Show of hands – how many of you have suffered through a well-meant but poorly executed drama presentation in a church worship service? This kind of performance is often characterized by memorization difficulties, mechanically delivered lines, and/or a watered-down, ineffectual message. And to make matters worse, even the most ineffective work is usually, if not inadvertently, affirmed by congregants intending to be positive and uplifting. They offer comments like, “thank you for sharing your gift,” and “that was such a blessing” without applying the critical perspective a believer would typically apply to secular television shows, movies, books, or even radio.

This generosity undermines the church and lowers the standards to which we are called before God to reach. We are called to do all things as if unto God. That, by definition, cannot translate to “good enough is good enough.” Those of us granted the honor and privilege of standing before the church (in whatever capacity that may be) are required to strive for excellence. That’s not to say that church drama must always be done by professionals but even beginners can be excellent if they keep a few simple things in mind as they prepare.

1. Start with the Bible. You must, you must, you must start with the scripture. Even if you do not quote it or directly reference it, the Bible has to be the basis for everything you do as a group or individual performing before the church. It’s very tempting to take a popular cultural event, icon, or reference and use it as a springboard toward an intended message and there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with doing that. The departure point is when the cultural reference is the starting place. Culturally clever is not always the same as spiritually relevant. It’s far more challenging to set aside any preconceived notions or creative baggage and start with nothing but the Bible in your hand. That’s when being friends with a creative God gets really exciting.
2. Collaborate with the staff. A worship service should be approached holistically. Each element (music, preaching, drama) should have the same beginning and have the same goal in mind. Meet with the preacher/speaker and try to understand what he or she is trying to get across. Make certain that the tenor, tone, and tempo of the drama makes sense in the context of the message. You cannot do that in a vacuum. Make certain you speak with the worship leader as they often have the responsibility for maintaining a flow to the service. The worship leader is also likely to be the person responsible for any technical needs like microphones, lights, fog, lasers, and dancing bears that you may require. It doesn’t matter how well a particular piece is written or performed if people can’t figure out why it was there in the first place.
3. Use excellent material. If God has placed writers in your midst and you have laid the foundation with the previous two steps, you (and the audience) will almost always be better served by well written original material. If you are not blessed with writers, you will need to find material elsewhere. There are resources for scripts all over the internet – some free and some fee-based. You can also check your local Christian bookstore for script material. Regardless of where the material comes from, the fundamental question must always be, “Is it excellent?” To evaluate a script, ask the following questions: 1) Is the dialog natural? (Read it aloud to see if it sounds stilted, mechanical, or somehow unnatural. This can sometimes be fixed but some scripts are unsalvageable.), 2) Does it use a lot of “churchy” language? (The point is to make the difficult approachable. Avoid the wholly forgettable and savagely boring.), 3) Is there a hook? (Does the script have something about it that not only makes it memorable but also something that ties it directly to the message?), and 4) Does it make sense in the context of the worship service? (If it doesn’t, then what’s the purpose? Do not waste time with drama for its own sake.)
4. Train your bodies and voices. Performers have an obligation to do the best they can with what they have. This is not to say that you must be physically fit while taking voice lessons from an opera coach. You do, however, need to take the time to learn how to use what you have. Learn vocal exercises that will teach you how to use your entire face when you speak. Learn how to breathe properly so that you can project your voice. (There’s always that chance that the microphones can fail and you’re left without technological assistance to finish or fail on your own.) Learn how to stretch properly and learn relaxation exercises that will help you harness the inevitable adrenaline rush as the moment approaches. It’s a bit of work and you must start early to gain a meaningful benefit but training your body and voice will make them tools you can use instead of obstacles you have to overcome.
5. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. There’s an old adage in theatre circles that for every minute of performance you have to rehearse an hour. When working with experienced performers, you can stick to that and do pretty well. When working with inexperienced or amateur performers, I generally double that number. So, for a four minute drama, I’ll usually rehearse about 8-10 hours. That assumes that the actors have memorized their lines beforehand. I will often incorporate time in rehearsals to run exercises that aid in memorization but memorization cannot be the focus of rehearsal time. Rehearsals are about mechanics (where do we enter, where do we stand, can I sit or stand here, where are the set pieces, will there be light here, etc.) and relationships (between the characters or the characters and the audience, the characters’ motivations, etc.). Do not be afraid to work on details but do not get lost in the trees. You need to get to a point where you are running the drama through without stopping. Do it over and over and do it in the space you will perform if possible. There’s a completely different dynamic in the room when you go from a rehearsal space to a performance space. Do not let your performance be the first time you run it in the performance space.

These are only general guidelines and I’m not able, in this short space, to go into the level of depth and detail I would prefer but I think you get the general idea. At the risk of repeating myself, the key word is excellence. You don’t have to be Sir Lawrence Olivier or Meryl Streep to do excellent work but you do have to work at it and you must take it seriously. Present before Him, the very best you have and He will both honor it and be honored by it.