You call that drama?

I LOVE this new TV show “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s one of the funniest and most quotable shows to hit the air in years. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about these two uber-genius nerds living across the hall from a blonde hotty. The character of Sheldon in particular cracks me up with his type A insistence on everything being scientifically accurate – such as the time he ranted about how Superman, a man of steel, could not have caught Lois Lane in mid-air gently but, due to the force of gravity, would have cut her into 3 equal parts when she struck his arms of steel. There’s a great deal of truth in these characters, particularly Sheldon. I still remember an after church lunch where my father and brother-in-law (both engineers) discussed the scientific fallacy of the song ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.” (It’s the air moving over the wing that creates lift, not underneath.)

It’s not just engineers who are susceptible to this type of rant. I’ll never forget the time I entered “An Annoying Little Sin” in the CITA sketch writing contest. Two judges gave me very high scores. The third judge ripped me a part, writing in big, capital letters: “THIS IS NOT A SKETCH! THIS IS A SKIT!”

Umm.. what?”

In fairness I’ve done the same thing, and I think you’ll agree I was right to do so (he says, tongue in cheek). My brother, the worship leader at a very progressive and artsy church, called and invited me to church one week to see a drama. I asked what it was about. He told me they had a trained ballerina who would be doing a drama to music.

Me: That’s not drama.
Bro: Yes it is.
Me: That’s not drama. It’s dance.
Bro: It’s dramatic.
Me: So was my last relationship. That doesn’t make it drama.

Just because something is dramatic (be it dance, signing to music, dowel rods), that doesn’t make it drama. Drama, simply defined, is storytelling on stage. No story, no drama.

That said, we as theater artists (especially those of us who “know better”) don’t have a license to tear down others who would define these things as drama. As brothers an sisters in Christ, we must not allow ourselves to become elitists. Any person who would stand on a stage and perform for the glory of God is deserving of encouragement and support. That's not to say that we should blindly applaud garbage when it's on stage. But if you can’t start at least acknowledge the heart of the artist, you have no basis for training them and helping them improve their craft. Why should they listen to you when all you’re going to do is tell them how wrong they are?

Don’t get me wrong; I long for a day when sign is sign, dance is dance, and drama is drama. After all, a seeker who comes to church and sees a dance when he is expecting a drama is definitely going to know the difference. But for some of us, it’s far past time to come down off our high horse and embrace our fellow performers, no matter what medium they use.