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.