Drama, the Visual Language Part 5

Drama, What Does It Mean?




It is speculated that drama can be traced back to the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Explorers found drawings or paintings illustrating situations and events being acted out on the walls of the pyramids. So, you see, situations being acted out aren't new, but maybe that's going back too far for us. Drama was used a lot by most civilizations for entertainment. During the rule of Rome, drama and theater was used and abused to a large extent. The church disowned such entertainment because of the subject matter. Later, however, the Roman church adapted the medium to be used again. Priests became the actors and the script was the Bible. Such biblical reenactments were known to last as long as many hours to literally many days. One reference accounted a church play to last forty days. We won't be doing that, so take a deep breath and be glad you don't live during the Roman era. Let's bring the drama history lesson a little closer to home.



What does drama mean? The word "drama" in the Greek (dromenon) means,"to do". Ancient authors gave scripts to actors, but only told the actor what to do, not what to say. There wasn't any dialogue to speak, so actors relied on their expression and actions to convey the message of the play. Actors developed a character so well that they could convey the whole message and not even speak one word. This book is an effort to encourage actors to learn what it really means to develop a believable character.

The mime technique was one of the first methods of communicating through drama. The, "doing", or the action was the language that early actors used to tell the story. The book of James in the Bible tells us to be doers of the word, not hearers only. Drama truly is the visual language. You've heard the saying, "actions speak louder than words", and it really is true. As an actor you must discover the true language of drama…and that is, "doing". Traditional thinking leads you to believe that drama is a lot of speaking and not much of anything else. I hope to show you that there is much more to the drama process and developing a believable character than learning lines and speaking them when it's your turn. Popular thought among the inexperienced is that simply learning the lines makes you an actor. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. You can't explore the character development process until you memorize the words. As a director I would commend you on your memorizing skills, but then thrust you into two weeks of blocking and note taking. I would give you assignments that would help you discover the character that I've asked you to make believable. Character development is hard work and takes more than just your ability to memorize. Memorizing is just the beginning of the character development process. Always keep in mind that drama is doing, action and movement. As we've learned more about the communication process through the years, we've added dialogue to help communicate the message in a more natural way. Adding the appropriate words to the appropriate actions makes for an enjoyable setting. One without the other is half finished. Many church plays I watch have a tendency to be half finished in their presentation. This is mainly due to the lack of experience in the acting (doing) element. Many church plays are under worked in the acting area and over the top on huge flats and props, and last way too long. I recently attended an Easter play that lasted over three hours. That's far too long for a single setting.



8.

Let's get back to our subject in this session. As you proceed through the character development process, always keep in mind that drama is doing…action…movement.



The Dramatic Approach



We all know how music can draw people into the process of worship. Music is usually less offensive than preaching. Drama does the same thing. However, drama invites people into the process in a different way. Drama in the church offers an entirely different atmosphere. People will come to the play when they won't come to hear you preach. In drama, the audience enters into the arena of worship when they themselves feel comfortable with it and they decide it’s time. They laugh because they decide it’s funny. They cry because they decide to do it. Drama is usually the least offensive communication and often convinces the listener to relax. The visitors in your audience are more apt to attend your drama rather than your traditional church service because they feel they won't be preached at. Easter and Christmas is generally when we have the most visitors because they expect to come and see a play or musical in an inoffensive atmosphere. Since that is true maybe we need to do drama more times throughout the year. I know a few churches actually minister with drama every Sunday morning. It didn't happen over night, but slowly evolved into what it has become today. People expect to see a short sketch that either introduces the theme of the pastor's message or a concept that the leadership is trying to communicate to the whole church body. With the right organization and discipline, an on going drama ministry can greatly enhance the evangelistic efforts as well as bring variety to the church services.

Now churches are seeing the drama concept being an effective tool to take the gospel message on the street or into the community. The last five years I have had the opportunity to minister on busy street corners and parks of major cities. I was amazed at the response. Again, because the atmosphere is totally in the control of the pedestrian, people are okay with stopping and watching. They can leave when they want or stay if they want.

CODE This year

If you are wanting more instruction on drama ministry...please visit our site at www.dramacode.com for locations and dates.

Father's Day material

If you are looking for Father's Day material...we have a really fun reader's theater called, "What a Man Really Wants...or whatever". The nice thing about reader's theater is you don't have memorize the piece. It is dramatically read in character with all the neat little nuances and expressions. So, the reader does need to be familiar with the story line, rise and fall of the expressions and ebb and flow of the story.
As a reader you have control of the unfolding of the story, but you don't move in the piece. Most of the time reader's sit on stools with their scripts on music stands or can be hand held depending on whether they are using lapel mics or not.
If you haven't performed a reader's theater piece, then try onew this year for Father's Day. You can download, "What a Man Really Wants...or whatever" at www.howitiller.com/MothersFathersDay.htm.

Drama, the Visual Language Part 4

Slice of Life "Slice of Life", is a term that I use to describe a style of drama that addresses everyday life situations. When writing about life, I look for the universal humor, challenges and victories. Our days are full of interesting situations (slices) that make our day whole. From the moment you get up in the morning until the moment you lay down at night, there are little slices of life that make for great drama. Often times it's something humorous or laboring or rewarding. It's usually an event that every family or married couple has experienced. To be a successful actor, you must find that common denominator that makes your character a believable part of the whole.Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:Example #1A piece of mail came to our house. As I was thumbing through the stack, my wife asked if there was any mail for her. I said, "Yes. It was a dear occupant letter", and put it on the counter for her to read later. She said, "How do you know it's for me, then?" I innocently said, "because it had something to do with loosing weight and fat in-take." I'm still alive to tell you that we both saw the humor in it and it became a slice of life sketch that we use in almost every dinner drama we do. She later found another dear occupant letter. I asked who it was for and she said it was definitely for me. I asked how she could tell. She said, "Have you every heard of Rogaine, the product for balding men?" You see, both of the subjects touched life in a real way. We used it in a humorous way. Humor is a great way to touch on sensitive subjects, but don't use it to cut the other one down. Let the humor unfold in a natural way, but try not to let closure take place until the play or sketch can have a happy ending.Example #2I was standing in line at a photography store waiting for my slide film to be developed. As I was waiting, an elderly lady wanted to buy one roll of film. The man working at the counter wanted to sell her a multi-pack of film. She told the man she just wanted one roll for her granddaughter's wedding and that one roll would be enough. The man remarked that the multi-pack isn't that much more expensive and the film was good until 2004. The elderly woman looked at the man and said, "Son, I don't even know if I'm good for that long". I've used that situation in one of my old man routines because it sounds like something an elderly person would say. It was a real slice of life. As you go through your daily life listen to people and watch them. You will learn neat things about life that make great additions to your writing or acting skills.Example #3I included a line in a short sketch from something my youngest daughter said while we were eating at Wendy's. When she was 3 years old she said, "I like cheeseburgers with cheese on them". I thought that was cute and worked it into a scene of a short sketch I wrote for a four-year-old son and his father to do while they were eating at McDonald's.

6.Listen to people while you are waiting in line at the grocery store. Listen to conversations in the mall or airport. You'll hear everyday life happening all around you. Everyday life makes great material for the Slices of Life. Not only listen, watch their actions very closely. Watch how people walk. Do they swing one arm more than the other? Do they shift their weight when they walk? Does their head bounce when they walk? Watching and listening to people is how I may go about deciding what things I may include when I create a character that I've been cast for.Character Development Exercise:This is an exercise that I will introduce to a new cast. Have your cast form a circle. Starting with the person on your left, have them walk to the center of the circle and say their name and then return back to their place in line. As they walk to the center, say their name and return, make sure the others in the circle take mental note of how that person walks, how they swing their arms. Answer some questions like…did they look down, did they focus on one person, did one arm swing more then the other. Did they walk fast or slow and did they lead with their shoulders? Were they shy, were they bold, were they embarrassed and so on? Now, everyone take everything that you observed by watching that one person and walk to the center of the circle as if you were that person. They will watch all of you as you do them. Then the next person will walk to the center of the circle, say their name, return back to their place in line and you will all do them. Then, the next person and so on. You can learn many things from watching people. You might see something in the way a certain person walks or swings their arms that you want to add to your character. Watch people in the mall or airport or even people you see everyday. If you've been asked to play a 5-year-old, then you need to spend time with 5 year olds. Listen to the way they talk. Listen to the purity of their words. Slang and euphemisms haven't dirtied their language. In fact some of the best communicators are children about the age of 2-3. They convince us with actions, facial expressions and movement because they haven't developed their language yet. Remember drama is doing. If you've been asked to portray an elderly person, then visit with some at the local retirement home. Visit with your grandparents. Watch how they walk. Do they shuffle their feet? Do their hands tremor? Watch how many extra considerations they have to go through just sit down and the process it takes for them to get up from sitting. BRING A PENCIL TO REHEARSAL