Why is drama so wonderful? These major benefits give it star qualities. Drama:

• Increases self-confidence and self-worth
• Can be a tremendous teaching tool
• Can promote spiritual growth
• Brings people together, promotes fellowship, breaks down barriers
• Is a powerful, moving medium for communication
• Helps people identify with others and feel they are understood
• Allows people to discover and develop gifts and talents
• Employs skills of many different people, including actors, producers, organizers, artists, lighting designers, costumers, stagehands, set designers, musicians, graphic designers, and writers

Movement

If you are interested in incorporating drama into your program but are a complete beginner, there's hope! Start with things that are simple and fun. Games that involve movement but have a low-threat threshold are helpful. An activity like "The Human Machine" is a great example. Start with one person standing in front of the others. That person begins to do a simple movement, such as lifting one arm up and down, and at the same time makes a sound to go along with the movement, something like swish, swish, swish, swish. When another person thinks he or she has a movement that will fit into the first movement, that person goes up and adds a second movement and sound to the first. Then the next young person adds a movement. The game continues until everybody has joined the movement in-progress, creating a strange and wonderful "machine."

Ape Tag

Another fun and easy way to get young people to "act" in a non-threatening manner is to play Ape Tag. Simply start off by saying "Not It!" The last one to say "Not It" is "It" and begins moving around the room like an ape, making monkey noises, scratching, stooping, swinging arms, and so forth. All other people are apes for the chase too. As soon as someone is caught by the first ape, he or she becomes It. The game continues until several have been It, and then you call out "S-L-O-W M-0-T- I-O-N tag!" People stop being apes and begin moving as slowly as possible, including the one who is It. Any other tag variations are at the leader's discretion. There are dozens of exercises like this that can be used to start a meeting. You may want to talk with a local junior high or high school drama teacher for other ideas and resources. There are several benefits for beginning a meeting with icebreakers:

1. They break tension and release nervous energy.

2. Each individual comes to the group from a very different place. The icebreaking brings all these individuals together and helps create a sense of "groupness." This is essential for working together as a dramatic team.

3. Non-threatening movement games help young people become more comfortable with their bodies and less frightened of having an audience. They come to trust themselves more.

Now that you have your youth group loosened up a bit, let's talk about some of the possibilities for drama in your own congregation. They are numerous, and I only have space to list a few, so don't be afraid to dream!

Role-Playing

Role-playing is a communication medium that can be funny and light or deep and moving, depending on the subject matter, the mood of the group, and the tone you set. For example, if you want to focus on dating, you might create a role play in which two couples are in a car on a double date. You place four chairs in the center of the room, one pair behind the other, pick four of the hammier young people to play the couples, then set the scene something like this:

"Bill and Maria, you two have been dating for three years and are heavy into romance. Greg and Laura, you are on a blind date and are with Bill and Maria. You two are very uncomfortable with each other." You then let them run the scene. Needless to say, if you pick the right mix of personalities to playthese parts, lots of giggles will ensue. What will also happen is that the door to discussion will be opened wider for teens to express their concerns, anxieties, and feelings about dating.

Role-playing can also be very effective in handling the thornier issues young people face, such as pregnancy, drugs, and peer pressure. Create an opening situation, choose several young people you feel will handle the issue sensitively and thoughtfully, and let them go. (Respect the right to decline to participate.)

Drama in Worship

Many congregations have an annual Youth Sunday, when the young people design the entire service. One idea went especially well for us at a recent national youth conference. The Scripture for the day was the Zacchaeus story. With the help of a narrator, Zacchaeus (a girl mime), Jesus (a boy mime), a crowd, a pianist, and "tree," we re-created the tale. The scene opened with the crowd in place down front.

As the narrator read, the piano played a light melody in the background. (If you have a pianist who feels comfortable improvising, allow him or her to do so.) Jesus mimed his way from the back of the church to the front, shaking hands, smiling, and waving at the crowd. When Jesus arrived down front he froze, waving, as the narrator announced Zacchaeus's entry. Zacchaeus entered from a side aisle and mimed her way down front. Meanwhile the crowd on-stage moved into a "tree" position. Two piano benches were placed side by side. The kids in the back of the crowd stepped up on them, becoming "branches," and the kids in front of them became the "trunk." On a signal from the narrator, all the young people popped out real tree branches they were hiding behind them. (The effect was wonderful!) Zacchaeus climbed up into the "tree" (via one of the piano benches) and peeked through a "branch." She got a gentle slap in the face with a leaf. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus he mimed for her to come down. As she was doing so, the "tree" began to complain about the kind of treatment Jesus was giving this tax collector. "Hey, wait a minute, why are you being nice to Zacchaeus?" one branch said. "What's going on?" said another. "This isn't fair," said a third. The tree began to wilt. The drama continued as the narrator read the Scripture, and a simple mime ensued between Jesus and Zacchaeus until Zacchaeus (through the narrator) said, "Oh, all right. Anyone I've wronged will be repaid fourfold." Jesus replied, "Salvation has come to this house today." End of parable. At that moment, the "tree" perked back up to full standing position while the pianist plinked three triumphant finishing notes.

Full-Scale Musicals

Maybe I watched one too many Garland/ Rooney films, but this is one of my favorite events to do with young people. Be warned: To do this right requires tremendous commitment, taxing everyone's time, energy, and good humor, but the results are equally tremendous. Producing a musical the young people and the congregation can be proud of not only gives the group a great sense of accomplishment, it unifies them like few other events can. If you decide to undertake such a project, find a director with some experience and lots of enthusiasm. There may be a person in your congregation who has acting or directing experience. If you have some experience but have never directed a full-length play, ask a local high school or college drama teacher to take you through the steps of putting a play together, from holding auditions to scheduling rehearsals to striking the set when the last performance is over. Map it all out on your calendar and stay fairly close to schedule. As much as possible, push the young people to be involved in all stages of the planning. Not only will their enthusiasm and sense of ownership increase, they are sure to come up with clever ideas that will enhance the whole production.

In every production I have directed, the following elements have been helpful:

1. As much as possible, open each rehearsal with a prayer/sharing time.

2. Affirm-affirm-affirm at each stage of the production process. Let people know how well they are doing and how much you appreciate their efforts. People feel more confident of their abilities and are willing to try new things if their contributions are affirmed and accepted rather than criticized.

3. After your last performance, spirits will be flying high. Before you go off to celebrate at a cast party, try closing with an agape feast. After the audience has left, gather the cast onstage, turn the lights low, and hold a simple worship service in thanksgiving to God for the gifts your group has been given. After an opening song, ask the group to share one thing about the production they are thankful for or will remember. After everyone who wishes has expressed these feelings, share a simple meal: bread, cheese, grapes, juice. Close with another song and prayer. You and your group will go home knowing that something very wonderful and spiritual has happened.