Righteous Insanity

No Need to Yell

I used to yell a lot. Particularly in the last week of rehearsals, I would yell. I wouldn't say I screamed, and I never, ever cussed. But I got upset, and I yelled.

The kids? They laughed.

There's something about me angry that people find funny. I've been told I have kind of a George Costanza way when I get angry. I thought I was convincing. I did marching band staff for years, and I yelled a lot. (Granted, most of that yelling was simply to be heard.) But when I yelled in an environment where the kids were not at attention, they laughed. Worse, they pandered to me. "Okay, Mr. Cosper, settle down, don't have a heart attack, It'll be okay."

I took a new approach when I took my current teaching job. Having heard Tony Dungy on Focus on the Family radio discuss his own approach to leadership - to talk, to correct, but never to yell, especially in anger - I resolved I would not yell. The occasional call for quiet still happens; when thirty people in a big auditorium are jabbering and you don't have a megaphone, you have to get their attention. But when action was needed, I resolved not to yell.

Four days before opening night was my biggest test. The kids at school are all very busy, and many frequently miss rehearsals for athletics and other events. One scene in the play was suffering terribly because of absences, and the actors were in the mood to play. We stopped, and we talked. I didn't yell; I simply told them the scene was a disaster waiting to happen. It was bad, and had always been bad. And they all needed to work together to fix it.

That was all it took. The scene got better. I didn't have to scream. All I had to do was make it clear they had to do the work.

Happy to say what works on the football field also works in the theater. As Christians we can set an example and be a light, not just in Christian settings but beyond. I've seen directors rail and scream and swear, in high school and in the professional realm. It gets the job done... but it's terribly unattractive. I think Coach Dungy's kinder gentler approach not only does the same job, but it would definitely leave a more lasting impact for the kingdom.

Five Quick Lessons for Every Actor

1. Speak loudly, clearly and slowly.

2. Do not turn your back to the audience.

3. Do not upstage your fellow performers; don't stand in front when someone else should be center of attention.

4. Don't just memorize; learn WHY your character is saying the words they say, not just what they say.

5. Don't miss your cues; stay sharp and pay attention

And one more thing... no the gum on stage!!!

Heart or Talent?

Which is more important: acting talent, or a heart for ministry?

No one can underestimate the value of a servant whose heart chases after God. When the heart is there, the Spirit is free to work. Egos are set aside, and the cross of Christ is put first in all things. When the heart is lacking, egos, busy schedules, and other priorities will quickly push your ministry to the backburner. Exalting of the self takes priority over exalting Christ.

But what if you have heart and no talent, no gift for acting? You might as well not do drama in the first place. Drama is useful because drama can reach where preaching cannot. When the skeptic, the seeker, or the doubter sees actors on stage, they relax. "I'm not going to be lectured; I'm going to be entertained." The mind is open, and the viewer sits up. "Here we are now, entertain us."

But if your actors are all heart and no talent, they'll sit back disappointed, mroe closed off than before. "Well, that was lame." You've lost them from the outset.

When you find people with the heart, cultivate the talent. Take them to acting classes and workshops. Study the craft of acting, and bring what you learn into rehearsals. Teach them about projecting their voices, portraying emotions, identifying character and subtext. Empower them to draw every ounce out of the 3-5 page script you downloaded of photocopied.

Odds are you won't have a lot of time to do this. None of us do. But make the time you have count. Make time to prepare for rehearsals. Plan ahead so you will come in prepared to teach and empower your actors, and not waste anyone's time. Know your crew, know what it takes to challenge them, and come ready to draw out the best in them.

The ones with heart will heed your challenge and rise to it. Give them and God your best, and they will do the same. Pursue excellence, so no person will have an excuse to not sit up and pay attention when you teach the gospel through drama.

We have a message that needs to be heard; do everything in your power to speak it well.

Yoda, Gollum, and Dobby - New Comedy Team?

Yoda, Gollum, and Dobby started as a writing challenge, when someone asked if I could write a skit with the three characters. Now... they have their own website!

Check out wwww.yodagollumdobby.com for free skits involving the verbally-challenged trio and more Star Wars and Harry Potter fun. It's all free if you can use it!

competition vs collaboration

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I work for a company that really needs to get its act together. My day job is for a national company with a number of branches that are so concerned with their own bottom line, they bicker, fight, and rip each other off rather than cooperate. What's more, the divisions within the branches and even corporate are also pitted against each other. It's not an "organization." It's a collective of sub-groups, each with their own focus, who are so concerned with their own benchmarks that getting something done for the good of the customer is next to impossible. Shipping fights with sales; sales fights credits; branch fights branch; IT fights everybody. Perhaps if some central figure brought everyone to the table - or better yet in the short term, simply took on absolute authority - some sort of cohesion could be restored and organization could be more than just an empty dream. But right now... it's chaos.

I was thinking about this as I left work for dress rehearsal at the school where I teach, thinking how lucky I am - for the moment - that the theater I direct there is not so divided. There's no bickering between front stage and backstage, wardrobe and props, or even administration and theater. There's a common goal and central leadership to keep everyone focused and working together.

I've been on youth committees where nothing gets done because everyone has to have a say and argue. I've been in churches where the music team fights the drama team and won't even allow them a five minute mic check while they spend fifteen tuning their guitars. When we become so divided that nothing gets done, order needs to be restored. God should be the ultimate authority, but there must be a desk where the buck stops. Doesn't matter if its a music minister, a worship arts minister, or whatever. Someone needs to take charge, bring everyone together, and post the same sign that hung outside the "We Are the World" recording session: Check your egos at the door.

United we stand. Divided... we look like total morons.

Corning, NY: Home of the best iced coffee in the world

If you’re ever driving down I-86 in Western New York, take the time to detour into Corning and stop by a little coffee shop on Main Street called Soulful Cup, home of the greatest coffee drink known to man: Soulful Cup’s iced Crème Brulee coffee.

I had my second Crème Brulee coffee yesterday when my wife and daughter and I arrived in town for a wedding. The first time I had such a drink was the weekend I met the bride and groom – Sharon and George – and two other friends, Brian and Sara, who would had a major impact on my life.

I was in Corning with Jamie and Shannon on the final extended tour for the Righteous Insanity touring group. We did an acting workshop in the morning with a writing workshop in the afternoon. Normally, I would have eaten lunch with our hosts or the church staff members while the other team members sat with students. This day, however, I sat with George and Sara… and life was never the same since.

We hit it off as a group with the pair. We managed to get them invited along to dinner that night, after which we went to that wondrous coffee shop. It was there we met Brian, and the following day at church we met Sharon. Matter of fact, we sort of ditched our hosts for the last meal before we left town because we were having too much fun with our new friends.

I’ve kept in touch with the four of them the last several years. They’ve been an amazing sounding board for jokes, script ideas, story ideas, and websites beyond Righteous Insanity. George and Brian were even in my wedding.

I’ve been so blessed to have these crazy New Yorkers as friends… and it wouldn’t have happened without me stepping out of my comfort zone that day.

We all face a choice, as leaders or just church members, to sit silently and only shake hands, or to really take a moment to get to know someone else. The easy thing to do is to sit back and be silent. But shyness will never bless you the way opening up to others will.

Two People You Need

There are two people you can't do without as a church drama leader.

Not everyone has them, but if you do, your work and your ministry will be truly blessed by their presence:

The Techie - There's nothing like having your own, dedicated techie to really make your drama productions run smoothly. I don't mean the guy who's there Sunday to run the sound board anyway. I mean a dedicated, practice-attending, go the the extremes techie. The kind of guy (or girl) who has every song and sound effect imaginable on his laptop, just in case he might need it. The kind of guy who can climb to the top of a ladder and stand on the very top to move a light two inches to the left without flinching. When you find a techie who totally commits to you and your team, buy them lunch once or twice a month. Give them gift cards to Home Depot and the Apple iStore. Bless them, for they will bless you more.

The Lady (or Guy) Who Can Get Anything - This is probably not an actor, nor a techie, but this is a person with connections who has a passion to see drama succeed in your church. They know people. They know who has what, where to find that obscure prop or costume item, and they can get it for you within 24 hours, usually at no cost to you. Any help that saves you time and effort is worth keeping around. Again, take this person to lunch regularly. When you need three lab coats or a super hero costume for a skit in two days, this is the person that will save your life.

New "Grab Bag" CD-Rom

This was a spur of the moment thing, one of those ideas you get at midnight that keeps you up three hours. I was sorting through the new material I've written in the last year when I started looking at the material labeled "Old Writing Jobs." After I deleted a number of skits that I regretted losing years back, I have always, ALWAYS saved everything. The trouble is not everything fits neatly into the RI catalog, and not everything fits neatly with my publishers' needs either.

Some of the stuff is dated. And some stuff... eh, kinda corny. But all of it had a purpose and a use at one time. Who's to say some clever drama leader or worship planner can't shake the dust off and make them useful again?

Introducing the Righteous Insanity grab bag, a CD rom with over 140 unique and oddball skits and plays. The CD includes skits skits that were written for VBS programs, sermon series, kids camps, western plays, dinner theaters. Almost all came as a result of my writing service.

The scripts on the Grab Bag are yours to play with, edit, modify, and produce for your own church or theater ministry. Whether you're looking for a new idea for a sermon series, planning VBS, or just curious to see what strange ideas other folks have found useful, the Grab Bag has something for everyone... except fans of average slice of life drama.

To order the Grab Bag, go to www.righteousinsanity.com/cdrom.html

They Only Come Twice a Year...

When I was in college, I attended a church with a very sharp psychologist turned pastor. He was an excellent preacher 50 weeks of the year. But on 2 Sundays - Christmas and Easter - he kicked it up a notch. The twice a year attendees who came on those two Sundays got an in your face, no holds barred assault from a man who knew how to lay the smackdown. Christmas and Easter wasn't just about the birth and resurrection. He brought it all that Sunday: abortion, adultery, moral absolutes, homosexuality. You name it, it was in there. He knew he had two chances a year to make an impact, and he aimed to make an IMPACT. I admired his gusto at the time... though in retrospect, I wonder how many people ever came back the week after.

Fast forward about ten years. Same church, new location, new seeker-friendly attitude. Gone is the now retired psychologist with a seminary degree. In with the folksy people person with the big smile. The Christmas carols were still there, accompanied by a rock band instead of an organ. But the hard-hitting sermon was gone in favor of a 30 minute drama so forgettable, the only thing I remember is that there was a fireplace. After the drama came five minutes of "I love you, you love me" talk, followed by the big finale number. The stage filled with singers, actors, Nativity characters, live sheep, and a ballerina who had one move that she did back and forth. The only thing missing was a big, flashing neon sign with the message, "Happy Birthday, Jesus, from your pals."

I'm not gonna say one is right or one is wrong. I share these stories to pose a few questions.

How do you intend to impact those twice-a-year people this Easter?

Are you doing it for their sake, for the church's image, or for God?

The Preaching Thespian

Just found another great blog for all of you out there who might be beginners, or just looking for an excuse to incorporate drama into one of your church's ministries. He has some great insights into production as well as how you can use drama in your church. Check out the Preaching Thespian at

thepreachingthespian.wordpress.com