, they do not have to get involved, so there really is no repression involved. In the churches having adult drama groups, the director and the performers themselves usually select their own material. While the pastor and members of the church staff may make suggestions to these groups, the groups are usually free to select their own plays. 5. How are the adult dramatic productions financed? There is a variety of financing involved often depending on the type of production. For example, all of the active adult drama groups finance themselves through donations— patrons and sponsors— and ticket sales. Thirteen percent of the churches provide for special dramatic productions through the church budget, while sixteen percent rely on offerings to pay for their productions. On the surface, the most satisfactory way of support ing drama in the church appears to be the church budget. Thus, the necessary money would be budgeted eliminating the uncertainty of financing often involved. With the rapid decline in church membership and difficulty raising money, however, it is not likely that this will happen in the near future. Even the churches who now pay for adult drama out 78 of the budget usually do so out of funds for adult educa tion or other related funds. Any funds directly marked for drama or any arts, except music, are likely to be the first items cut from the budget to save money. In the final analysis, therefore, church drama at this time is perhaps better financed through ticket sales, donations, and so forth. Such financing is clearly no more uncertain than many church budgets. 6. What do you feel is the purpose of adult dramatic arts in the church? Here the churches were asked to rank in order of preference: entertainment; raising money; role- playing; proselytizing; religious teaching; and, group in volvement. In addition there is a blank space marked "other, please explain." The results are as follows: (1) religious teaching; (2) group involvement; (3) enter tainment; and, (4) role-playing. Proselytizing received only one vote and raising money received no votes. One church indicated that clarifying central religious issues is the main purpose. Yet another church, with an active program, states its major purpose as "an offering in worship." (Two hundred fifteen churches chose to respond to this question.) This gives much insight into adult church drama, and shows us that there is indeed significant interest here. Further, it is shown that special help and training is 79 TABLE III DRAMATIC ARTS FOR ADULTS N YES % NO % COMMENT Adult Choir 234 107 46 127 54 0-7 Per Yr Adult Group 234 12 5 222 95 1-6 Plays/Yr Staff Involved 234 40 17 194 83 Varied Involvement Selection of Plays 234 c Financing 234 d Purpose 223 e a Average: 2 b Includes; 8 Pastors; 22 Assistant Pastors; 3 Choir Directors; 5 Ministers of Education; 2 Ministers of Music c Number and %: No Group 221-95%; Pastor 2-13%; Staff 1-10%; Committee 2-19%; Group 2-10%; Congregation 0-0; Combination 5-48% d Number and %: Budget 30-13%; Tickets 19-8%; Dues 0-0; Donations 16-7%; Offerings 37-16%; Combination 34-14%; No Productions 98-42% e Rank: 1— Religious Teaching; 2— Group Involvement; 3— Entertainment; 4— Role-Playing 80 needed to provide growth. (See Table III, page 80.) Dramatic Arts; General. The preceding sections of this study are directed toward specific areas of the church. This section has been designed to give us some general data. 1. During the past five years has the use of dramatic arts in your church; Increased_____Declined_____Remained the same_____Uncertain The results are: thirty-three percent, increased; nine percent, declined; forty-three percent, remained the same; and, fifteen percent are un certain. From this data, it seems that church drama is remain ing the same or increasing. The percent of decline appears to be small. Personal experience and involvement in church drama by the author produces the same general observation. Some detailed analysis would be desirable here, but this is enough information to determine that church drama is con tinuing to flourish in spite of many difficulties, includ ing financing. 2. How would you describe the general attitudes of your members with regard to the use of the dramatic arts in your church? On the positive side, eighteen percent indicated very favorable, forty percent favorable, and thirty-nine percent average. On the other hand, only two percent are often unfavorable with one percent usually unfavorable. 81 Thus, this question reveals very few negative atti tudes toward drama in the church. It must be kept in mind, however, that these percentages represent personal value judgements by the people answering the questions. Never theless, these data should be taken seriously, as the questions have been completed by professionals on the church staff, who should be competent in assessing this kind of information fairly accurately. Some allowance must be made in a few instances, because even some professional church parsons do not want to give the correct information for various reasons. The only way to obtain a more accu rate survey would be an individual survey in every church. Such an individual survey might be interesting but very costly, and it is believed that the results would be very similar to the data presented above. 3. In what areas, if any, would you like professional assistance with the dramatic arts in your church? Forty- two percent of the churches responded, "none." This group is rather large, but it includes the churches already having active dramatic programs and the churches who have no interest in drama. Churches desiring professional assistance range from: directing, twenty-seven percent; play selection, twenty-two percent; acting, fourteen per cent; technical and financing, four percent each; makeup and costume, three percent each. One church checked 82 "other" and wants to know "how to get started." (The total percent is over one-hundred percent, since some churches want help in more than one area.) The responses here clearly suggest that there is a need for professional help with dramatic arts programs. It would seem that such help should be provided to local churches through the aid of national church bodies. With continuing financial problems at all levels of the church, professional assistance in dramatic arts will be provided only under pressure. Many church leaders continue to argue that drama does little to facilitate the programs of the church, but they are in the minority. In some instances, this is probably true, but, when drama is used effectively, it can enhance all church programs. It can be an effective tool of teaching and/or communication. One pastor has indicated that drama is "the logical extension of the Word itself. 4. From your own point of view, how would you rank the following- dramatic arts for use in your church today: role-playing; children's plays; "religious plays"; "other plays"; reader's theatre; dialogue sermons; pageants; musicals; and, other (please explain)? Role-playing was ranked first slightly ahead of dialogue sermons followed by "religious plays." Somewhat further back is children's plays with musicals coming next. At the bottom of the list 83 comes pageants with "other plays" and reader's theatre. (The ranking is based on 225 responses to this particular question.) It is believed that role-playing was ranked first be cause it is used in many facets of the church program. Dialogue sermons being second again reflects the growing interest in drama as a part of worship and a change in traditional formal services. "Religious plays" ranked third, and this is probably for pious reasons. Most people view religious plays, as plays with biblical themes. Therefore, it is only logical that many overly pious leaders felt the need to check this category. Still, this category could have been interpreted as "plays with reli gious significance" which is at the core of religious drama. 5. Please list titles of dramatic productions pre sented in your own church during the past twelve months. In addition to several original plays, productions include: Requiem for a Nobody; Love; Celebrate Life; It's Cool in the Furnace; Macbeth; Godspell; You Can't Take It With You; It's a Most Unusual Play; Tell It Like It Is; St. Joan; Our Town; It’s Getting Late; Many Are Called But Few Get Up; Las Posadas; The Nativity; Wilderness; Natural High; Amahl and the Night Visitors; The Last Supper; It Should Happen to a Dog; She Stoops to Conquer; Eyes Upon the Cross; King of Kings; Family Portrait; Spoon River Anthology; and The 84 Matchmaker. (These were the only plays listed but it is known that some churches did not list their plays.) Most of these plays were done by the churches who have active adult drama groups. The plays are not limited ex clusively to plays with biblical themes but cover a wide gamut. These plays are representative of both explicit and implicit religious drama. In some cases, however, it seems clear that the plays were selected for other reasons than the type of religious drama. For example, one large church selected their plays this year because of their relation ship to the American Bicentennial. Nevertheless, this brief list of plays gives one a general idea as to some types of drama being done in churches today. 6. Please list titles of dramatic productions pre sented by your church drama group(s) outside your own church. This question is included because it was believed that some churches may do additional productions away from the church and perhaps different productions. As far as it is possible to determine as a result of this question, most churches that present productions away from the church simply repeat the plays done at the church. At the bottom of the questionnaire is "Comment and/or Additional Explanations From Above" with several blank spaces. Many churches were responsive here, and it seems useful to quote some of the comments by those who responded: 85 Being adjacent to a university campus (San Diego State), we could make a much greater use of the dramatic arts with students. We really need help from a person who could take over direction and/or production details. Maybe we need help finding such a person. The only purely dramatic productions have been original skits for our annual variety show. The only other productions that have been staged are religious musi cals, such as Tell It Like It Is; Light Shine; He1s Alive; Come Together, etc. As a church leader interested in drama, I write sources I know for mater ials and receive nothing. We are isolated geographically and need help with suitable materials for drama in the church. Most of what we are doing involves performers who are in the youth category. Our Minister of Music is the spark plug around this community. He also accounts for use of dramatic arts in worship though it is a total staff involvement. In other churches I have served, I have always had a very active dramatic program. It is a wonderful instrument. From the above, you can tell that our church utilizes dramatic productions infrequently. Lack of leadership and only average interest are primary reasons. This church is in a situation of de cline. Dramatics is not very readily possible. I think dramatics must be an integral part of meaningful church life if that life is to be at all. What is lacking is a strong leader. There is much interest, but no one com mitted to the difficulties of leadership. AVERAGE # OF DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS YEARLY TABLE IV CORRELATION OF DRAMATIC LEADERSHIP o i—i 00 in CO rH o Churches With Churches With NO LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP13 In Drama In Drama a This includes not only major play productions, but all dramatic activities such as children's plays, seasonal events, music/drama programs, and etc. b This is based on the 40 churches which have some type of leadership in drama. 87 There are several major observations that can be made based on the results of this survey. First, there is a great deal of interest in these Presbyterian churches for the use of drama in the church. A significant number of them already have effective drama programs. Secondly, many of the churches apparently would like professional help with their present programs or assistance in initiating a new drama program. (See Table IV, page 87.) Finally, drama can be more than mere entertainment in the church. It can be a valuable tool of communication in most facets of the church's program. 88 FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER IV 1 Hulda Niebuhr, Ventures in Dramatics (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935). 2Ibid. 3 Locke E. Bowman, Jr., Education for Volunteer Teachers (Scottsdale, Arizona: National Teacher Education Project, 1971). 4 Everett Robertson, Drama Specialist, Baptist Sunday School Board, Nashville, Tennessee, Personal Interview, June 3, 1976. 5 Hulda Niebuhr, "Christian Education for Children and Youth" Class Notes, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois, 1958. 6 . Mxkel B. Taxer, Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, San Diego, California. Personal Interview June 16, 1976. 89 CHAPTER V MODELS OF RELIGIOUS DRAMA PROGRAMS Drama has a variety of uses in the church, including education, worship, community building, entertainment, and a tool of communication in nearly all areas. If used wisely and skillfully, drama can be an effective tool of communication throughout the church. It can augment and unite most church programs. Role-playing in education, dramatic sermons in worship, cooperative play production in building a sense of community, entertaining new ideas and concepts are all tools of communication tending to unify any church. There are various models for church drama pro grams that could be constructed. Perhaps the most effec tive models, however, are those taken from real life. With these models, there already has been a certain amount of testing and evaluation which has served to verify their applicability. During the course of the dramatic arts survey involv ing the Presbyterian Churches, U.S.A., Synod of Southern California, it has been possible to amass extensive infor mation concerning two diverse concepts of drama in the church. These concepts, from two very different churches, 90 are presented here as functional models for drama in the church. The first model is from Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, California; the second model repre sents Westminster Presbyterian Church of San Diego, Cali fornia. A third model which is independent of the local parish church will be presented in Chapter VI. Immanuel Presbyterian Church is the second oldest Presbyterian church in Los Angeles, and currently has over two thousand members. (The average Sunday attendance is approximately seven hundred.) Dating back to the last century, this church is steeped in tradition, including very formal worship services, highly structured programs, and a self-conscious emphasis on its own history. For over twenty years, drama has been a part of Immanuel in the form of a traditional drama group. (See Appendix B.) Over the years, there has always been some limited dramatic activity at Immanuel, usually involving children and youth. Evidence of this interest is clear in that the present church structure, built in 1927, includes a large multi-purpose room with a proscenium stage and extensive theatrical lighting equipment dating from that period. On the original blueprints of the church, it is stated that this room is to be used for dining, drama, and other social activities. When used for theatrical productions, the room seats two hundred seventy-five, including the balcony. In 91 the early years, this room was used for Christian education dramatic productions, but not on a regular basis. In 1951, an unnamed group began performing plays for Christmas and Easter programs at the church; this practice continued for several years. The first major production of the group, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, was staged in 1955. This production was followed by You Can't Take It With You in 1956. In June 1957, the drama group became an offi cially chartered church organization talcing the name Geneva Players. The Christmas and Easter programs con tinued during these years, and, for Christmas 1957, Queenie Ackles directed a pageant involving the Geneva Players and the Cathedral Choir. From that time until early 197 2, when she resigned the position, Ms. Ackles continued to direct all of the Geneva Players' productions.^ Without a perma nent director and/or leader, however, the Geneva Players became inactive. In early 1975, Immanuel employed the author as assist ant minister, who has extensive training and experience in theatre arts. Along with direction of the youth program and pastoral duties, the new assistant was expected to re vive drama in the church. Basically, this meant a reorgan ization of the Geneva Players. The new group was organized and began formal meetings in April 1975, with the name New Geneva Players. In early August 1975, the New Geneva 92 Players presented their first major production at Immanuel, Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, directed by James Bodman. The first production of the New Geneva Players was highly successful, and the group immediately selected four plays for their first full season. Being the United States Bicentennial Year, all plays selected are by American authors with American themes. They are: The Matchmaker; Our Town; Uncle Tom's Cabin; and George M. The first two plays, The Matchmaker and Our Town, have already been pro duced with ever increasing costs and decreasing attendance. The third play, Uncle Tom's Cabin, has now been cancelled, as it was impossible to interest enough people to cast the entire play. The players hope that the final play of the season, George M, will be produced in November as scheduled. From this brief synopsis, it is clear that Immanuel Presbyterian Church has a traditional type of drama group complete with a proscenium stage and formal staging. In reality, it seems fair to say that this particular drama group is a typical "little theatre" group which only happens to be in the church. More and more, the group must go outside its membership and outside the church to cast its productions. This must not be considered undesirable in itself, but most of the outside people cast in recent productions have not continued as part of the regular group 93 after the production closed. Further, the major purpose of the New Geneva Players is social outreach in the church and community; the group is not directly concerned with worship or evangelism, the two major forces in the church itself. A part of developing meaningful models is testing and evaluation. In this case, the traditional drama group model will be tested and evaluated in light of the reli gious drama definition presented in Chapter II. It will be necessary to discuss three factors here: (1) a special quality of presentation; (2) the content— explicit or im plicit religious drama; and, (3) the interpretation. From many personal interviews and personal experience, it is known that the Geneva Players and New Geneva Players productions usually have lacked a special quality in the process of production itself necessary for true religious drama. To have this special quality, the director must be primarily concerned with the actors himself, his under standing of the role, and his needs as a person. Also, the actors' relationships to each other are important; they must be understanding, accepting, and loving. These essentials have seldom been a part of this drama group for several reasons. First, the original director of fifteen years may have begun with these special qualities, but as the years passed, the end results took precedence over the process 94 and the personal needs of the actors, A great deal of re sentment and hostility within the group resulted, helping to finally destroy the original Geneva Players. Near the end, only a few people were doing most of the work, and the burden became too much for Ms. Ackles. Thus, she resigned as director, and the group quickly ceased to function. As the new group came into being in 1975, a new focus should have been given to the productions and the processes involved. Unfortunately, the New Geneva Players largely has become an extension of the original Geneva Players, with the same people and similar problems. Five or six people do most of the work necessary for play production. Although the new director is a professional both in theatre arts and the church, he began the new group too rapidly without first determining the potential pitfalls and short comings stemming from the original group. Thus, after one year, the New Geneva Players are on the brink of failure both financially and artistically. Many of the problems involved can be traced directly to the production process. The quality necessary here for religious drama is totally lacking. Of course, this does not have to be the case and should not negate this model as one for religious drama. Because of the traditions and people involved, it is doubt ful that the group can be restructured successfully at Immanuel. 95 The second criterion for evaluating religious drama is content. Over the years, the Geneva Players and New Geneva Players generally have produced plays having explicit or implicit religious content. These plays include: Dust of the Road; Testimony of the Twelve; Family Portrait; Christ on Trial; The Matchmaker; El Cristo; The Betrayal? Rebecca; Roman Cand1e; The Mousetrap; Our Town; and Spoon River Anthology. The players have done many Christmas and Easter plays, and all of these plays are explicit religious dramas. Many of the other plays, such as Our Town, could be considered implicit religious drama because they reflect religious values for life. On the other hand, the Players have pre sented many plays simply as entertainment without any con sideration of religious content. Of course, this is not wrong, if the purpose is simply entertainment. The New Geneva Players selected their first season of plays for a combination of reasons— implicit religious value, enter tainment, and their relationship to the United States Bicentennial. Interpretation is the third criterion for evaluating religious drama. Plays that are in the explicit religious drama category usually need little or no special interpre tation. It is the plays with implicit religious values and/or themes that often require special interpretation of 96 some kind. Without interpretation, the plays are too easily perceived as mere entertainment. This interpreta tion may be in the form of discussions after the perform ance, a special part of the playbill, or play reviews. Of course, this presupposes that the cast and crew understand the possible religious interpretation before the play is produced, and during play production. As far as it is possible to determine, the Geneva Players have never much concerned themselves with religious interpretation of their plays. Rather, the plays with ex plicit religious themes were considered religious dramas, and the other plays were for fun and entertainment. This is fine, but it misses a possible dimension of the play. The New Geneva Players have largely been concerned with entertainment. This group has not even attempted plays with explicit religious themes. There are about twenty other traditional church drama groups in Southern California Presbyterian Churches. They are all fairly similar in structure to the Geneva Players and New Geneva Players. Several are really "little theatre" groups which happen to be in churches, whereas others are more concerned with their relationship to the church and the religious aspects of the drama. For some churches and groups, however, this traditional type of group is the best and most useful model for drama in the church. 97 The most effective traditional drama groups by defini tion will be the ones that do productions having real reli gious significance. In other words, they meet the require ments of religious drama discussed in Chapter II of this study. There is certainly nothing wrong with "little theatre" type drama groups in the church, but, if they do not complement or relate in some important manner to the total church program, they may have difficulty in surviving. The Geneva Players and New Geneva Players are good examples of this. The Geneva Players began with explicit religious drama, added implicit religious drama, and finally moved to: drama for entertainment. As they did the latter, they be gan to be in direct competition with other local "little theatre" groups and a multiplicity of problems developed. As the New Geneva Players began where the Geneva Players stopped operating, the new group has been in financial trouble since the second production. It is believed that much of the difficulty stems from the fact that they are merely a "little theatre" group in a church. Their drama by definition is not religious drama, and they do little to complement the total church program. Unless the group and its relationship to the church and religious drama is changed next season, it is clear that the New Geneva Players will likely go the way of their predecessor. 98 Another model for drama in the church is found at Westminster Presbyterian Church, San Diego, California. This is a relatively small church with a membership of three hundred sixty and an average Sunday attendance of two hundred twenty-five. Although this is a small church by comparison, it has grown tremendously during the past ten years under the leadership of Mikel B. Taxer, Pastor. Taxer attributes much of this growth to his continuing programs 2 involving dance and drama. Taxer studied dance throughout his collegiate days and worked with Project Vanguard during seminary at San Fran cisco Theological Seminary. When he became pastor of the small, struggling Westminster Presbyterian Church in 1966, he envisioned dance and drama as tools to help bring new life into the church. Taxer recalled that worship, dance, and drama have been linked from the earliest days of civi lized men. Much of Western culture is traced to the Greeks, and religious worship, dance, and drama were always found together. Thus, Taxer decided that history indeed could be repeated, and he began to reunite religious worship, dance and drama in his church. Many members of the Westminster congregation had mixed feelings about this new innovation, but they were willing to experiment with it. Taxer began by teaching a high school age dance class that performed monthly at the Sunday morn 99 ing worship service. A junior high school class was begun next, and a ladies' class was started the following year. By July 1966, the dance classes, in cooperation with other members of the congregation were ready to present an origi nal musical, Acts 2:12. This was a tremendous success and did a great deal to develop community relationships within the church and beyond. Dance and drama are frequently used during the Sunday morning worship. Taxer believes that the entire church community should be a part of these services as one body. Since every performance is different, he has resisted having two Sunday services, as he wants all to share the same experience. Since 1966, the three dance classes have continued to be taught by the pastor with one additional beginning class on occasion. Three major dramatic productions have been staged annually at Christmas, Lent, and summer. Every summer there has been an original musical. All productions are a part of Project Vanguard— the name given to special dramatic productions. Worship, dance, and drama continue to be closely related with the goal of further community development and/or better communication. In recent years, the Fellowship Hall has been re modeled for arena type staging. The original proscenium stage remains but is only used as an additional acting/ 100 dancing area when needed. Seating has been elevated in an L-shape around the acting area. According to Taxer, this arrangement is very functional and greatly complements the productions staged there. Theatrical lights, dimmers, follow spots, costumes, makeup, and dressing rooms are all available for the productions. Drama and dance are also used extensively in the Christian Education program at Westminster. A number of the church school volunteer teachers use role-playing and other dramatic techniques regularly. The pastor works closely with these teachers and has helped train them. The children and youth usually do not present productions of their own but are a part of the Project Vanguard produc tions. Taxer feels that all age groups working together present the best productions and develop the best community relationship within the church. Working together on these productions both children and adults see each other in a different way and gain new insights and respect. Thus, Taxer rates the use of dramatic arts in the Christian Edu cation program— and throughout all church programs— as 3 outstanding. In terms of evaluation as religious drama, the first criterion is the nature of the production process, whether it is concerned with the actors as people as well as char acters in the play. Project Vanguard at Westminster leaves 101 no doubt. Meeting the needs of the actors and developing a sense of community is very important to the Project--an integral part of the drama itself. The actual performances often seem secondary, although they have always been out standing, largely due to the love and understanding during 4 the production process itself. Throughout all productions, drama and dance become a form of ritual (worship)for all of the people involved. This is closely related to the early Greek dramas and festivals. The next criterion concerns content. All of the drama presented at Westminster is carefully chosen or written and is always explicitly or implicitly religious in nature. The productions presented at Christmas and Lent are usually explicit religious drama, whereas the summer production is often implicit religious drama. Several of the summer pro ductions, however, could be considered explicit religious drama in a very contemporary sense of the term. "Take It From The Top," an original two-act musical based on the book of Genesis; "Peter Rock," an original two-act musical based on the life of St. Peter; and, "Think About the Sun," an original two-act musical production interpreting the 5 book of Revelation, are good examples. All three were contemporary, much akin to Godspell and Jesus Christ, Super- star . This summer's original musical is implicit religious drama saluting the American Bicentennial. It is entitled 102 "Ben Franklin's Great Dream Machine," written and directed by Bob Landis with music by Don Mrozek. Both are members of the congregation. Interpretation is the final criterion of religious drama here. Since the pastor at Westminster always is in volved in all productions, he provides leadership and guides most of the religious interpretation. Discussions involving religious interpretation often occur during the production process, and other similar discussions often follow the actual performances. Thus, all of the produc tions are designed to be entertaining, but they are also designed to help interpret the Christian faith in one way or another. Most every church person would agree that this drama tic model is very appealing and responsible for much of Westminster's success in terms of growth and community de velopment. Still, it must be recognized that it probably would not work in most churches, especially with older con gregations having many traditions. It is the type of pro gram that requires a very special, dedicated leader, such as Mikel Taxer, and a "forward-looking" congregation will ing to experiment with a unique type of communication. 103 FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER V "^"Geneva Players Scrapbook," (Los Angeles, California: Unpublished, 1955-1976). 2 Mikel B. Taxer, Personal Interview, Westminster Presbyterian Church, San Diego, California, June 16, 1976. 3Ibid. 4 Ibid. 3Ibid. CHAPTER VI MODEL OF NON-DENOMINATIONAL RELIGIOUS DRAMA In this chapter, the model of a religious drama group is the Covenant Players with home offices in Reseda, Cali fornia. This model is being presented in a separate chapter because, it is not Presbyterian per se, but the group grew out of a Presbyterian Church in Southern California. Al though this is a non-denominational repertory group, it could be used in part as a model for drama in any local parish church. In the early 1960's, Charles M. Tanner, a Hollywood director-producer-writer and active members of the Encino United Presbyterian Church, dreamed of a unique drama group in the church. He did not want merely to create another so- called religious drama group, but a truly functional, commu nicative tool of the Protestant Church. "Not drama for the sake of drama, but for the genuine purpose of communication toward the challenge to action."'*' Thus, Tanner began his group, the Presbyterian Players, at the Encino, California church. Difficulty soon developed because the church had a more traditional view of church drama not in keeping with Tanner's ideas. After a number of 105 attempts at compromise, Tanner decided that he could not function effectively with the restrictions and problems at the Encino church. He began looking for other situations more in harmony with his philosophy of religious drama, which emphasizes drama as a tool of communication. Tanner's first new opportunity came with a commision to write and produce three one-act plays dealing with three themes relating man and God. In February 1963, the plays were first given at the Van Nuys United Presbyterian Church on three successive evenings. The plays were received with enthusiasm and other churches wanted similar productions. Thus, Tanner continued to present his plays in local Southern California churches, and at a Presbyterian Christian Education Conference at Pacific Palisades, Cali fornia. Finally, the Covenant Players was born September 29, 1963, when the first production of the Christian Dynam ics Series was presented at First Presbyterian Church, Canoga Park, California. These first Covenant Players included eight regulars and "some hangers-on." After thirty more play dates, only four of the original eight remained. These players were soon replaced and sixty-four presentations were made by the end of the first year. This jumped to six hundred fourteen presentations the second year; one thousand one in 1965, and thirty-eight thousand nine hundred twelve in 1975. The 106 group now has forty-three international traveling units, with four to six players per unit, and the Covenant Players have appeared in all fifty states, Europe, Canada, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand. Most of the over five hundred plays performed by the Covenant Players have been written by Tanner. The plays are generally designed to alert audiences of a specific problem. Tanner maintains that he can best serve the people "where they are," so he attempts to tailor his plays to meet the needs of every specific group. In most cases, studying the audiences determines the content of his plays. Further, his plays are not drama for the sake of drama, rather they are for the purpose of communication toward the challenge to Christian action. The current plays in the repertoire performed by the Covenant Players range from five seconds to full-length dramas. Tanner classifies the material as follows: "Swipes" — One-liners often presented while setting the stage. "Snickers" — Short scenes lasting from fifteen seconds to two minutes. "Stingers" — Plays lasting up to six minutes. "Scrapers" — Plays from six to eight minutes in length. "Singlets" — One-act plays performed by one person and designed to show a character insight— six to eight minutes. 107 "Serrepisode" — Four stinger-length plays tied together to communicate one point. "Shorter Plays" — Plays lasting from ten to twenty minutes. "One Acts" — Plays lasting from twenty minutes to one hour. "Three Act Plays"— Plays lasting from one hour to two and one-half hours. Tanner says, "Ours is a motivational drama designed to relate Christianity to the modern world we live in. We seek to be a catalyst to awaken people to the realization of the contradiction between what they say and what they actually do. Our purpose is to generate people into a more exciting, deep and purposeful acceptance and dedication to the commit- 2 ment they have already made or begun." Thus, the Players act as catalysts; they are "evangels" not "evangelists." They do not pin people down but simply relate the good news of the Gospel of Christ in a contemporary context. There are now four units of the Covenant Players known as the Catalysts uniting music and drama. With their unique blend of contemporary music and Covenant Player's drama, the Catalysts "accelerate reactions in all situations where they 3 have performed." These musical units are also directed by Charles Tanner with music written by Jack Walker, incorpo rating some all-time gospel favorites. Thus, the Catalysts offer local churches a "unique, communicative combination 108 . . . of contemporary Christian music and the long-lasting, 4 thought-provoking thrust of drama." Although the Covenant Players were basically founded for the purpose of presenting drama in the church, they have not limited themselves exclusively to churches. They soon expanded their base of operation, and began presenting their communicative drama wherever they were asked. Since they want to make people think about Christianity and awaken them to contemporary issues, they do not seek to give answers in their plays but merely to raise questions. This can be done anywhere and can have many applications. Therefore, the Players have performed in college and university chapels, at conferences, and literally in the middle of the campuses. They have performed in flight on commercial airlines, on board the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in San Diego Harbor, in coffee houses, on beaches for youth groups, in stores, in night clubs, and in Job Corps camps. In addition to the explicit religious aspects of Covenant Players, there are a large number of plays avail able for use in the human relations programs of the military services. These plays relate to race relations, sex dis crimination, drug and alcohol abuse and education, morals and ethics, military communications and morale. Covenant Players has been highly successful in moral leadership lectures, human relations seminars, commanders' calls and in 109 the working and living areas of service people. According to Colonel William Comstock, U.S.A.F., "The Covenant Players are to be commended for their diligence and purpose. They have a vital message and a unique method . . . The relevance and forthright approach of the plays break through many 5 barriers and speak to all who see and hear them." A typical program for Covenant Players includes a one- act play which Tanner estimates will communicate with eighty-five percent of the audience. A second play is pre sented which hopefully reaches another ten percent, followed by four shorter plays which will certainly involve the re maining people. All the plays in the church are "target oriented" and focus on such issues as morality, parents and youth, Christian commitment, race issues, stewardship, and missions. Further, Tanner aims to reach a family audience. He contends that children from elementary age up, when taken away from their peer group and in the audience with their families, can understand and respond very well to Covenant Players. Tanner does not, however, write any of his plays for specific age groups. One series used by the Players entitled The Little World Series has been enjoyed especially by children. This series has many similarities to the well- known Peanuts cartoons. Although the Covenant Players per form for a wide variety of audiences, most requests for the 110 Players are for Sunday morning worship services. The Covenant Players give communication workshops de signed to reveal new insights into how human beings can and do communicate with each other, increasing one's ability to use these insights. In this way, not only stage drama, but the drama of daily living becomes alive with an awareness of one's potential to reach other human beings in real com munication. In the workshop sessions the group shares ex periences working with the Players' shorter plays. Specific emphasis on stage skills includes voice, movement, and character development; poise and self-confidence. As Tanner explains, "Most of all the workshop experience will make you a communicator . . . able to express, to share, to grow be yond yourself." In addition to all of the personal appearances, the Covenant Players have three records available; "Rise Up Spirits"; "To Be an Instrument"; and, "On the Light." Also, two books of the Players' scripts, Toward the Prize and On the Mark, have been published. A motion picture, When Time Runs Out based on the play Waiting Room, is also available on a rental basis. A magazine produced by the group fea tures short stories by the Players and other articles of interest. Future plans for next year include two radio pro grams on commercial radio stations. Horizons, a new tape cassette program designed "to help you communicate better," 111 is now available on a yearly subscription basis.^ During this summer of 1976, Covenant Players is start ing Covenant College for the members of the group. Approx imately thirty-six classes will be offered by qualified teachers, including: Basic Christianity; Radio Acting; Dialects and Diction; History of the Theatre; Short Story Writing; Directing; Film Analysis; Art Appreciation; and Prophesy, to name a few. Unit credit will be given for each class and a degree, Bachelor of Communications, is offered to those successfully completing the required program. At the present time, Covenant Players number over two hundred full-time employees. Salaries are minimal, and there are no written contracts— only oral "covenants." People joining the group are expected to commit themselves for a minimum of one year. This includes a fall tour of four months, a spring tour of five months, and some summer training. Tanner believes that anyone can be trained as a player; all are accepted who have good character and are willing to make the commitment. Thirteen Covenant Players have committed themselves to the group for life. It is possible to evaluate the group in relation to religious drama criteria as defined in Chapter II of this study. (See Appendix C for publicity information about the Covenant Players.) 112 In terras of evaluation as religious drama, the first criterion is the quality of production process. Here the Covenant Players rank close to the top. They consider themselves as a family and are not only committed to their drama but to each other. The agape love that exists among them is clearly evident after spending a few minutes with the group. This love, understanding, and acceptance is clearly reflected in their performances. One senses that here is a very special group of people totally committed to the communication of the Gospel through Christian love. What the Players may lack in dramatic techniques at the be ginning, they always seem to overshadow with the love they project. As to the explicit or implicit religious content of the plays, the Covenant Players have both. That is why they can perform in so many diverse places, often before unsympathetic audiences. They have plays that deal with a wide variety of subjects and can be adapted to meet specific needs and situations. It seems that their repertory is almost endless, whether implicit or explicit religious drama. Final criterion of evaluation is interpretation. The Covenant Players present plays which ask questions and usually demand interpretation. This interpretation almost always results in discussions after the plays often 113 involving the Players themselves. Communication of the Christian gospel is their ultimate goal, and this can only be achieved through interpretation. In fact, communication for the Covenant Players means understanding the Christian message through dramatic interpretation of the Gospel and interpretation of drama itself in the setting where it is presented. In terms of the criteria for religious drama described in Chapter II, the Covenant Players are really a new form of ministry. They represent a religious drama form with people totally committed to their cause and to each other. Still, the Covenant Players type and form of drama can readily be adapted to local church situations. For example, one per forming unit requires only four to six people, making it an ideal model for small churches and churches with little pro fessional leadership and experience in drama, since it does not require a large number of participants. Also, this form does not require a proscenium stage and can be adapted to all types of situations, and locations. Thus, it is ideal for teaching various types of concepts in Christian educa tion classes, can be adapted to create a unique type of worship service, and can be useful as a supplementary tool of communication and interpretation at all types of church gatherings. In other words, the drama unit can enhance almost every other program of the church, as the Covenant 114 Players themselves have clearly shown. Further, the local parish church could write its own material for its drama unit giving potential writers in the church a place to use their skills in a meaningful way. FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER VI ^"Covenant Players, "In Gear With Covenant Players, " (Reseda, California: Unpublished pamphlet, 1970), p. 2. 2 Charles M. Tanner, Personal Interview, St. James Presbyterian Church, Tarzana, California, June 3, 1976. 3 Covenant Players, "The Catalysts," (Reseda, Cali fornia: Unpublished pamphlet, 1975), p. 1. 4 , . Ibid. 5 Covenant Players, "Where The People Are," (Reseda, California: Unpublished pamphlet, 1975), p. 5. 6Covenant Players, "Introducing Horizons, A Resource for On-Target Communication," (Reseda, California: Unpub lished flyer, 1976), p. 1. 116 CHAPTER VII SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY The term "religious drama" has been defined variously by different religious groups. A contemporary definition of religious drama largely developed by Harold Ehrensperger is perhaps the most useful and meaningful when considering Protestant religious drama. "Religious drama is not a kind of drama; it is a quality of drama. It is produced like any other type of drama, but the quality of the production is judged both by the artistic and theatrical results as well as by a quality inherent in the process of production itself."'1 ' This approach brings an added dimension to dra matic activity in that the drama itself can become an ex pression of religious faith. Consequently, the production will reflect a concern for the actor both as a character in the play and as a person. Using this basic understanding, Christian religious drama is not limited exclusively to plays with themes from the Bible. Rather, there are really two types of religious drama— explicit and implicit. The explicit religious drama always has very clear Christian themes often Biblical in 117 nature. By contrast implicit religious drama can be any type of play dealing with meanings and purposes for life. The most effective contemporary religious drama has tended to be implicit, including plays by Ibsen, Shaw, O'Neill and others, as well as the well-known plays of T. S. Eliot and Christopher Fry. Plays of this type might be considered religious drama by non-Protestants and perhaps non- Christians . Roderick Robertson suggests three basic areas of human experience which should concern writers of religious drama: (1) man's state as unrelated to God; (2) the process of man in reaching God; and, (3) drama of the religious hero. His is a useful contribution to the continuing process of de fining religious drama. Various groups, such as the American Theatre Associa tion and the 1959 Religious Drama Workshop at Boston Uni versity have been interested in religious drama and a more precise definition was developed at the Boston workshop: "A religious drama is any drama which allows man to discover 2 or deepen hxs relationship to the ultimate, or God." The term "religious drama" is really a twentieth cen tury innovation. After the Middle Ages, drama was reborn into the church, but it was not called religious. Thus, the history of religious drama is really the history of all dra matic art from the earliest times. 118 Drama grew and developed differently in various parts of the world. Yet, theatre in most cultures has always been closely related to ritual and religious worship of all kinds. In the Western world, drama is usually traced to the ancient Greeks and the dithyrambs. In the early 1920's, the newly formed Drama League of America approached many churches with an appeal to restore drama in the church with emphasis on the educational as pects of dramatic art. As churches began to use drama more and more, the term "religious drama" came into being to describe the phenomenon. Plays with explicit Christian and/ or Biblical themes were the backbone of this religious drama movement in America. The real beginning of religious dramatic activity can be traced to Southern California and Utah. Los Pastores, a traditional Christmas play of Spain, was presented in Southern California in the early 1800's. Las Posadas was another related dramatic activity of this same period. In 1847, the Mormons arrived in Utah's Salt Lake Valley. Their leader, Brigham Young, soon began to promote drama and the building of a theatre. The theatre at Salt Lake City was completed in 1862, beginning its history as the Cathe dral of the Desert. By the 1920's, many dramatic experiments were being conducted in New York by Hulda Niebuhr, Walter Russell 119 Bowie, and Elizabeth Eland. At the same time, Phillip Endicott Osgood was experimenting with drama at St. Mark's church in Minneapolis. Mrs. A. Starr Best of the American Drama League was also very active in promoting religious drama during this period. Religious pageants and spectacles in the United States flourished during the first two decades of the twentieth century. The Wayfarer, both at Columbus, Ohio and New York City, represents religious pageantry and spectacle at its best. The Pilgrimage Play in Los Angeles provided excel lent pageantry on a smaller scale from 1920 to 196 0. Re lated to the pageants and spectacles are the passion plays which have been popular in America since 1932. A few national church bodies, such as the Methodist Episcopal Church, have been active in the religious drama movement. Educational institutions, including Chicago Theo logical Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, Christian Theological Seminary, and Boston University, have made many contributions to local church drama through their training of future church leaders in the dramatic arts. Several re ligious drama groups, such as the Drama Trio and the Bishop's Players have made important contributions. Little is known about dramatic arts programs in local churches, unless the specific church has done something very unusual and has received special attention and publicity. 120 Therefore, all of the Presbyterian Churches in Southern California were selected as part of a survey designed to de termine the types of dramatic arts being used and the extent of involvement. A five-part questionnaire was designed and sent to all of these churches. (See Appendix A.) Out of the two hundred sixty-two churches who received question naires, information was received from two hundred thirty- four churches. (This information has been presented in Chapter IV with tables.) The survey has revealed few cor relations, although it clearly shows that churches with trained or experienced leaders in drama have the best pro grams in the dramatic arts. Where there is little or no leadership, the dramatic arts programs are always very weak or nonexistent. Resulting from the survey are two models for drama in the church; the traditional model of drama similar to a "little theatre" in the church (Immanuel Presbyterian Church), and the model of total church involvement in the drama (Westminster Presbyterian Church). A third model, the traveling unit-type drama of the Covenant Players, also came indirectly from the survey, but it is really non- denominational and is discussed separately. All three of the above models have potential application in local churches. 121 It can be concluded that religious drama has interested people in the United States for many years. As a Protestant movement, it took shape during the 1920's, grew during the 1930's, ebbed during the 1940's due to the war, greatly in creased during the 1950's, declined along with the churches during the revolutionary 1960's, and now, during the 1970's, there seems to be a renewed interest in religious drama in the United States. The survey of religious drama in Presbyterian Churches has revealed a great deal of interest in expanding dramatic activities. A return to the ritual concept of drama com bining worship, dance, and drama has helped a small church such as Westminster Presbyterian Church, San Diego, Cali fornia, grow and take on new life. Some more traditional groups, however, using a style of drama developed early this century such as Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, California, are having difficulty surviving in the church today. Of course, it is believed that drama groups having difficulty in the church may have many other problems than the style and type of group. New, innovative groups, how ever, are not automatically successful either, although the innovative Covenant Players are a good example of success. The Covenant Players began operating as a non- denominational religious drama group in 1963. Their growth continues to be phenominal, as they now operate interna 122 tionally in all kinds of churches, schools, and so forth. This also shows that there is tremendous interest and de mand for religious drama both explicit and implicit. Other newer religious drama groups are having great success in the United States which further emphasizes the interest in re ligious drama today. Also, the Pilgrimage Play will be re vived next summer at Valencia, California, because of the renewed demand for religious drama. In the early 1960's, the American Theatre Association had a Religious Drama Project, but the program was dropped as there was apparently little interest. Now the Associa tion has again recognized the need for a religious drama project. Thus, under a new name, Religious Theatre Project, the new group is now beginning to function. Among other goals, this group intends to be a kind of catalyst drawing together the many facets of religious drama and encouraging religious playwriting. This is yet another sign of awakened interest in religious drama. A minimal amount of contemporary, scholarly work is available concerning religious drama, and, if it is avail able, it is often difficult to locate. Therefore, the time for good scholarship in religious drama is at hand and is desperately needed to help cultivate the new seeds of growth. This study has clearly contributed to an understanding of religious drama in the following ways: (1) It will 123 enable all local parish churches of all denominations to better understand religious drama and its possible uses in the church; (2) A wide-range of programs have been cate gorized and three workable models for religious drama are clearly outlined for possible adaption to specific parish churches; (3) The research makes it clear that traditional definitions of religious drama are restrictive and unneces sary; thus, contemporary church practice shows that any drama can have religious significance through proper inter pretation; (4) The study clearly reveals that drama can be an effective tool of communication throughout the entire church and can add new impetus and growth, contributing to church attendance; (5) It is revealed that the most tradi tional type of religious drama groups similar to a "little theatre" in the church tend to be the least effective form of religious drama unless it is carefully related to and integrated with the entire program of the church; (6) It has been discovered that churches want and often need non- denominational touring companies who specialize in religious drama; such groups can greatly assist the development of drama programs in the parish churches where there is little or no leadership in drama; and (7) it is now clear that trained leadership in drama is the most single important aspect of any successful program of religious drama. Extensive work is needed in surveys of religious drama 124 similar to the one presented in this study. Contemporary bibliographies of religious plays— both explicit and im plicit— are needed. A good anthology of religious plays would be helpful, including newly written plays. Many studies of specific individual projects, such as the Pilgrimage Play, also would be very useful. Consequently, it is suggested that the following speci fic studies be considered with regard to religious drama: 1. Surveys of Religious Drama. Several surveys simi lar to the one presented in this study would be useful and beneficial. For example, surveys of all the denominations would provide useful data for comparison and evaluation. Also, a survey focusing on national church bodies and their relationship to drama would be helpful. 2. Religious Drama Bibliographies. There are no up- to-date, contemporary bibliographies of religious drama cur rently available. The last good annotated bibliography was published in 1962. Hopefully, this may become a goal of the American Theatre Association and its Religious Theatre Proj ect. 3- Religious Drama Anthology. The availability of good explicitly religious plays is extremely limited. New plays could be written, however, and included with any number of implicitly religious plays to produce an out standing anthology. 125 4. Individual Projects. a. The Pilgrimage Play. For over forty years, this production was presented annually in Los Angeles, and there have been no real studies of it. The material is available and needs to be collected, studied, and the re sults compiled in a book, or as part of a larger book con cerning religious drama in the United States. b. The Salt Lake City Theatre. This theatre was razed in 1928, and there are a few old articles about it. Yet, it was the only known professional-type theatre ever built by a religious group. Most plays presented at the old playhouse would be classified as implicit religious drama. Brigham Young recognized the importance of the theatre as family entertainment and as a way of helping attract people to the Mormon faith. Thus, a study needs to be undertaken looking at the old Salt Lake Theatre in relationship to the Latter Day Saints Church and faith, and how this dramatic heritage may have affected the use of drama in the Mormon Church today. c. Denominational Studies. Most of the data con cerning the Protestant denominations and their involvement in religious drama is very sketchy. Thus, an in-depth study of all Protestant denominations at the national level would be useful in providing historical bases on which to build. Their growth and stability also should be correlated in 126 relation to their involvement in the dramatic arts. d. Passion Plays. Although the first records of Passion Plays in the United States begin in 1932, these plays date back many centuries in Europe. The Passion Play at Spearfish, South Dakota has operated annually during the sximmer since 1939. Such plays have great attraction, and a study of individual Passion Plays— there are several annual plays— and their contribution to religious drama in the United States would be interesting and useful. e. Contemporary Religious Drama Performing Groups. There are a number of repertory-type groups, such as the Covenant Players, that travel throughout the United States presenting explicit and implicit religious drama. For the most part, little is known about the history of these groups, their goals and purposes, and their relationship to religious drama in general. Some partial studies of these groups were done in the 1960's, but a complete current study would be very useful to churches and religious drama in general. The number of interesting and useful religious drama projects is virtually endless. This is almost a virgin field because so little truly contemporary scholarship has been done in religious drama. Hopefully, this study, future studies, and groups such as the American Theatre Association will be instrumental in promoting additional scholarship. 127 FOOTNOTES— CHAPTER VII ^Harold Ehrensperger, Religious Drama: Ends and Means (New York-Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962), p~. 67. 2Ibid., p. 69. 128 A P P E N D I X A 129 Name of Church (Optional) Position of Person Completing Questionnaire________________________________ Pastor's Seminary_________________________ Year of Graduation_______________ Pastor's Undergraduate Major________________________________________________ Full Time Church Staff Members (Please indicate the number of each.) Pastor _________________________ Associate Pastor______________________ Assistant Pastor Minister of Music_____________________ Minister of Christian Ed. Director of Christian Education______ Other (Please describe.5____________________________________________________ Part Time Staff (Please give positions.)___________________________________ Average Sunday Church Attendance____________ Church School_________________ DRAMATIC APTS IN WORSHIP 1. Do you ever use "dialogue sermons" as a part of your worship services? Yes No If yes, how many time during the past 12 months?_______ 2. Is any form of dance ever used in your services? Yes_____No_____If yes, how many time during the past 12 months?________________________________ 3. Do you ever combine music and the dramatic arts in worship? Yes_______ No____ If yes, how many times during the past 12 months?_______________ 4. Would you like to see the dramatic arts used more in your worship ser vices? Yes_____No_____Uncertain_____Comment_____________________________ 5. Would you like more services involving a combination of music, dance, and the dramatic arts? Yes No Uncertain Comment___________ 6. Do you often try new innovations in your worships services? Yes______ No Comment DRAMATIC ARTS IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION (Children and Youth) 1. Do the children and youth of your church ever present special programs involving the dramatic arts? Yes_____No_____If yes, how many times dur ing the past 12 months?_____Comment_____________________________________ 2. Are there any teachers on your church school volunteer staff who fre quently use role-playing and other dramatic arts and/or techniques in their teaching? Yes_____No_____If yes, please give the approximate num ber of teachers._____Comment 3. Is any member(s) of your paid church staff directly related to your ed ucational program who has special training in the dramatic arts? Yes___ No_____If yea, please give the position(s) and type(s) of training.____ 4. Do you have children and/or youth groups primarily for the purpose of dramatic productions? Yes No If yes, please give the name of the group(s) as well as the type and frequency of production. 5. Is there any special area(s) and/or special equipment in your church for dramatic productions? Yes No_____If yes, please check any and all items below that are applicable. Room with Stage Costume Room with Costumes Theatrical Lights_________________ Light Board_________ Dimmers__________ Follow Spots_______ ______________ Make up_________ Dressing Rooms Other (Please name.) ________________________________________ 6. How are your children and/or youth dramatic programs financed? Church Budget______ Ticket Sales_______Private Donations________________ Special Offerings__Membership Dues____Other (Please explain.) _____________________________________ No dramatic group(s)_________________ 7. Do you have programs for children and/or youth which combine dramatic arts and music? Yes_____No_____If yes, please check the appropriate items. Musicals__________Seasonal Events__________ Pageants____________ _________ Workshops_________Special Classes__________ Other (Please explain.) 8. How would you evaluate the extent to which the dramatic arts are being used in the educational program(s) of your church? Outstanding Above Average_______Average_______ Below_Average_______None_Used_______ Comments__________________________________________________________________ 130 DRAMATIC ARTS FOR ADULTS -2- 1. Is your adult choir ever involved vith special dramatic programs, e.g. musicals or pageants? Yes_i No If yes, please give the approx imate number of times during the past 12 months.____________________ 2. Do you have an adult group(s) whose primary purpose is play production? Yes_____No_____If yes, please give the number of adults involved.______ Number of performances during the past 12 months. 3. Are any members of your professional church staff ever directly involved in adult dramatic productions? Yes_____No_____If yes, please give person's position and frequency of involvement. 4. Who determines theHind and type of productions to be presented by your a- dult drama group(s)? (Please check the appropriate items.) No group ____ Pastor Total church staff________ Speical committee_______ Congregation Group members_________ Other (Please explain.) _______________________________________________ 5. How are the adult dramatic productions financed? (Please check items.) Church budget________ Ticket sales_________Membership dues____ Donations_____________Offerings____________Other (Please explain.) 6. What do you feel is the purpose of adult dramatic arts in the church to day? (Please rank in order of preference.) Entertainment_________Role-playing________ Religious teaching__________ Raising money _______Proselytizing________Group involvement___________ Other_________(Please explain. )____ ____________________________________ DRAMATIC ARTSi General 1. During the past five(5) years has the use of the dramatic arts in your churchi Increased Declined______ Remained the same_______Uncert ain_______Other (Please_explain.) 2. How would you describe the general attitude(s) of your members with re gard to the use of the dramatic arts in your church? (Please check.) Very favorable_______Favorable Average Often unfavorable____ Usually unfavorable_______Other (Please explain.) 3. In what areas, if any, would you like additional professional assist- ence with the dramatic arts in your church? (Please check.) None_______Directing_______ Acting______Play selection_______Make up____ Costumes Technical (lights,etc.)______ Financing____________Other (Please explain.) 4. From your own point of view, how would you rank the following dramatic arts for use in the church today? (Please rank in order of preference.) Role-playing_______Childrens' plays_______"Religious plays”_____________ "Other plays”______Readers' Theatre_______Dialogue sermons ^ ________ Pageants___________Musical3________Other_______ (PIease explain.) 5. Please list titles of dramatic productions presented in your own church during the past 12 months._____ i _________________________________________ 6. Please list titles of dramatic productions presented by your church dram atic group(s) outside your own church?___________________________________ Comments and/or additional explanations from abcrve 131 A P P E N D I X B 132 133 The G EN EVA PLAYERS present A DAY 00 s REVUE May 16, 17, 1958 DIRECTED BY QUEENIE ACKLES CHOREOGRAPHY BY D A VID ACKLES A C C O M P A N IM E N T BY KATHRINE W ILS O N CAST P r o l o g u e ............................................... C harles V an Fossan, D o rothy Closson MELODRAMA A u n t i e ...................................................................................................... Iva Lee A dkins A vie . C a ro l H ebert M r. S n e e r s ...................................................................................................... Dick Baker A d a m ...................................................... . , Fess W e s tfa ll Scotland Y a rd M an ...............................................Tom A le xa n d e r G r a n d m o t h e r .........................................................................................B a rba ra H ayl CURTAIN IS D R A W N TO DENOTE PASSAGE OF TIME O LIO “ She's M o re to Be P itied Than C ensured” N a om i F arrand w ith C harles V an Fossan, Syd Eberle, John H ollands, Richard Stup The T w o -s te p p e rs ........................................ Don C olem an and C harlcie Skeen “ M e rry O ld s m o b ile " ............................................ -J o h n Taylor and Pat N isbet w ith C a rol G ray, R ichard Stup INTERMISSION “ Bird in a G ild e d C a g e " .................................. Dick Baker w ith C a ro l G ra te (Friday) w ith N a n Peterson (S aturday) “ tittle Red S choolhouse" ......................................................G e o rg e Freem an, Jeanne M ulson, M ichele Thomas The Boneshaker V an H, Johns Der E argeschpliten B r a s s ............................................... R andy C olem an, Tuba John H ollands, Trom bone Ken H ollands, C larinet Sam V an Brock, Trum pet “ S tro llin g Through The P a rk" C h a rlcie Skeen a n d Syd Eberle G e o rg e Freem an an d M ichele Thomas V irg in ia W ilson and A l H art Yankee D o o d le B o y .....................................................................N o rm an M illm a n “ By The S ea” ...................................................... John Taylor an d C o nnie C e jka John H ollands and F reddie H asenauer C harles Van Fossan and V irg in ia Hines The B o y s .......................................................Dick Baker, Hoyt Braselton, G e o rg e Freem an, Phil W eise l, “ S ilvery M o o n " . . . . . . . Cal M cLaughlin and C a ro l H ebert C harles Van Fossan a n d D o rothy Closson Fess W e s tfa ll a n d C o nnie C e jka T i t l e s ....................................................................................................... G lo ria Blake Interm ission S o n g s ........................................................................... M ac G ro h e r THE STAFF C o s tu m e s ......................................................................................................Pat Ingle due S o u n d ..................................................................................W a rre n Dace, Bob Flaisig lig h t in g ................................................ H enry Brow n, te e Dach, Louise M ayers Set and S tage C onstruction . M e rlin R udolph, C harles V an Fossan Scenic D e s ig n D oris Bitzing, C o ra S w ift M a k e - u p C harles V an Fossan P u b lic it y ......................................................................................................Fess W e s tfa ll Program a n d A d ve rtisin g A r t .............................................................Pat C larkson P r i n t i n g ............................................................................................... G e o rg e Freem an R e fr e s h m e n t s N o rm a S hearer, June lu te s D inin g Room A rrangem ents . . . . . . . . . LuAnn lo g a n REFRESHMENT NOTE: Ticket stub m ay be exch a n g e d fo r one C oke and one ba g of po p corn a t your convenience. A d d i tio n a l Cokes a n d p o p corn m ay be purchased foi ten cents (10?) each. November 9, 10, 1962 THE GENEVA PLAYERS present REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier D irec te d b y Q veenle A rx u u S e t Design b y David Ackles TH E CAST Farm . . . . . . . . Manuel Perez Beatrice L a c y ......................................................Doris Johnson Roife M ajoh Giles La c y ................................................... Richard Baker F rank Crawley . . . . . Shannon Murphy Robert . . . . . . . Richard Stup M axim D e W i n t e r .................................................... Robert Rolfe M rs. De W i n t e r ......................................................Sharon White M r s. D a n v e r s . . . . . . |Va Lea Adkins Jack F a t o x ........................................................Lynn S. Raynor C olonel J ulyan . . . . . . Herbert Rice W illiam T abs . . . . . . Fess Westfall The entire action of the play takes place in the hall of Manderley, the home of Maxim de Winter, in Cornwall, England. ACT I Late afternoon in May ACT II Scene I. Morning — six weeks later Scene 2. Evening — the same day Scene 3. Very early the following morning ACT HI Scene 1. Afternoon — the wine day Scene 2. Evening — two days Liter There w ill be au intermission between each act. Production Credits S t a c e M a n a g e r ............................................................................Dorothy Solt P r o p e r t y M a n a g e r ........................................................................Christine Carroll P u b l i c i t y .................................F e s s W e s t f a l l C o s t u m e S u p e r v i s i o n ...................................................................... Mary M e C h u e Catherine Madden S e t C o n s t r u c t i o n ............................................ David Ackles Shannon Murphy Robert Rnlfo S o u n d . . . . . . . . W a r r e n D a c e For Immanuel Presbyterian Church P a s t o r ................................................................. Dr. William S Meyer P u b l ic it y . . . . . Mrs. Elizabeth Morgan For The Geneva Players M o d e r a t o r V ic e -M o d e r a t o r S ix b e t a ry -T r e a s u r e r S t a k e A d v iso r Robert Rolfe Doris Johnson Rolfe Catherine Madden Dr. John E. Ransom The Ceneva Players, a group devoted to enrichment through drama, is open to all ages, ami meets here in the Dining Room on the first Monday of each month at 8 p.m. You are invited to uttend the nest meeting on December 3. Potrom Mr. ami Mrs. Tbomaa H. Ackles Mr. ami Mrs. living H. Banker Mr. and Mr*. Elmer Chindbeig Mr. and Mr*. Roy D. Frame Dr. and Mr*. A. 0. Hjerpe Mr. and Mrs. W. I- F . Hodord Xfr. and Mra. George D. Jackson Dr. and Mrs. George S. Johnson Mr. Gtoige L. Lindeberg Mr. and Mrs. E. Beiilon Dmg Mi»a Mary E. McClure Mr. Elmer S. Merge* Dr. and Mrs. William S . Meyer Mr. Robert L Miller Dr. and Mrs. John E. Ranaooi Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Simpson O Weal fall, Jr OUR TOWN THE CAST (in order of appearance) Stage Manager James Bodman Dr. Gibbs George Freeman Joe Crowell Greg Freeman Howie Newsome Larry Peters Mrs. Gibbs Ricky Jewett Mr s. Webb Eileen Sosin George Gibbs Gary McAuley Rebecca Gibbs Diana Copas Wally Webb Bart Freeman Emily Webb Denise Dillaway Professor Willard Bill Canham Mr. Webb David Alastair Lewis Woman in the Balcony Henrietta Lindenmeyer Man in the Auditorium E. Wayne Cliffe, Jr. Artistic Lady Iva Lea Adkins Simon Stimson Tom Horning Mrs. Soames Margaret Hostetter Constable Warren Howard Lindenmeyer Si Crowell Matt Freeman Sam Craig George Dreyer Joe Stoddard Uriah Hughes Assistant Stage Manager George Dreyer Assistant Stage Manager Ted Kagan People of the Town: Ned Hart Ted Kagan Trudi Colin Gall Pressey Alice O'Brien Susan Lavender Virginia Wilson Sarah Hartberne Donald Hostetter TIME AND PLACE Turn-of-the-Century New England There will be an INTERMISSION between Acts One and Two PRODUCTION STAFF Production Director Stage Manager Lighting Technicians Sound Technician Costumes Make-Up Publicity Art (logo) Business and House Manager James E. Bodman Janice Barclay Bill Canham Jack Heinsohn, Jr. Eric Heinsohn Roy Colin (Special effects courtesy Beverly Hills High School) Beverly Hills High School Iva Lea Adkins Irene Hernandez Ella Mae Sanders Paul Meeuwenberg T. M. Holloway E. Wayne Cliffe, Jr. Ushers and Refreshments Trudy Colin, Virginia Wilson Henri Lindenmeyer Bart & Marian Johnson Bob & Glnny Laszewski and those who volunteered after we had gone to press. THE NEW GENEVA PLAYERS WELCOME YOU TO ANOTHER "SALUTE TO BICENTENNIAL" If you are interested in any phase of theatre, you are cordially Invited to attend one of our WORKSHOP MEETINGS held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 P.M. in Geneva Lounge. A p r i l 2 , 3, 4 , 1976 Production Staff Stage Manager Mark McLean Lighting Bill Pool, Dan Ferro Costumes Barbara Schelbert, Marion Walter Tape Recording Mark McLean Publicity and Program M airi Wilson House Manager: Lynn Jones Refreshments: Members of the Senior High Fellowship; Youth Director, Barbara Emery; Sponsors, Don and Jan Albares, The Cloister: Theological Bookshop and Gifts. Manager, Beth Cossey. Remarks from the Director . , . Dance among us here at Westminster happens in the midst of our Ufe together. This particular evening is a Concert which marks the 10th Anniversary of our working together and, for the first time, offers a selection of the choreo graphies which have been created over that time, from the first years up to the present. Dances emerge and become a part of our Worship on Sunday mornings, our major productions which are a part, yearly, of our celebrations of Easter and Christmas and the summer show in July. And through dance we have been able to be of help in the Women's Jail, convalescent hospitals, senior adult centers, study and service groups, as well as other churches. We enjoy a great sense of fun and pleasure which comes from the hard work of classes aud the sharing with congregations and audiences in Ubrship and Concert. And always the hope that the Word might become flesh in us, and always the need to go back to the studio for the continual work and discipUne which is the dancer's way of life. Shalom, Mikel Taxer Vanguard dance- t heat r e Westminster Presbyterian Church December, 1975 137 Refreshments during Interm ission are offered for sale by the Deacons. Proceeds w ill go into the Deacons' F'und for those in need of help during times of financial crises. THE CLO ISTER, Westminster’ s bookstore for theological aud poetic reflection, w ill be open during intermission for browsing and for sales. It is located in the narthex and on the balcony of the sanctuary. Please feel free to ex plore both the bookstore and the sanctuary. TH E CLOISTER staff - Beth Cossey, manager, Joy Hanna, and Norman Nouskajian, business manager - invite you to stop by on Wednesday afternoons between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m . and on Sundays after worship service. AN IN VITATIO N The congregation of Westminster Presbyterian Church in vites you to join them in learning and in worship. Sunday School begins at 9:00 and worship at 10:00. (Beginning in May, these times wiU change to 9:30 and 10:30 respect iv e ly .) Adult classes - m ini-series on specific subjects - are also held on various evenings throughout the year. For information, please telephone the church. The office is open between 9:00 and 1;00 on weekdays. COMING A TTR AC TIO N ! Join us in celebrating the B i centennial with music and dance and history and laughter and a toast to the future! Westminster’s summer product ion, BEN FRANKLIN'S GREAT AMERICAN DREAM MACHINE by Bob Landis with music by Don Mrozek, will open July 2 and play each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening through July, 1970. A PBQXCT VW1GU*D /» W O T M M 7 T ® P R 6 1 toon I C H U R C H 138 A FONG AFTEK GOD'S HEART . . . II lias long been p a rt of the C h ris tia n tra d itio n to set aside the fo rty days p r io r to E aster as a tim e fo r d iscip lin e d study and m e ditation on the meaning of our liv e s as a s p iritu a l adventure. And, c e rta in ly , in as he ctic and com plex tim e as ou rs, the fig u re o f D avid, fro m shepherd to c o u rt m u sicia n, fro m w ar hero to king, makes fo r fascinating reading. Fascinating and puzzling. He is so d iffe re n t fro m any kind o f p lastic sa in t, any kind o f su rro g a te re lig io n is t. In the B ible we m eet in D avid a man who is awesom ely human and yet fille d w ith power and fa ith in G o d .. .and blessed by H im . D avid's problem w ith power seems in c re d ib ly c u rre n t. Thom as Hobbes pictu re d the state as a m o rta l god, noting that p o litic a l o rd e r is necessary, but p o litic a l lo ya ltie s have ways o f som etim es com peting w ith our lo ya lty to God. D avid and we sense that. And it was L o rd A cton who fram ed the epigram "P o w e r always c o rru p ts , but absolute power c o rru p ts absolute ly . " T h is observation is a p p ro p ria te not only to kings, the kings of Is ra e l in clu d e d .. but to a ll p o litic a l system s w hatsoever. But ou r enthusiasm fo r D avid is not lim ite d to the re le vance of how one m ust le a rn to balance human power in re la tio n sh ip to D ivine power. D avid draw s us to him as a man. How can we c a ll him "a king a fte r God's h e a rt? " Ho seents to have been g u ilty o f m ost of the sins in the book: m u rd e r, th e ft, a d u lte ry. A lthough he was an indulgent father and bore the judg - m ent of fa m ily catastrophe, his redeem ing q u a lity was a special openness to God. lie was tru ly hum ble and c o n trite when faced w ith his e rro rs . And that open ness to God gave him an access to grace and renew al and success which m a rks his greatness as a ru le r and a human being. SH ALO M . M ik e l T a xe r A PMM O f1 D M ) a play by VIRGINIA LANDLS w ith m usic by BUTCH LACY d ire cte d and choreographed by M IK E L TAXER m usic arranged and dire cte d by BUTCH LAC Y costum ed by MARION W ALTER and BARBARA SCI1ELBERT lighted by RON LING LE Y and M AR K M cLEAN in stru m e n ta l accom panim ent taped by BUTCH LACY on piano STEPHEN O'CONNOR on g u ita r J E F F REW on bass JIM P LA N K on drum s A PROJECT VANGUARD ARENA PRODUCTION W estm inster P re sb yte ria n C hurch T a lbot a t Canon in the P oint Luma area of San Diego 223-3193 223-1585 perform ances each F rid a y , Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p .m . M arch 26, 27, 28 and A p ril 2, 3, 4 and 9, 10, 11 PRODUCTION' STAFF C o stu m e s: C u ttin g C re w : E xecute d by: Sandy E ric k s o n , C a ro l N o u s k a jia n , P.ita M a rie P o o l, L o u is e R isq u e , B a rb a ra S c h e lb e rt, S h irle y W alkoe, M a rio n '.Valter the cast,- ‘-h e ir fa m ilie s and D ianne G r iff it h , G e o rg ia lia ll, Debv Neum ann, Jeanne Johnson, R andy K eslingy -Jean Ross M a te ria ls : S H 's Y ard age and D is c o u n t F a b ric s D re a m m a ch in e 's hum an in t e r io r ......................................................................................................... K e lly Mapes H ouse m anagem ent ( b o x o ffic e , re fre s h m e n ts , u s h e r in g ) ................................................the D eacons L ig h ts and sound...................................... Ron L in g le y , Bud M apes, M a rk M eLc-ati, Rob W a lke r Lo bby: p h o to s ............................. D a v id H eld w a ll d e c o r.........................................................................* . A la n B e e l , N aples In te rio r? M a k e -u p , s p e c ia l e ffe c ts ............................................................................................ D a vid L a n d is , Sandy B a ld w in M u s ic a l in s tru m e n ts , c re d its : v ib ra p h o n e ............................................................................................ L o is C la rk bass and a m p ........................................................................................ C lif f K e lly P ro g ra m s and fly e r s : c o v e r and fiv e r a r t ................................................................................. Dor.na D e K in J ig cop y and m a k e -u p G ird La ndis ty p in g .......................................................................................................................M a ir i .Vilsor, P ro m p te r.......................................................................................................................................................C a m illa Bi k-.-U P ro p e rtie s ............................................................................................ B a rb a ra A :K R e s e rv a tio n s ...................................................................................M a ir i V.'ilson T a p in g P,or. LLvgle'. A N IN V IT A T IO N : T h e co n g re g a tio n o f W e s tm in s te r P re s b y te ria n C h u rch in v ite s you to jo in them in le a rn in g and in w o rs h ip . Sunday S chool be g ins a t 9:30 and w o rs h ip at 10:30. ( D u rin g A u g u s t, '.k e n th e re is no Sunday S chool, w o rs h ip s e rv ic e w ill begin at IP r.ih 1 A d u lt c la s s e s - m in i- s e r ie s on s p e c ific s u b ie c ts - a re a lso h e ld on v a rio u s evenings th ro u g h o u t the y e a r, iro r in fo rm a tio n please tele phon e 222-31 93. T h e o ffic e is open between 0:00 ar.a 1:00 w eekdays. A M ESSAGE FR O M T H E P A S T O R . . . S om ew hat Ilk a the fig u r e o f the C om m on M an to o u r p ro d u c tio n of A M A N FOR A L L SEASONS, A i W alkoe, as B e n ja m in F ra n k lin , is o u r h o st fo r the eve n in g . B u t q u ite an uncom m on naan is o u r B en F ra n k lin , both th e a tric a lly and h is to r ic a lly . O u r ho st e s c o rts us th ro u g h a tim e jo u rn e y w h ic h tra v e ls us back to 1376, m oves us in to 1776 and fin a lly p ro p e ls us in to 1976. A ll th is is fo r a fre s h g lim p s e o f and re fle c tio n on the m e a n in g o f that v e ry fa m ilia r , but not ofte n e va lu a te d , v is io n o f 'T h e G re a t A m - O u r o rig in s d e riv e fro m an im p u ls e to w a rd m any fre e d o m s : eco n o m ic , p o litic a l, re lig io u s . A nd fro m th e d iv e rs e people who fo llo w e d these gle a m s and le ft e v e ry th in g to m a ke a Life in a new w o rld , w e have ga in ed a w e a lth in h e rita g e and c u ltu re and a s p ira tio n and s ty le . In o u r p ro d u c tio n , we a re c o m in g a t o u r beginnin gs fro m the point a play, by B O B LA N D IS w ith m u s ic com posed by DON M R O Z E K d ire c te d b y B O B LA N D IS m u s ic a rra n g e d and d ire c te d by D O N M R O Z E K produce d by S H IR L E Y W A L K O E c o stu m e d by B A R B A R A SC HE L B E R T s e ttin g s by DOUG M A R T IN ch o re o g ra p h e d by M IK E L T A X E R lig h te d by RON LIN G L E Y and M A R K M c L E A N "D re a m M a c h in e " by D A V ID LA N D IS in s tru m e n ta l a cco m p a n im e n t by e riean D re am ", W E S T M IN S T E R 'S E IC E N TE N N IA L C E L E B R A T IO N ! W E L C O M E TO o f view o f o rd in a ry people, th o se fa m ilie s w hose a n ce s to rs c re a te d T h e U nited S tates o f A m e ric a - no t so m uch by p o litic a l e x p e rtis e as by being the people. J U L Y 2 ,3 ,1 - 9, 10, 11 ■ - 16, 17, la - 23, 21, 26 A n d , th e a tric a l lic e n s e a s id e , th e h is t o r ic a l m a te ria ls in clu d e d in th e p la y a re w e ll re s e a rc h e d and a c c u ra te . 1976 We hope th e m u s ic and dance w ill add to th e a lc h e m y needed to h e lp us a il e v a lu a te , re m e m b e r1 who w e a re and w h e re '.ve have com e and c e le b ra te the hope fo r o u r fu tu re . 0 * 1 ty ‘b e n f r a n k l i n ’s GREAT AMERICAN DREAM MACHINE* JE N N Y D E C K E R B A R R Y E IC H E L B E R G E R B R A D K IN D IG D O N M R O Z E K 3 0 3 E R IS LIN L Y N N B U N D Y S T E V E LA N D IS K E L L Y M A P E S DOUG MARTEN R A Y M cK E W O N L E E M O R TO N B IL L P O O L, JR 140 A P P E N D I X C 141 ■ ! = £ 4=4 p^HM, A J s| m * % n * » !!"& mL-'^ mi i T i m a iT irt' uT T W - ..*-•-1 ' r m :s*kftsHBS®2r W & m s , % w m m , ^ ^ 3 # I M \ ^ a - " ' ^ A% so do people. *1 / / £ f *tx? -tyOfiC't&£**v ^ ^tLn 'H^a T i<X- Jlavt Cent m ui uCAt i t ov - f l aJL ' { kt f eb ' & M ^^ xu zi w $& t f <2h w & t M . The gospel message is timeless. The same, unfortunately, is not true of the techniques ve use to communicate it. Methods that vere powerful in a horse-and-buggy age don't make much impact in today's world. We live in a high—pressured, advert!sing—saturated, entertainment-oriented society. And let's face it... whether we like it or not, we're all affected by it. We're acclimated to excitement. Xt's hard to keep our attention without being entertaining... no matter what you have to say. That’s the reason for Covenant Players. We're committed to ministry - to Christianity, and we're experts in communication. We exist to serve the church, by bringing the beat in modern communication techniques to the task of Christian ministry. We challenge people to live the faith they talk. And we do it in a way they enjoy and remember, even when we're saying things they'd rather not hear. Xt's powerful. And fun. And after more than 200,000 performances on four continents, we know it works. rJikJ£* J <''/ym* a . , s . ' W e 'll soon be b a c k in yo u r a re a a g a in . E nclosed y o u 'll fin d our n e x t re tu rn d a te s , plus th e n a m e o f our lo c a l R e p re s e n ta tiv e . C o n ta c t him or her fo r b o o k in g s and fu rth e r in fo r m a tio n . JeX m c/tarui*f\q ii A ». % - a y - i ? * \ T ' BOX 697 • RESEDA, CALIFORNIA 91335 • (213) 342-8020 • (213) 996-1522 142 THE WORLD is s J CHRISTIAN <MUSIC fG ROUPSU . cpO « > We’re the only one thatvjs^afso a majonydtgma company^ A . Ami that you and eombmat "Rise lip coritemiio and the thought thrust o drama. nables Covenant Flayers' the Catalysts to serve your church with a unique, communicative ion; the foot-tapping, joyous, , Spirits" involvement of rary Christian music long-lasting, provoking The Catalysts sing original num bers written especially for them by -lack Walker - and ✓* some all-time Gospel favorites. The plays are Covenant Players' own - all ori ginal, all written to communicate to people in a manner in which they can see themselves where they live and move and have their being. An itinerary is attached - contact your local Representative or the address below to hook the Catalysts and for further information. We want to serve. COVENANT PLAYERS 6117 -i'-v-d a BNd #R ox i t V •R e -e c a Caiiibrraa 'V > 3 5 *A .C >.* 99*>-1522 143 G O AL: to expand the co-m inistry o f die sponsoring churches and die Covenant Players in to the widest possible sphere o f the com m u nity and to o ffe r the individual church die means, need, and desire to cooperate w ith other churches in its com m u nity in exploring new and exciting avenues fo r com m unicating the GOOO NEWS. D U R A T IO N : Seven exciting days COST: $900.00 plus housing (in homes) and meals fo r the u n it members (3-5 persons). When set up through cooperative sponsorship the fee becomes negligible. A SCHEDULE W O U LD BE A R R A N G E D TO BE F U L L , FA R -R E A C H IN G , A N D E X C IT IN G and could include some, or all, o f the following: CHURCHES . . . worship services, church school, youth groups, etc. SCHOOLS . . . . assemblies, classes, cafeteria drama, etc. HO SPITALS . . . performances for patients and staff JAILS ..................performances for inmates C L U B S .Rotary, Kiwartis, Lions, Elks, Jaycees, Young Life, Youth for Christ, Scouts, etc. WORKSHOPS . . . running throughout the week to train participants in the skills and art of drama and communications . . . designed to show participants how the use o f drama is an effective tool for communication in their own churches, clubs, or whatever. SHOPPING M A LLS performances for shoppers and passers-by O TH E R O R G A N IZA TIO N S W IT H IN TH E C O M M U N IT Y . . . G oodw ill, A lcoholics Anon.. Salvation A rm y, Family Planning, Homes for Unwed Mothers. Retirement Centers. Military Bases, etc. t For scheduling or further planning, please contact: | Covenant Players Headquarters | -^ O R ^ ■ . | Your Local Representative 6117 RESEDA BOULEVARD • BOX 697 • RESEDA, CALIFORNIA 91335 • (213) 342-8020 / 996-1522 D R A M A WORKSHOPS T h e c h u rc h needs m a h p ro to o iw iu i s ta n d a rd s m in c u r p o r a n n e a r tis tic m e d ia c ru m a . s c u lp tu re , a iu s ic . p a in tin g . . . as c u n m u m c u '.io n to C h n s r u n d e v e lo p m e n t a nd u n d e rs ta n d in g , in d ie a: t o n e area c f d ra m a tic c c m m u n ic a tio n . C o v e n a n t P la y e rs -diares th e se v i u i l v h rg ii s ta n d a rd s m a r r tm iq - 'y o f' e x c itin g p r e m i a : f o r th e C h u rc h . T h e d ra m a w o r k s h o p p ro v id e .; m e in d iv id u a l ;n m e c h u rc n '.s o il th e m e a n s C b e o u m m g a s ig n ific a n t c o m m u n ic a to r in m e c h u rc h , a n d :n I m u . v n p riv a te h ie a s v .e !!. T h e w o r k s h c o is d e s ig n e d t o re vea! n e w in s ig h ts n o 3 n m n n > can sna do c o m m u n ic a te w orn ea ch o th e r , a n d t o in c re a s e ea ch o n e s a c u it y to use tn e s e m s m n ts . In th is w a y , n o t o r.iy s ta g e c r a n ia , o u t '.he d ra m a o f d a ily h y in g , c o m e s a lf.e , /tb r a n t, h iie d w it h an a w a re n e ss o f ’ he in d iv id u a l’ s p o te n tia l to re a c h a n o th e r h u m a n b e in g ' P ro fe s s io n a l m o m m a in d ra m a c o m m u n ic a tio n e q u ip s p a r tic ip a n ts to c o n tin u e th is c o m m u n ic a tiv e m m is tr v in m e s r o w n c h u rc n . V vhne d e v e lo p in g stage p o s e , b o d y 3n d v o ic e c o n t r o l, a nd c h a ra c re " m s ig h ts , s tu d e n ts g a m p e rs o n a l s e T -c o n fid e n c e a n d d e e p e r u n d e rs ta n d in g o f n ^ m m b e h a v io r T h e tr a in in g m a te ria l use d is f r o m th e C o v e n a n t P la y e rs r e p e rto ire , a nd p ro v id e s o o p o r T u n ity fo r d is c u s s io n o f th e c o m m u n ic a tiv e p ro c e s s th ro u q n d ra m a . A D ra m a F e s tiv a l f o r th e e n tir e c h u r c h a t th e e n d o f th e w o r k s h o p w ill a llo w p a r tic ip a n ts to e x p e rie n c e fir s th a n d th e ir o w n a b ilitie s to c o m m u n ic a te , b y p e r fo r m in g th e P 'a y s fr o m m e C o v e n a n t P ia v e r r e p e r to ir e th e y w ill h a v e le a rn e d , “ he P la y e rs w ill s h a re w th e p ro g ra m w it h se ve ra l o re s e n ta fio n s . SPECIFIC O BJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP: T .) s tim u la te c re a tiv e a b ilitie s T i d e v e lo p q u jjit« e s th a t p r o m o te m a n ir o v . te a m w o r k . c o - o p e r a tio n a n d d e p e n d a b ility T o h e lp s tu d e n ts g a in c o n fid e n c e a n d p u ix? T o im p ro v e b o d y c o o r d i- a t u m a n d f le x ib ilit y T o im p ro v e a n d d e v e lo p c o m m u n ic a ti- m k i !?•, T o d e v e lo p s ta n d a rd s >> : ju d g e m e n r f o G o o d T h e a tre a n d D r a m a tic A r t C o n c e n tr a tio n o f s tu d s un these p ' - b ' v o •>ec m o in G J e o e u J s on th e le n g th o f th e ''v o r k ih o p . \V«-i k m . >ps m.>v ran g e m ie rig th fr u tn o n e ia y to te n w e e ks. F IN A N C IA L AR RANG EM ENTS T h e c o s t fo r a w e e k lo n g w o r k s h o p can he v„ ; at ___________ p e r p a r tic ip a n t - a tre m e n d o u s o p p o r t u n it y lo r o r a l e ss io n a l im im m t. Face w o r k s h o p c a n h a n d le : : i i r t \ to 'h in v - T v e p a rtic ip a n ts . T h is p ro v id e s m a x im u m f le x ib ilit y a n d o p p o r t u n it y f o r le a rn in g a n d g ro w th . T H E C O M P L E T E C O S T IS . j T h re e h o u r w o r k s h o p . ____ j O n e d e v w o r k s h o p : ____ 5 G a c n a d d itio n a l d a y ;: ____ i S ix d a v w o ik s h '-.p ___ _ _____________________________________________F O R A O O I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N C O N T A C T _____________________________________ _ _ _ ; V O U H L O C A L R E P R E S E N T A T I V E .-------------------------------- . O R , --------------------------------1 C O V E N A N T P L A Y E R S H E A D Q U A R T E R S 1 • 80 X 697 • RESEDA, CA.91335 • (213)342 8020 • (213)996-1522 145 We would like you to seriously consider placing the Covenant Players Summer Power Program on your missions budget. We understand the inclination to see us as a business (albeit Christian) in the field of theater, run on a "tee- for-services" mode of operation. Such is not the case. If it were, we would be serving 50% fewer churches (because many churches could then not afford us) As it is, our most experienced members work with less financial security than most church custodians. Our people are not adequately paid actors, but sacri- fieially dedicated missioners. In light of this we spend a lot Of time during the summer in intensive train ing to make them more powerful communicators for the Lord. However our people simply cannot afford this. We have 175 fully employed people and not one is above the federally established poverty level. During the summer they have four choices: 1) go home to parents or friends, 2) tour on one of the few summer units, 3) stay in Los Angeles and work (e.g., a waiter, gas station attendant) and attend what training they can, or 4) save up enough money to keep themselves alive while they attend our three-month training program completely without salary. Last year, 50 people chose the fourth alternative (which gives an idea of how valuable people consider the program). Here is a sample of our Summer Power Program classes: We are seeking financial support not for our operating budget, but specifi cally* for increasing our capacities as missioners; for increasing our ability to serve the Lord. A gift of $350 would allow one Covenant Play'er to attend the Summer Power Program for three months. We fully understand the large number of worthy programs that could be placed upon a church's mission budget. That is why we ask you to consider our request seriously. We are engaged in a faith ministry, sufficiently different than what most churches are used to, so that they wouldn't normally think of us for their mission budget. Please do Your gift would make a valuable contribution to the growth of a dedicated communicator in a powerful ministry. It would mean growth, not only for the individual, but also for the nearly 6,000 churches we will serve during the year concerned. We are helping to turn the world upside right for the Lord. You can help us help you in the same cause. 6117 RESEDA BOULEVARD - BOX 697 - RESEDA, CALIFORNIA 91335 - (213)342-8020 . 1) Theology of Worship 2) American Church History 3) Bible Study 4) Advanced Acting 5) Motion Pictures 6) Radio Drama 7) Directing (Advanced) 8) Graphic Arts 9) Small Group Dynamics APPENDIX C OTHER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RELIGIOUS DRAMA GROUPS Christian Drama League of America Currently, the CDLA is entering its eight year of con tinuous production. An average of two plays a week have been presented during these years in many parts of the United States and Canada. The plays are presented in churches of all denominations and other places such as schools, hospitals, discotheques, radio, and television. The founder of the Christian Drama League is John French, a well-known English actor with many movie and drama credits. After a rather traumatic conversion exper ience, French left the professional theatre and became in volved in Christian evangelism. Now he devotes all of his time to the CDLA, writing, producing, directing, and acting. The Enchanting Light was the first production of the CDLA, presented on both stage and radio in Ohio. It was later broadcast from Montreat, North Carolina under the auspices of Billy Graham. Following the first play, another play, The Latch, was presented at the old Philharmonic Audi torium in Los Angeles, and since then there have been a num ber of productions in various parts of the United States. It is the goal of the Christian Drama League to strengthen the local church in as many ways as possible through the medium of Christian drama. All of their plays 147 employ contemporary dialogue and plot, with explicit Christian themes. There are presently twenty-eight plays in the CDLA repertoire including: In His Steps? The Mark of the Beast; Many Mansions, and People Like Us. Most perform ances run from one to one and one-half hours. All the plays have been written by Mr. French, who formerly wrote plays for the theatre in England. The group has two major work shops in Hollywood and Camarillo, California, with others in Ohio, Indiana, and Canada— approximately eighty artists are currently involved. Lamb's Players In 1968, while teaching at Biola College in La Mirada, California, Steven Terryl founded the King's Players which toured with a play, Revolt at the Portals. Through the ministry of this play, Terryl had a vision that God would honor the performing arts in some spiritual way. Terryl soon accepted a teaching position at Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota, but his vision remained clear. He was a- warded an alumni grant to begin researching street theatre in Berkeley, California, in the summer of 1970. Lamb's Players came into existence during the winter of 1971. With the help of students from Bethel College, Lamb's Players' first production. The Hound of Everyman, was presented at Spring Arbor College, Spring Arbor, Michigan. In 1972, seven members of the company quit their jobs and moved to 148 San Diego, California, where Lamb's Players was established as a full-time evangelical performing arts group. Lamb's Players now has expanded into three performing troupes: Street Theatre; Hands and Feet (mime company); and Quinby Company (puppet troupe.) Street Theatre tours the country trying to make people laugh as did similar troupes of its kind in Medieval Eng land. The gospel is presented through original plays acted in open public places. Before-the-show activities include: clowns; jugglers; and other solo performers. Plays include The Hound of Everyman, a medieval style contemporary comedy centering around the misadventures of Everyman as he at tempts to elude death, and Hark the Ark, a comedy based on the story of Noah and the Ark. Most of the plays are about forty-five minutes long and are performed on campuses, at fairs, in parks, in schools, and at church activities. Hands and Feet have several different programs includ ing: a thirty-five minute street play; a "church play"* juggling; unicycling; short sketches, a comic-mime magician, workshops, and discussions. The group is proud of its dedi cation to each other and to the ministry of the Gospel. Quinby Company presents comic plays for all ages. College students especially tend to laugh at the "hippy" puppet buying sex and drugs and seem interested in Quinby alternatives, such as the short puppet play Freak Meets God. 149 The slapstick and characters in Bad Day in Blusterville are intended primarily for children as Barney Badguy changes to Barney Buddy. Quinby*s "Western Theatre," based on the parable of the Good Samaritan in a western setting is de signed for the whole family. Hollywood Free Theatre The Hollywood Free Theatre had its genesis during the summer of 1975 when a group of actors, writers, musicians, and technical theatre craftsmen got together at 5656 Harold Way in Hollywood. The group proposed a professional theatre group with a positive message aimed at combating the trend toward pornography and sensationalism that is so prevalent in Hollywood. The old, unused building with a small stage at 5656 Harold Way, was donated by the First Baptist Church of Hollywood. The new group quickly began to refurbish the building making it a useable theatre. In recent months, thousands of dollars in funds and equipment have been do nated to the theatre. In addition to the money and equip ment, many hours of labor have been donated toward the goal of creating the "finest small theatre in the Los Angeles area for the glory of God." A benefit for the Hollywood Free Theatre was held last September in Beverly Hills. A musical and dramatic revue was presented including special appearances by Pat Boone, 150 Dale Evans, Julie Harris, and Martin Sheen. All of the mem bers of the Hollywood Free Theatre themselves have extensive professional experience in films, television and stage. Further, the Hollywood Free Theatre provides free work shops in acting, dancing, and singing— writing and art classes are soon to be incorporated. The company also does presentations for various institutions including prisons, juvenile halls, churches, and retirement homes. In associa tion with the Atlantic-Richfield Company, the group is pro ducing the "Big Talent Show" to be presented at the Arco Plaza in downtown Los Angeles. Culminating months of effort, The Vigil, April 1976, was the premiere presentation of the Hollywood Free Theatre in the Hai'old Way Theatre. It was with this production that the Hollywood Free Theatre has begun a unique type of enter tainment and development for the Hollywood area. 151 ) B I B L I O G R A P H Y 152 BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Alexander, Ryllis Clair and Goslin, Omar P. Worship Through Drama. New York; Harper and Brothers, 193 0. Andrews, Gladys. Creative Rhythmic Movement for Children. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1954. Artaud, Antonia. The Theater and Its Double. New York: Grove Press, 1958. Evergreen paperback. Baker, George Pierce. Dramatic Technigue. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919. Balmforth, Ramsden. The Ethical and Religious Value of the Drama. New York: Greenberg Press, 1926. Bandini, Arturo. Navidad; Pastorelas. San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1968. Bates, Esther W. The Church Play and Its Production. Boston: Walter H. Baker Company, 1938. Bentley, Eric. In Search of Theatre. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1954. Vintage Books. Bentley, Eric. The Playwright as Thinker. New York: Meridian Books, 1955. Berthold, Margot. A History of World Theatre. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1972. Bowman, Locke E., Jr. Education for Volunteer Teachers. Scottsdale, Arizona: National Teachers Education Project, 1971. Brockett, Oscar G. History of The Theatre. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1974. Brockett, Oscar G. and Findlay, Robert H. Century of Inno vation. Englewood Cliffe, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1973. Busfield, Roger M., Jr. The Playwright's Art. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1958. 153 Butcher, Samuel Henry, trans. Aristotle's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1951. Butler, James A. The Theatre and Drama of Greece and Rome. San Francisco: Chandler Publishing Co., 1972. Cargill, Oscar. Drama and Liturgy. New York: Columbia University Press, 1930. Chaigne, Louis. Paul Claudel: The Man and the Mystic. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1961. Chambers, Edmund. The Medieval Stage. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1903. Chapman, Raymond. Religious Drama. London: William Cloves and Sons, Ltd., 1959. Cheney, Sheldon. The Theatre. Rev. ed. New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1959. Coggin, Philip A. Drama and Education. London: Thames and Hudson, 1956. Coggin, Philip A. The Uses of Drama. New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1958. Craig, Edward Gordon. On the Art of the Theatre. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1956. Dean, Alexander. Fundamentals of Play Directing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1941. Dickinson, Charles A. Las Posadas. Claremont, California: Bess A. Garner, 1935. Eastman, Fred. Christ in the Drama. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1947. Eastman, Fred and Wilson, Louis. Drama in the Church. New York: Samuel French, Inc., 1934. Egri, Laos. The Art of Dramatic Writing. Rev. ed. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1960. Ehrensperger, Harold. Conscience on Stage. New York and Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1947. 154 Ehrensperger, Harold. Religious Drama: Ends and Means. New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962. Eland, Elizabeth. Principles and Technigues in Religious Dramatics. Cincinnati: The Methodist Book Concern, 1926. Fergusson, Francis. The Human Image in Dramatic Literature. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1957. Freedley, George, and Reeves, John A. A History of the Theatre. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1955. Garner, Bess A. Las Posadas. Claremont, California: Padua Hills Theatre, 1935. Gassner, John and Allen, Ralph. Theatre in the Making. 2 vols. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962. Glover, Holcott. Drama and Mankind. Boston: Small, Maynard and Company, 1924. Gorelik, Mordecai. New Theatres for Old. New York: Samuel French, Inc., 1940. Hake, Herbert V. Here's How* A Basic Stagecraft Book. Rev. ed. Evanston, Illinois: Row, Peterson and Company, 1958. Henderson, Myrtle E. A History of the Theatre in Salt Lake City. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1934. Herskovits, Melville J. Man and His Works. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1948. Hewitt, Barnard. Theatre U.S.A. 1668 to 1957. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1959. How to Use Role-playing Effectively. New York: Association Press, 1959. Hughes, Glenn. The Story of the Theatre. New York: Samuel French, Inc., 1928. Hunningher, Benjamin. The Origin of the Theatre. New York: Hill and Wang, Inc., 1961. Jones, Robert Edmond. The Dramatic Imagination. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1941. Fifth printing. 155 MacGowan, Kenneth, and Melnitz, William. The Living Stage: A History of World Theatre. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1955. McGaw, Charles J. Acting is Believing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1955. Nicoll, Allardyce. Masks, Mimes and Miracles. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1931. Nicoll, Allardyce. World Drama. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1949. Niebuhr, Hulda. Ventures in Dramatics. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935. Pickard-Cambridge, Sir Arthur Wallace. The Dramatic Festivals of Athens. 2nd ed. Rev. by John Gould and D. M. Lewis. London: Oxford University Press, 1968. Priestly, J. B. The Wonderful World of the Theatre. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1959. Pyper, George D. The Romance of an Old Playhouse. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: The Deseret Book Company, 1937. Rice, Elmer. The Living Theatre. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1959. Rowe, Kenneth Thorpe. A Theater in Your Head. New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1960. Rubenstein, Richard L. Morality and Eros. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 197 0. Selden, Samuel. Man in His Theatre. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1957. Shank, Theodore. The Art of Dramatic Art. New York: The Dell Publishing Company, 1972. Southern, Richard. The Medieval Theatre in the Round. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1958. Southern, Richard. Stage Setting for Amateurs and Pro fessionals. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1960. Speaight, Robert. The Christian Theatre. New York: Hawthorne Books, 1960. 156 Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1936. Stanislavski, Constantin. Creating a Role. Edited by Hermine Isaacs Popper. New York: Theatre Art Books, 1961. Tanner, Charles M. On the Mark. Reseda, California: Kirk Press, 1975. Tanner, Charles M. Toward the Prize. Reseda, California: Kirk Press, 1975. Ward, Winifred. Playmaking with Children. New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, Inc., 1947. Ward, Winifred. Drama with and for Children. (Creative Drama, Children's Theater, Bulletin 1960 #30). Washington, D.C.: U. S. Department of Health, Educa tion and Welfare, 1960. Whiting, Frank M. An Introduction to the Theatre. Rev. ed. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961. Wickham, Glynne. Early English Stages 1300-1600. 2 vols. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1959. Williams, Daniel Day. What Present-Day Theologians Are Thinking. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1952. Wright, Edward A. A Primer for Playgoers. Engelwood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1958. Young, John Wray. Directing the Play: From Selection to Opening Night. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1958. Young, Karl. Drama of the Medieval Church. 2 vols. Rev. ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1933. Yurko, Blanche. Bohemian Girl. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1970. PLAYS Gheon, Henri and Brochet, Henri. St. Anne and the Gouty Rector. New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1950. 157 Johnson, Albert. Church Plays and How to Stage Them. Philadelphia: United Church Press, 1966. Munk, Kaj. Five Plays. New York: The American-Scandina vian Foundation, 1953. Switz, Theodore M. and Johnson, Robert A., eds. Great Christian Plays. Greenwich, Connecticut: The Seabury Press, 1956. Wilder, Thornton. Our Town. Ref. ed. New York: Coward- McCann, Inc., 1965. ARTICLES Bennett, Gordon C. "The Refiners Fire: Church and Theatre." Christianity Today. May 10, 1974, pp. 20-21. Best, Mrs. A. Starr. The Drama League of America. A report submitted to the Drama League of America, 1920. "Brigham Young on Drama." Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. March 9, 1959. Browne, E. Martin. "Religion and the Arts: Religious Drama." Union Seminary Quarterly Review. March, 1957, pp. 60-64. Carmines, Alvin. "Drama in the Church: An Experiment." Theology Today. January 12, 1966, pp. 5 05-12. "History of the Pilgrimage Play." Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, 1955. (Typed-Xeroxed). MacKay, Percy. "Monograph on the Masque." Wakefield, A Folk Masque. Washington, D.C.: George Washington Bicentennial Commission, 1932. Poovey, W. A. "Preaching and Drama." The Lutheran Quarterly. November 1968, pp. 373-80. Robertson, Roderick. "Toward A Definition of Religious Drama." The Journal of the American Educational Theatre Association. May 1957, p. 99. Tischler, Nancy M. "The Shrinking World of Christian Drama." Christianity Today. October 13, 1957, pp. 18-20. 158 DISSERTATIONS Marsh, William H. "The Attitude of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Toward the Theatre, 1891-1967." Ph. D. dissertation, University of Kansas, 1968. Reynolds, Robert Carl. "A History of Pour Acting Companies in California Devoted to Producing Drama-for-the- Church." Ph. D. dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1967. OTHER UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Covenant Players. "In Gear With Covenant Players." Reseda, California: Unpublished pamphlet, 1970. Covenant Players. "The Catalysts." Reseda, California: Unpublished flyer, 1975. "Geneva Players Scrapbook." Los Angeles, California: Unpublished, 1955-1972, "History of the Pilgrimage Play." Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, 1955. Niebuhr, Hulda. "Christian Education for Children and Youth," class notes. McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois, 1958. "The Wayfarer Scrapbook." University of Georgia Historical Library, Special Collections, Athens, Georgia, n.d. INTERVIEWS Fedder, Dr. Norman, Chairperson, American Theatre Associa tion, Religious Theatre Project. Personal interview. Manhattan, Kansas, June 4, 1976. Ford, John Arnold. Personal interview, Los Angeles, California, May 18, 1976. Geiger, Father Maynard, O.F.M., Ph. D., Director of Archives Center, Archives Library at Mission Santa Barbara. Personal interview May 8, 1976. Johnson, Albert. Personal interview. Laguna Niguel, California, May 18, 1976. 159 Robertson, Everett, Drama Specialist, Southern Baptist Church Sunday School Board. Personal interview, Nashville, Tennessee, May 31, 1976. Tanner, Charles M. Personal interview. St. James Presby terian Church, Tarzana, California, June 3, 1976. Taxer, Mikel B., Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, San Diego, California. Personal interview. San Diego, California, June 16, 1976. Woody, Dr. Pam, Chairperson, The Religious Drama Committee of the Children's Theatre Association of America, A Division of the American Theatre Association. Personal interview, Los Angeles, California, June 8, 1976. 160

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