Righteous Insanity

Classic Theater, Christian Perspective

Most people who homeschool do so because they believe homeschooling will give their children a better education, and make them more prepared for college and beyond than public school. Most of those homeschool parents also prefer having their children educated from a Christian perspective. And why not? God is our creator, and the creator of language, mathematics, science, art, and just about every other educational subject.

But here's my question: does that mean that we must only do "Christian" plays with our homeschoolers?

I'd like to start that discussion with one word: No.

As I previously stated, homeschoolers have two objectives: superior education in a Christ-centered atmosphere. Christian plays certainly meet the second criteria, but what about the first? I'm knocking on my own writing as well as my contemporaries when I say this: we are short-changing our students if we only give them Christian plays and musicals to perform.

Just as students of literature should read the great books of the English language, students of the theater need to study and perform the great works of the theater. It's important to know who the great writers were, what made theme unique, and why some plays continue to be performed hundreds, even thousands, of years after they were first written.

What's more, we can look at these plays with our students from a Christian perspective. Whether it's a Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, or a modern political drama, we can sit back and critique the story and the message from a Christian point of view. A few examples:

How does Shakespeare's take on love in Romeo and Juliet compare with God's definition of love?

What does the story of Harvey teach us about faith in things unseen?

What can we learn about the power of media and the responsibility of those who use it from Orson Welle's radio drama, The War of the Worlds?

These and other questions will be addressed in this blog. I hope you will be encouraged and challenged to broach the same questions with your own students. After all, we don't need more Christian plays for Christians. We need Christians to storm the secular theater, living and sharing the light of Christ in a dark world.

Sharing the Load

Kobe Bryant once took over a game and scored 80 points. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100. One person can take over a basketball game. Try pulling off the same feat in a football game, and you're liable to fail. True, there are guys who appear to take over a game at times (i.e. Brett Favre), but it takes a team effort - 11 on offense, 11 on defense - working in coordination to win a football game.

Theater is very much like football in this regard. One director can not "will" a play to happen. You have to get actors and crew to buy into what you are doing. This is true with any age group, be they students or adults.

From the very beginning, when you hold auditions, sell the show to your actors. Get them to take ownership of their roles and the play. Get them involved creatively, and give them some freedom in developing their characters.

Same goes for the crew. Be open to creative ideas from them as well as your actors. The more they feel they have a part in the creative process, the harder they will work toward your common goal.

When you're working with students, get the parents involved as well. Find out who can help you with preparing meals in between shows, tech work, sewing costumes, making props, applying makeup, marketing, and put them to work.

Empower your students and parents. Share the show with them, and together you will achieve so much more.

Tough Questions for Young Actors

For too long Christians have isolated themselves from the world in the entertainment industry. Rather than being involved and influential in radio, TV, movies, music, and theater, we have created our own sub-industry of Christian entertainment that is, for the most part, rather sub-par. This is a problem of our own making, particularly when it comes to film. When the movie industry got rolling, for instance, most churches shunned movie houses and the industry as a whole as sinful and a waste of time. The industry grew up free of any sort of Christian presence, and now... well, I don't have to tell you how it's turned out.

As a Christian educator, I am mindful that God may be calling students of mine to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. I also firmly believe that we need to begin raising up Christians to be missionaries to the secular industry, and stop funneling everyone into the Christian film world. It's not just to redeem the content in films; we need people to share Jesus with their fellow actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew members. It's about winning people after all, not winning an industry, and we need to start seeing said industry as being filled with people who Jesus loves.

That said, we have a great responsibility to get our students thinking about how they will interact in Hollywood, New York, or where ever they may land. We should ask the tough questions now so they can begin praying for God's direction in making the right choices tomorrow. For you, and those students feeling the call to film or theater, here are some questions to get you started:

1. How will you choose what projects to pursue? Will you stick to G-rated material? Where do you draw the line as far as content?

2. Can a Christian play an immoral character who commits sinful acts and still be right with God? Is acting out sin while playing a character the same as sinning?

3. What if you are cast in a role that you feel is objectionable? What if turning down that role means you'll never be cast again?

4. Can a Christian work on the set of a movie where objectionable material is filmed? Again, where do you draw the line?

5. What disciplines can you begin in your life now to prepare for the temptations you may face on the set, particularly the temptation to compromise your values in order to get ahead?

If you have other questions to add, please drop me a comment.

Bling is Dead

The word "bling" is dead. Thus saith Kanye West.

Not that I put a lot of stock in anything Kanye West says, but there's a lesson to be learned here. The English language is ever-evolving. Slang words pop up every day. A few make their way into the dictionary and stick around, words like "diss" and "d'oh." ost, however, die a very quick death, so quick that by the time you, the youth pastor, minister, or parent, discover its meaning, it's already dated.

Don't date yourself, and don't date your dramas with slang. Use good grammar and English rules.

And while we're on the subject, unless you plan to unleash that new drama script on your audience this week, avoid using pop culture references. Today it's Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana; yesterday it was Lindsay and Hillary; before that it was Britney and Christina. Anyone remember Tiffany and Debbie? Certain as the sunrise, tomorrow it will be someone new.

There are exceptions to every rule. If you're playing to an audience of thirtysomethings, there's no harm in getting a groan/laugh out of some blast from the past by having characters break into the Macarena. Just make sure you use it properly - as a VERY cheap gag - and don't try to play it off as today's runaway hit.

Credibility is important, especially when you're working with young people. And the best way to stay credible is... to avoid pop culture and slang period.

The War of the Worlds - Historic Radio Drama for Student Theatre

In the 1930's the radio was a comforting friend in troubling times. Families would gather around the radio for an escape from the misery of the Great Depression. They tuned in to baseball and football games. They listened to heroes like Superman, the Lone Ranger, and Captain Midnight. They shared a laugh with Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Fred Allen. They enjoyed the occasional chill from Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, and The Shadow.

Radio listeners tuned in for news of economic recovery. They listened with concern as the Nazi party rose to power in Europe. They took comfort in FDR's fireside chats. Radio was a friend, a beacon of hope, a voice they could trust.

That trust was forever shattered on October 30, 1938.

The Mercury Radio Theatre was still a fairly new program, and its enigmatic leader still largely unknown, despite his dual role as Lamont Cranston and The Shadow. Not many people heard or heeded the opening of the evening's broadcast, so when the news reports began describing small explosions on the planet Mars, the landing of a meteorite in Grover's Mill, New Jersey, and the appearance of hideous Martians with their death rays, America went into a panic.

Few radio programs have left the impact that "The War of the Worlds" had on its time. People abandoned their homes and fled in fear of the fictitious Martian warships. Some even took their own lives. CBS found itself subject to hundreds of lawsuits. And Orson Welles, a distant descendant of the story's original author H.G. Wells, became a legend.

The original "War" broadcast is still a terrifyingly realistic radio drama. Welles and company employed a script that combined dramatic dialogue, eery sound effects, and dozens of little touches that made it sound so real. The show has inspired many parodies and references over the years including a Simpsons episode and the movie Buckaroo Banzai.

But "War" is far more than a radio drama with artistic merit. It changed the rules as far as the media is concerned. People believed it to be real because they had never been given a reason to doubt. If it was on the radio, it had to be true. After "War", everything was suspect. "War" paved the way for deceptive marketing, the kind of charade that made The Blair Witch Project (a film originally promoted as a real-life documentart) a smash hit. What's more, it left a lingering suspicion of all things media that has only grown with time.

"The War of the Worlds" is a challenge for any age cast, and a very fun piece of drama. More than that, it's a discussion starter for examining the power of the media and how it impacts our lives. As Christians, we are taught to examine everything, and not to accept anyone's word until it has been help up to the light of God's truth. "The War of the Worlds" is a cautionary tale about what happens when we give ourselves over to a human authority, be it in school, the media, politics, or even the church.

"The War of the Worlds" is a radio drama, not a stage drama. Many student and professional groups have performed the show as a staged, dramatic reading. This means actors may (if you and the decide) have scripts on stage. Although they will not be physically acting in a space, the show is no less demanding. Students will find quite a challenge in conveying the drama and emotion of the story by relying solely on their voices. Add a set made to look like an old-fashioned radio studio, some antique microphones, a live sound effects crew on stage, and some period costumes, and you can create a truly unique theatrical experience.

The script from "The War of the Worlds" is available online. You can also get the script and recordings of the radio drama from Amazon.

Performance rights are owned by the widow of script writer Howard Koch and administered by the law firm of Slaff, Mosk, and Rudman. Queries can be sent to Norman Rudman at nrudman@mcn.org

Silent Light

Several years ago I attended a regional Christians in Theatre Arts conference, where I saw the mime group Silent Light. I've never liked mime. I've avoided it like the plague as a director and as a spectator. But the stuff I saw that mime troupe perform was simply amazing. The actors were gifted storytellers who used music and movement to move their audience. This was not human video; it was true drama.

And most impressive of all... all the actors, except for the teacher/director, were home school students.

Silent Light travels the world, performing where ever they can and putting ministry first always. They are affiliated with the Master Arts Theatre in Michigan. You can read more about them at

http://www.geocities.com/silentlightmime/

Make you wonder what you could do with your students, doesn't it?

Shakespeare? Yes you CAN do it!

The following article is from an upcoming ebook, "Bring the Bard Home", a guide for homeschool drama leaders who want to do Shakespeare. I'm finishing my third Shakespearean production at Christian Academy right now. It's incredibly rewarding.

There’s a huge market out there for Christian plays. Whether your interest is sketch comedy, one act plays, dinner theater, murder mysteries, or musicals, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of options to choose from. So why would you, a Christian home school teacher, produce a five hundred year old play that wasn’t written by a devout Christian?

Shakespeare is Classical Literature

One of the hardest knocks on modern education is the great movement away from “The Great Books.” This isn’t so much an issue with private and home schools, but the sad truth is that classical literature has fallen by the way side. What’s more, people in general tend to read less, and those who do read are more likely to be digesting the latest fad novel or self-help book than they are to pick up Victor Hugo, Jane Austen, or Charles Dickens.

It’s no accident that some books withstand the test of time, while others end up gracing the shelves of second hand stores never to be touched again. The Great Books, as their name suggests, are powerful stories with themes that span the ages. They speak to today’s world as much as to their own time. They are filled with characters as relevant today as in their own time. The old miser Scrooge; the obsessed Captain Ahab; the revolutionary Captain Nemo; the tragic Dr. Frankenstein. These characters still touch something inside us today just as they did when their stories were first spun. We need them; we need to learn from them.

The plays of Shakespeare qualify as Great Books Literature. For one, they continue to challenge and inspire theater artists five hundred years after their inception. For another, like the great novels mentioned above, they are filled with themes and characters that are very relevant to our modern age. The tragic love of Romeo and Juliet, the racist tensions in Othello, and the soul-searching angst of Hamlet still connect with 21st century audiences.

A Window to the Soul

Shakespeare focused a great deal on the choices his characters made, and the consequences of their actions. His plays give us a chance to discuss the choices we make in our lives. Having revealed to us the end results when people choose to take the dark path, Shakespeare challenges us to ask, is there a better way?

All of Shakespeare’s characters were three dimensional, and deeply flawed. His heroes made tragic mistakes, and no ill deed goes unpunished. Yes, the evil doers are punished, but often times the “good” who commit violence in their pursuit of justice also meet a fatal end. Judgment comes swiftly – and without mercy. Even those who would be justified in seeking revenge, like Hamlet, come to a bloody finale.

Shakespeare produced a great many villains who truly open the window to the soul. The racist hatred of Iago, who sets out to destroy Othello, is a chilling depiction of the hate some still harbor to people of another color. Yet very few of these villains were so completely evil. MacBeth was a good man and a loyal servant of the king until he heard a prediction that he would one day take the throne. Soon as the prospect of power entered MacBeth’s life, it began to consume him, turning him against loyal friends in a cold-blooded lust for power. By leading us on this journey, Shakespeare reveals that any man, given the right circumstance and temptation, can commit great acts of evil.

A Voice That Speaks to Youth

Having directed Shakespeare with both junior high and high school, I’ve found two things always happen.
One, the kids are intimidated by the language. The first question that gets asked is, “Are we going to use modern language?” The answer is always no. The poetry in Shakespeare’s writing is part of the reason it has stood the test of time. Shakespeare has been modernized and adapted many times, especially in the movies. But if you’re introducing them to Shakespeare as part of an educational project, they need to experience his language.

The second thing doesn’t come right away, but it is just as inevitable: the kids fall in love.
It’s not always for the same reasons, but every kid finds something to love in Shakespeare. For some, it’s the language that first intimidated them, and the poetic way he uses it. For some, it’s the humor. For a few warped minds, it’s the blood and guts nature of some of his darker works. (See Titus Andronicus, which puts Saw and Hostel to shame.)

For many, it’s the way he communicates to the young soul. There’s a good reason millions of kids went to see the “Leo” version of Romeo and Juliet over and over. It speaks to the young heart, full of life, passion, and love. There’s a romanticism that is simply timeless, and the kids almost always connect with it.
Introduce your kids to Shakespeare, and you give them a love that will last a life time.

The Price is Right

Check with the major publishers, and you’ll probably pay on average $8 per script (for each actor and techie who needs one, plus the director. In addition, you’ll pay somewhere between $50-100 per performance for the rights to do the play. For a cast of twenty people doing three performances, you’re looking at $385 total in script and royalties (on average) just to have the rights and the scripts in hand.

Shakespeare? He’s been dead for five hundred years. You can download complete scripts online for free and owe no royalty.

That said, you can buy scripts that have already been cut (edited) and prepared for younger actors. I don’t recommend it. First of all, most of those cuttings are copyrighted, which means you have to buy the script and pay royalties. Second, the process of reading, studying, and editing the play yourself will allow you an opportunity to really get to know the script. Knowing the script is imperative if you’re going to teach it to your students.

The Big Bad Movie comes to DVD

The Golden Compass is poised to unleash a second wave of evil and pagan conversions around the world with its impending release on DVD. Is your congregation ready?

Don't let Hollywood dupe you into selling tickets to their over-rated movies any more! Get "The Big Bad Movie" today, and let the truth come out.

Yes, I know the guy who wrote Compass is an avowed atheist who set out to write the "anti-Narnia." But they wouldn't have sold half the tickets they did without the word of mouth "don't see this movie" campaign we unwittingly waged on their behalf.

"The Big Bad Movie" is a free downloadable script from Righteous Insanity. (A royalty is due if the play is performed.) Get it at www.righteousinsanity.com/bigbad.html

Money-saving tips for no-budget productions

Use public domain plays. Rather than playing up to $10 per script plus royalties, find a public domain play on the web to use. There's a lot of free Christian material, but don't feel constrained to that genre. Shakespeare, the Greeks, Marlowe, the Miracle Plays, Moliere, and plenty of other classic playwrights are available with no royalty. Download a script, edit as needed, and print as needed.

Borrow as much as you can before you buy or rent. We've been lucky at Christian Academy to have a parent on the board of a local theater. For four plays in a row, we have costumed as many as 30 kids without paying a dime in rental fees. If there's no theater to help out, find a church with a good prop and costume closet. If that's not available, poll the parents of your cast. Someone still has grandma and grandpa's old wardrobe in the attic.

Advertise your needs. Use message boards, email lists, church bulletin boards, newsletters, and any other resource available to make your needs known, be it as small as a derby hat or as large as a light board. Churches recycle lighting and sound equipment all the time. So do theaters. When you hear someone's getting new equipment, call and find out what they want. And don't forget to stock up on furniture. People toss out old couches and chairs all the time. You will need these, so grab when you can! For custom costume needs, find a seamstress. It's much cheaper to get some discount fabric and make your own costume than to buy or rent something elaborate - and you'll have that costume handy to use again one day.

Go to auctions and garage sales. Keep an open mind, and look for things that might have a good use. Don't spend money recklessly; those 10 matching genie costumes are cool, but when will you ever use them? Stock up on things that will get used over and over: Biblical costumes, robes, period dresses from the 19th and early 20th centuries, hats, coats, cowboy boots, etc.

Simplify your set design. A black backdrop is extremely versatile. Put a couch and chairs in front of it, it's a living room. A desk and chairs, it's an office. A few fake trees, and it becomes the jungle. Some used cardboard, duct tape, and whatever paint you and other parents have left over in the garage can probably create anything else you need.

Set up your own storage area. Whatever you buy, whatever gets donated, save it and use it until it falls apart at the seams. Keep your storage area neat to prevent excessive wear and tear. And for the actors sake, have the costumes cleaned after every show.

How NOT to do makeup

Here's a personal experience that will hopefully spare some of you one day. We just opened "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the school where I teach drama. I have a great group of parents who like to help with hair and makeup, and some of them brought in some jewels to put on the fairies' faces. Unfortunately, they brought the wrong stuff to apply the jewels. Now a student is at the doctor's office, and the school office is in crisis mode.

I was unaware of the situation when it happened, but as the director, I should have paid attention. It's my responsibility to know what's happening in the makeup room, and if you're directing plays the responsibility will be yours.

Before using stage makeup with your students, make sure you and/or your makeup lead heed these tips:

Always know exactly what it is you are applying to your student's faces. Make sure it's safe, non-toxic, hypo-allergenic.

ONLY use products that were designed for skin application. Do not use paint, glue, rubber cement, or anything that wasn't made for skin contact.

I strongly recommend buying through a theatrical supply store that has someone in-house who knows makeup. Ask lots of questions, and take the time to educate yourself.

Before you apply anything, make sure the student does not have any skin allergies. When in doubt, ask a parent.

If possible, test material with a small application on the back of the hand.

If you're still in doubt - don't.

A little precaution ahead of time will save you a lot of trouble later.