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for Schools, October 21, 2003
From Pinocchio to Christmas Eve
Drama in Our Lutheran Schools
Jeffrey E. Burkart
Part Two appeared in a later edition
of ths eNewsletter
Click on the links below to read
the other part:
Part One: It’s Show Time!
Part Two: Growth
in Faith and the Ability to Express It
It’s Show Time!
"Why do you look at me so, eyes of wood?" were the
first lines I spoke on stage in my school’s
musical version of Pinocchio. I played the
part of Gepetto and was made up to look like an old
man by a pound of grease paint and a white wig made
of angel hair. Under the wig I wore a pink rubber
cap which gave the illusion that I was bald. Pinocchio’s
first action was to pull off the wig and reveal my
hairless pate to the audience. It got a big laugh
and Pinocchio and I milked it for all it was worth.
Everybody worked hard on memorizing lines, painting
sets, and learning the songs. We got together in small
groups to rehearse our lines before, during, and after
school. At home, my parents listened to me say my
lines as they read my cues. During the week before
the operetta, traditional schoolwork was put on hold
as everyone, quite literally, got "into the act."
We played to a packed house and when the curtain fell
for the last time, there was a strange mixture of
joy, relief, and sadness that we experienced because
we knew that we had been involved in a special event
that could never again be duplicated. After 33 years
that experience still lingers in my memory.
An Extra in the Chorus
Playing the part of Gepetto was my first "starring"
role, but my most intense memories date from when
I was merely an extra in the chorus of a long-running,
annual drama that started with the words: "And it
came to pass in those days that there went out a decree
from Caesar Augustus…" The scenery was always
the same: a manger, a spruce tree decorated with lights
and chrismons. The characters were the same: Mary,
Joseph, assorted shepherds, Wise Men (who were the
tallest guys in the class and could carry the tune
of "We Three Kings"). The music was the same: the
Quempas Carol (sung alternatingly by the choirs in
the balcony and in the nave); "Joy to the World,"
and "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful" (used as the processional).
Everyone memorized the Bible passages, hymns, and
carols that made up the Christmas Eve service. When
the service was over, I experienced that mix of joy,
relief, and sadness that always accompanies the completion
of something larger than life.
Doing "Dramatic Things" Every Day
When we provide children with experiences in drama,
we do more than create memories; we give them the
opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally, artistically,
and spiritually. Drama is involving; it calls us into
an active, creative process that cuts across numerous
disciplines. When we "dramatize the curriculum," we
give students a new way of thinking about the subjects
they are studying. In addition to deepening their
understanding, dramatic activities also help students
to explore and express their attitudes, beliefs, and
feelings about what they are studying. Dramatizing
the curriculum means that we will intentionally look
for ways to incorporate drama in our day-to-day teaching
across content areas. It assumes that we will take
the time to view our curriculum through the eyes of
a playwright, stage manager, director, actor/actress,
set/lighting designer, vocal/musical director, etc.,
and incorporate appropriate dramatic activities throughout
the day. If we focus our attention on "big events"
and miss day-to-day opportunities to involve children
in drama, we are doing them a disservice.
The importance of something can sometimes be measured
by how frequently we make use of it. Scenario: A teacher
does a three-week poetry unit in which the benefits,
joys, and importance of poetry are extolled. After
the unit is over, the teacher neither reads nor has
the children write poetry for the remainder of the
year. Result: The children have learned that poetry
is something merely to be endured for three weeks;
it really isn’t that important and can, for
all purposes, be avoided for all but about 15 days
a year.
Contrast this to the teacher who makes poetry a
commonplace occurrence; who reads it aloud often;
who encourages children to write it often and who
writes it herself; who points out how it impacts our
lives from the hymns we sing to the songs we hear
on the radio. In this classroom, children will see
the value of poetry because the teacher’s behavior
shows that it’s important. This is true about
all that we teach.
We need to think about how to incorporate dramatic
activities throughout the year and across the curriculum.
We need to remember all the positive things that happen
as a result of doing the "big shows" and make them
happen on smaller scales in our classrooms on a day-to-day
basis.
Positive Experiences
Think for a moment about some of the things we want
our students to experience. We want out students to
cooperate with others; experience individual achievement;
celebrate and encourage the success of others; have
the ability to memorize; grow in their faith and be
able to express it to others; have a strong worship/devotional
life; develop their interpretive and analytical abilities;
develop strong relationships with classmates and teachers;
develop writing, speaking, and leadership skills;
design, and build; develop creative, aesthetic, artistic,
and athletic abilities.
Cooperation with Others
In their book Learning Together and Alone,
David and Roger Johnson state: "No aspect of human
experience is more important than cooperative interaction
with others" (Johnson, D.W. and Johnson, R.T., 1975.
Learning Together and Alone. Prentice Hall,
Inc.: Engelwood Cliffs, NJ, p. 25). Drama is an art
form, which is cooperative in nature. It is a synthetic
art, which is dependent on cooperation between director,
actors, scriptwriter, artistic designers, etc. Dramatic
activities provide students and teachers with opportunities
to work with each other toward common goals. Every
line is important because it provides the cue for
someone else’s line; every movement or gesture
needs to be done with precision because others depend
on it for their response; every set change needs to
be coordinated with everyone so that the desired effect
is achieved. Dramatic activities can be effective
means through which cooperative learning can be encouraged
and practiced; they provide a wealth of cooperative
interactions that allow students to solve problems
as they work toward common goals.
Individual Achievement
While over 90% of human interaction is cooperative
(Johnson, p. 14), dramatic activities also allow
students to make strides in personal achievement
as well. The vast majority of dramatic activity
takes place in group settings, but individual practice,
reflection, and study need to take place if lines
are to be learned and interpreted or if facial expressions
and gestures are to be done appropriately. Watching
oneself in front of a mirror, listening to an audio
recording, or watching a video of a rehearsal can
help individuals assess their performance’s
strengths and weaknesses and test their progress
through self-evaluation. Dramatic activities help
students to understand how important their individual
preparation is because drama is a codependent art;
each individual needs to strive to be the very best
he or she can be if the performance is to be satisfying.
As a result, individual difference can be celebrated
because each person’s performance is unique
and essential for the success of the production.
Celebrate and Encourage the Success of Others
Whenever I have the opportunity to direct a drama
or musical, I try to help students encourage each
other and celebrate what they are doing before, during,
and after each rehearsal and performance. They need
to be taught how to celebrate and encourage one another
because our sinful nature so easily works against
the spirit of cooperation. In spite of the tendency
that some students have to be prima donnas (or dons,
as the case may be), drama can be the vehicle through
which celebration and encouragement takes place.
A few weeks ago, I directed 16 students in a series
of dramas I had written based on stories from the
Bible. (I should also mention we had 16 talented people
in the crew as well.) Each day we prayed for one another,
gave thanks for work well done, and celebrated the
gifts that God has bestowed on each of us. When the
performances were over (we played to over 1900 people
in four days), I told my cast how pleased and thankful
I was for each one of them. They responded in kind,
because we had been involved together in creating
something special.
It’s always a little risky to do a live performance
because whenever you’re "out front," you’re
subject for public criticism. A term paper given to
a teacher is something most often evaluated in private;
public performance is another thing and critics can
be brutal. However, when learning is viewed from the
perspectives of celebration and encouragement, we
help students to focus on positive aspects of the
experience — not the negative criticism. In
that context, there is a celebration of accomplishment
where students are given the courage (encouragement)
to attempt other performances at even higher levels
of achievement. That’s worth some "out front"
risk taking.
Memorization (avoiding "flop sweat")
Nothing is more risky than reciting something
in front of a group. There isn’t one of us
who hasn’t looked upon memorization as a tedious
chore, yet there isn’t one of us who doesn’t
see its value. The reason memorization is difficult
is because when it’s assigned, we don’t
always see its value. It is ironic that unimportant
stuff (i.e., advertising jingles, pop song lyrics)
seems to be easy to memorize, while Bible passages,
the catechism or the Nicene Creed elude our best
attempts at memorization.
Well, maybe that’s the problem. We think
we’re giving our best efforts at memorization
when, in fact, we only give a cursory, last minute
effort. Maybe the reason we can memorize punch lines
to jokes, fast-food ads, and lyrics to country-western
songs is that they are presented in more dramatic
ways than typical memory work assignments. It is
true that we hear them repeated often, but mere
repetition, as memory experts tell us, is no guarantee
of success. Say the books of the Bible in their
order right now and see if you get stuck. Recite
Luther’s explanation to the Second Article
of the Apostles’ Creed in front of your students
(sans crib sheet) and you might feel "flop sweat"
forming on your brow. (Flop sweat: Realizing that
you’ve forgotten your lines or are about to
forget your lines while performing "live" can cause
you to get a knot in your stomach, sweaty hands
and forehead (flop sweat), and a dry mouth all at
the same time. If you have ever had this happen
to you, you know what I mean; if you haven’t,
there’s no way I can explain this feeling
of dread that accompanies the "flop sweat syndrome.")
Try treating memory work as something to be dramatically
interpreted by small groups of students. It shouldn’t
be assigned simply as a rote exercise to be learned
alone; it should be considered something to be rehearsed
with others. When you prepare a drama, you always
spend the first rehearsals reading through the lines,
explaining and discussing ideas contained in the
play, and analyzing what each line means. The same
should be true of any dramatic memory work assignment.
After the vocabulary is learned and ideas are brainstormed,
the writing and rehearsing can begin.
For example, Luther’s explanation to the
First Article of the creed could be treated as an
exercise in oral interpretation by having small
groups of students discuss, dissect, interpret,
and perform it. Each phrase or word could be seen
as something to be presented dramatically as a mini-drama
performed with appropriate vocal and facial expressions
and gestures. Here’s an example of a mini-drama
based on Luther’s explanation of the First
Article. It could be used in a classroom or a worship
service. It’s written for a cast of four students
(S1 through S4) with movement directions in italics
and dialog in bold face.
Luther’s Explanation to
the First Article
of the Apostles’ Creed — A Mini-Drama
(Students enter together and speak with authority)
All: I believe that God has made me (hands
touch chest) and all (both hands sweep
outward) creatures;
S1: that He has given me my body and soul, eyes,
ears (point to eyes and ears), and
all my members, my reason (touch forehead
with hands) and all my senses,
All students together: and still (clench
fists) takes care of them.
S2: (next phrases spoken in rapid succession
— actors look around the audience as they
speak):
He also gives me clothing and shoes,
S3: meat and drink,
S4: house and home,
S1: wife and children,
S2: land, animals,
S3: and all I have;
S4: He richly and daily provides me with all
that I need to support this body and life.
S1: (hands covering face in protection gesture):
He defends me against all danger
S2: (both hands forward in "stop" gesture):
And guards and protects me from all evil.
All: (slowing down): All this purely out
of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy (all
kneel and speak slowly and softly), without
any merit or worthiness in me.
S3: (with hands, face, and foices raised to heaven):
For all this it is my duty to thank
S4 (same gesture): and praise,
S1 (same gesture): serve
S2 (same gesture): and obey Him.
All (holding hands together, speaking with conviction):
This is most certainly true. (All bring
hands down and bow heads.)
Each group will, no doubt, come up with different
ways of interpreting the words of the passage to
be memorized, but the act of assigning parts, developing
gestures, and writing the script will help students
make the words meaningful to each other and to their
audience. Additionally, their dramatic scripting
of the memory work will help them to speak with
conviction and remember the meaning of the words
for the long term; no monotone, rapid fire, "just
memorized enough to get by" recitation that often
characterizes how memory work is said.
Click on the link to read part two: Growth
in Faith and the Ability to Express It
Jeffrey E. Burkart is a professor at Concordia University,
St. Paul, Minnesota.
This is the first part
of an article that first appeared in New Dimensions:
Music and the Arts in Lutheran Education (Concordia
Publishing House, Volume 4, No. 1, Fall, 1995).
Part 2 of the article will be included in a subsequent
issue of Enews for Schools.
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