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September 2002 Table of Contents
Special Feature
Using Drama for Outreach
By Kimberly R. Messer
It is such a blessing when I'm on the road traveling to meet others involved in drama ministry. I'm always amazed and thrilled to hear about what God is doing through drama across the country. I love to hear how it is touching and changing people's lives. Many times, the stories revolve around a two-person sketch or monologue-a simple piece that has impacted someone in a deeply personal way.
This summer at J & J Music's conference in the Smokies, I performed a monologue called "On the Edge" that addresses the differences between our earthly fathers and our heavenly One. Afterwards a gentleman came and told me that the monologue was just what he needed to see. God had been talking to him about the very subject the monologue addressed, and it helped him solidify the choices God was asking him to make.
The drama used in worship impacts both believers and non-believers alike. Worship drama, whether seeker-oriented or bent towards a believer's mindset, is for the person in the pew. It's for the person who's taken the sometimes-difficult step to show up on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening.
But there is another great way to use drama that many churches have discovered in recent years. They are using drama for outreach. Outreach projects are not new to the church, and using drama for such purposes is actually a centuries-old practice. Stories from the bible were once acted out on wagons or on the front steps of temples to bring in skeptics or those perhaps opposed to community worship.
Today, we recognize that many people have been alienated from the church for a variety of reasons, and many of these people are not comfortable attending a worship service. Some of these people won't even enter the church for seasonal productions or special events. It's to these very people that fun-filled outreach drama is geared toward.
Good outreach drama breaks down walls in our communities by being non-threatening, being interactive, and by being a vehicle that communicates love for God through an entertaining evening. When churches, not just the dramatists in the church, catch the vision for what an outreach project can do, it not only impacts the community, it brings church members together in amazing ways too.
In fact, those are the very comments I've received over and over the last two years following the release of Uncle Phil's Diner-an interactive dinner theatre piece set in a diner in the 1950s. I can't number the many stories of churches that worked together to reach out to the community with overwhelming success using this fun play.
The play was published a couple of years ago by Lillenas, and it features zany characters, food, fun games with the audience, and a 50s rock 'n roll band. The actors are the wait staff, and they spend the evening between interacting with the audience and a few short scripted scenes and events that occur on a simple set.
Because the first Uncle Phil's was such a success, Lillenas has now released Uncle Phil's Diner 2: Badger Homecoming 1957. This sequel follows suit with many of the same characters and a few new ones, and it can be played as a sequel or on its own.
You won't find any deep spiritual messages in either of these plays. They are designed to help bridge the gap for non-believers not interested in going to church, but who will accept an offer for an evening of fun. Both offer just two examples of how a dramatic outreach event can be put together. There are varieties of sources for dinner theatre available.
Whether you choose an Uncle Phil's piece or another, I really hope you'll consider a project such as this for your church or one that you partner with several churches to pull off.
Develop a vision for impacting your community, and as you go, remember who your audience is. Remember that reaching the lost sometimes involves dismantling the stereotype that Christians are just a bunch of stuffy followers of a prophet named Jesus. Show your community how your church can come together to celebrate God's love by using drama for outreach.
"On the Edge" is from The Worship Drama Library, Vol. 16 by Colleen Gray.
Look for the ad for Uncle Phil's Diner 2 on page X.
Kim Messer
Kim Messer is Product Line Manager of Lillenas Drama and Editor of the Lillenas Drama Newsletter in Kansas City, MO. She has spent time both on stage and backstage. Before working at Lillenas, she worked at Nashville Children's Theatre as a Technical assistant in the areas of scenic painting, construction, and prop acquisition, and as a scenic builder for Theatre for Young America in Kansas City. While earning her degree in Dramatic Arts and Communication Studies, she traveled as an actor with Masterworks Touring Company. She enjoys directing and has a passion for excellence in drama ministry. Kim resides in Kansas City with husband Chuck and their daughter Emma.
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