East Kilbride Arts Centre is the next venue for Theatre Broad with Peter Pan Man and – of course – my JMB & M’Connachie.
Friday 25th May at 7.30pm
Tickets from: 01355 261000
I was on welcoming duty at my church yesterday and very struck, as I often am, by the theatre of worship. There are never-changing scenes with familiar words and music. Yet, when a christening, wedding or funeral is taking place, there can be truly heart stopping ‘and then’ moments.
The tale of a lost python, the young mum so pre-occupied by the christening lunch, she began to leave and had to be called back by the Minister’s gentle, “I haven’t finished yet” or the baby yelling, while a shy bride tells her vows.
The Passion Plays and the Morality plays brought religious thought to the non educated masses for centuries, but it’s difficult to know whether the church’s sense of the theatrical led or follows.
The Church of Scotland congregation doesn’t use colourful robes, but colour floods into many of its buildings through their stained glass. A stage dressed for sober hued Ministers to engage their followers by the quality of their sermons is a challenging proposition.
Indeed yes, Anne. I actually prefer the sober dress of the minister to the meaningful robes of the priest, because as you say, the numerous variety of occasions that occur bring theatrical visualisation and emotion to the listener. I find that a well delivered sermon, even without props, can be incredibly moving. It’s voice delivery, body language and well planned structure that brings it all together.
Hi Patricia, I think sermons must be really difficult to write, but it’s good to leave a service with something to worry at productively for the following week.