What the theater has taught me about faith
By Jessica Brodie
My daughter has been cast in a community theater production this spring, which is bringing back some amazing memories of my own childhood acting experiences. I’m a professional writer, and I’ve reflected before on the strong ties between the theater and the writing process. (You can read that blog here.) In fact, I like to equate writing to acting—getting into character for a role onstage is a lot like getting into “the zone” when I sit down to write. I must lose myself, clear my head, focus, and let the process take over.
But watching her rehearsals recently, I’m realizing there are also a lot of parallels between my faith walk and the theater.
Here are a few:
Fake it till you make it (A.K.A. the show must go on)
Sometimes when I was doing a play, I didn’t feel well. I’d had a bad day or a fight with my friend, or I was tired. I didn’t feel like mustering the energy to get up there, throw myself into the role, and perform. But people were counting on me, and I couldn’t let them down. As they say, “The show must go on.” So I’d fake it, and my habits and training would take over. I’d slip into character, and pretty soon I wasn’t thinking about me or my bad day anymore. I was thinking about my character and what I needed to do for the play. I was performing.
In life, too, sometimes we feel low. We are in a valley. At those times, just showing up can be half the proverbial battle. We might not feel like going to church, but if we push ourselves and get there, the message sinks in. I might not feel emotionally capable of doing a particular ministry that day (or ever), but just going and doing it might make a difference for one soul—maybe even mine.
Study your lines
You can’t get onstage unless you know your part, and learning your part means knowing your script backwards and forwards. You need to study your lines so they roll off your tongue naturally, or if someone else falters around you, you can step in and fill in for them so things can carry on.
It’s the same thing with faith. Knowing the word of God intimately and thoroughly helps us do what is needed. It plants the seed in our heart and helps it grow even when we aren’t fully “on.” It helps us evangelize and get the word out instinctively and habitually.
There are days I don’t feel like reading the Bible. But making myself do it is critical. It seeps in despite me and my obstacles.
Project to the audience
On film it’s different, but in theater, your voice needs to be heard by everyone—the people in the front row, as well as the people in the back row. That means speaking from your diaphragm and angling your body so that you are turned outward toward the crowd. You must project your message to your audience.
In our faith, we also need to project our message to our audience. Every one of us is called to spread the Good News, whether through words, service, or example. We need to live our lives as a reflection of what it looks like to be a Christian, to spend our days always thinking about other people and how we can shine Christ’s light to them.
These are just three examples. Can you think of more? Share in the comments below!
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