A Catholic Theater Director’s Balance Sheet

The curtain has closed. The applause has long ended. The props are stored, and the last of the costumes are drying on the clothesline in my backyard. This summer’s community theater musical is, as they say, in the books. As producer/director, I have a pretty good idea of how our income from ticket sales and donations balances against this year’s expenses. But I wonder how the balance sheet from our show appears to the greatest Producer of all, my Almighty Father.

Who has benefited from our production? What positive message has it spread? What uplifting experiences have the actors, musicians, and stage crew members had? What goodwill has it brought about in the community? On the other hand, are there negative experiences caused by the production? Have we lost focus on important aspects of our lives as a result of weeks spent preparing for performances? Did the script contain any immoral content reflective of our flawed culture? How do we stand in the balance?

The Influence of Entertainment

In his book, Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture, Bishop Robert Barron outlines Christian messages and themes in contemporary books and movies. Popular entertainment is powerfully influential. This is a source of satisfaction to me when I find a script that I feel will bring out the best in people. It also is a source of concern, since from our early adolescence we are aware that some entertainment has a negative influence. Plainly stated, entertainment can be downright immoral.

While literary analysts claim that art imitates life, the reverse happens as well. Do we not sometimes inadvertently model our clothes, speech, and even our attitudes after characters and celebrities whom we admire? This phenomenon is ever before me as I consider material to bring to the stage in my community. For a Christian to be an artist or an entertainer is no trivial thing. Rather, it is an awesome responsibility.

Unsettling Experiences for a Christian Artist

The past year has brought me experiences that caused me to re-evaluate my avocation as the leader of an adult community theater troupe. Other troupes in my area began performing shows with content that I found questionable. I say they began, but it is likely that this has been going on and I only recently became aware of it. In any case, I need to take that awareness as an action of the Spirit in my life. It requires serious thought.

At one show I attended, I was shocked to see an amateur community theater group performance that rivaled the most shocking and provocative scenes on a Broadway stage. I felt it was even more awkward than it would have been in a professional setting. After all, there is a degree of anonymity in a Broadway performance. We don’t know the actors, nor are we likely to run into them in the grocery story. Conversely, an amateur production happens in a community of people who know each other. How embarrassing it can be to see one’s neighbor after witnessing their immodest actions or profane speech in a show the evening before.

What bothered me more than the script or the actors’ mannerisms was the response of the audience. They roared; they cheered; they urged the actors on. If the cheers had been for a skillful dance or dramatic scene, it may have been suitable. But the raucous encouragement was for the obscene jokes and actions on stage. How very disheartening for a devout Catholic to watch.

In another situation, I was asked to assist with a production in which some good friends were involved. I eagerly agreed to help. After learning about the script, though, I found myself conflicted. Without going into unnecessary detail, I can only report that the demands of the script were nothing suitable for Christians. How could I help my friends when doing so meant violating my conscience? I could not, and so I removed myself from the project.

Questions and Reflections

After these unsettling experiences, I was full of questions. First, how could I be so far from my friends in terms of what I found appropriate? Relying on my faith, I could only hope that the Lord would guide me to be neither judgmental nor naïve. I needed to strive for humility as well as an accurate moral compass.

My second question related to the example I had set so far. Perhaps my very involvement in theater was problematic in and of itself. I mean, my group produces mainstream shows. While I am careful to choose appropriate and wholesome titles, perhaps just being a mainstream community theater producer signals to others that I’m okay with all of the shows that are published these days.

These reflections led me to search for options for a Christian theater director. I learned that there are companies that publish Christian plays, even exclusively Catholic plays about saints and such. This is an area that I need to study further. Imagine knowing that a show you produced led someone closer to the Lord! What a gift that would be. It is worth considering whether to change the kind of show my troupe does. It would be a monumental shift, but then sometimes our Great Producer asks that of us, doesn’t He?

Discoveries and Positive Messages

Before I got very far in my research, it was time to plan this summer’s show. The Christian and Catholic scripts I had found would draw a specific kind of audience and needed a different venue than what we typically use. I was not able, yet, to make adequate preparations for this new genre. So I chose a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic and proceeded as usual.

During our rehearsal period, I noticed something about my troupe. We had real discussions about the script’s content. We spoke about how it might affect our audience. One scene dealt with the heavy subject of suicide. We consulted a counselor for advice on safe treatment of this issue. My actors had a genuine concern for the audience’s welfare as well as their enjoyment of the show.

Our audiences, too, were uplifting. They applauded gratefully, laughed joyfully, and shared their perspectives with us individually afterward in the theater lobby, during chance meetings in town later on, and at church the next Sunday. We received emails and congratulatory comments on our social media pages.

On opening night, I asked some of the teenagers in our troupe about their experience with this show. “I suppose you prefer some of the more contemporary shows,” I said, by way of opening the dialogue.

“No,” was the quick and clear reply. “No,” one teen girl repeated. “Let’s keep doing these classics.”

Making a Difference

One of my senior citizen actors shared with me that after the show a special needs woman approached him and gave him a big hug. The actor told me, “It’s hard to know all the time if you are making a difference in somebody’s life.” Then he thanked me for enabling him to participate in our troupe.

The critics have spoken. Our actors and audiences like what we do. That includes our commitment to uplifting, wholesome theater, and my tacit but unyielding refusal to cave to entertainment with explicit, lewd content. The balance sheet on that score shows a healthy profit.

What about the future? More research is needed into those intriguing scripts that highlight heroic saints. The Creator Spirit will be our guide.