From July 2 to July 7 of 2012, Transpositions hosted a week long online symposium on the intersection of Christianity and the Theatre.
In addition to being theologians, all of our contributors have worn multiple hats as theatre practitioners—from director to actor, to writer and producer. As such they are keenly aware both of the practice of theatre and of the theological import of the theatre; and, in their posts, they seek to carefully examine the relationship between theatre and theology. Our hope is that you, as readers, will realize that, unlike most theatrical performances where once the curtain is down you exit never to see the performers again, you are invited not only to read and reflect on the contributors’ thoughts but also to share your own.
Christianity and the Theatre Schedule
Monday, 2 July: Charles Gillespie, Justin Kosec, and Kate Stratton from Yale Divinity School discuss ways in which drama can be incorporated into Christian liturgy and, in the process, help worshippers see ‘the holy amidst the mundane’.
Tuesday, 3 July: Ivan Khovacs, Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, examines the ways in which tragic theatre may serve to allow us to rehearse our own end while exploring the historic and contemporary challenges this poses for Christians.
Wednesday, 4 July: Todd Johnson, Brehm Chair of Worship, Theology, and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary, explores ways in which theatre sheds light on what it means to be human and suggests that theatre may play a formative role in human becoming. He also responds to author Dale Savidge’s recent post on the CITA website.
Thursday, 5 July: Josh Edelman, Research Fellow from Central School of Speech and Drama in London, asks the question, ‘What sort of truth do we expect from the theatre?’, in light of monologist Mike Daisey’s semi-fictional The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.
Friday, 6 July: Wes Vander Lugt, PhD candidate at the University of St Andrews, traces the development of theatre as a model and metaphor for Christian theology in the first of two posts.
Saturday, 7 July: Wes Vander Lugt concludes his discussion of the ‘theatrical turn’ in Christian theology.