Theatre and Theology

Foreword from Nizaan :

This month, inspiration struck our lovely Ruth! This blog is written solely by my dear friend and you can certainly see it. Our styles are very different (my personal opinion being that hers is far superior), but we are sure you will be as much entertained and happy with this grand work!

We hope that you will enjoy her stroke of mad genius as she takes us on a journey through her thoughts.

Theatre and Theology

There are few things about which I disagree with St. Augustine of Hippo. The first would be his doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration and the second; his detestation for theatre.

Now, I do not pretend to believe that theatre has been and is always good and praiseworthy. I do not here attempt to defend theatre in all its whims and whiles. In fact, I reflect that theatre has a great propensity to go decidedly pear-shaped, and I am sure there was many a revolting spectacle in the 4th century justly inspiring St. Augustine's contempt. But is the possibility of something going pear-shaped proof that the thing itself is to be held in abhorrence? Does the fact that there are so many bad examples of a thing render impossible the good? I do sincerely hope not. If this were the case; the fact that many books are written badly would be justification for universal illiteracy, that many marriages end in woe would be justification for universal monasticism, or that many governments are tyrannical would be justification for universal anarchy. Nay! I do not here write a defence for theatre in its woeful, perverted form, but a defense of theatre despite of is woeful and perverted form.

The word that I am using for the art of displaying art is -as you may or may not have noticed- 'theatre'. This is a most excellent word in that its meaning has stood virtually uniform for a great many centuries and languages before it came to English. In its earliest form the Greek; 'theatron' literally meant "place for viewing," from thence it passed into Latin 'theatrum', from Latin to Old French 'théâtre ' and finally into English 'theatre', all meaning pretty much "a place where spectacles are performed and beheld". What is performed and beheld may most certainly vary, but one thing they all have in common; whatever is performed is decidedly human. They are all what man desires to show and see. What is art if not the thing uniquely human amongst all earthly creation, that desires to see beauty. That part of a man that looks not just for what is necessary but what is beautiful. Art by its nature surpasses necessity, and theatre by its own extravagant nature displays art.

Let us consider for a moment the art of speech (I say art here, because the magnificent gift of language is something that is not of necessity to human survival, but rather a most gracious gift adding value to survival). The ability to communicate through sound or symbol, countless, I dare say, infinite concepts. The ability to transfer a thought from one's own head into the head into the head of another. And finally, and most importantly, the ability to communicate with the very one who created us and our language, the one who spoke the universe into existence, who spoke that we should speak, and speak to and for him! This is a privilege so inexpressible glorious, that it is only natural that what man desires to see and show most dearly, is that of speech and all that speech may express.

Speech in the context of theatre is speech in its most extravagant form. And in it we find, not only art of transferring and displaying beautiful and brilliant concepts, but we may take it a step further and add the art of pleasing sound through rhythm, rhyme and song.

Furthermore to the art of concept and sound, we may add the art of weaving emotion through the sound and concepts reviled, and the manner in which they are performed. And finally, besides concept, sound, and emotion we may add the art of visual beauty through the presentation of these. Is not this the very essence of theatre! The great accumulation of all art, all beauty, into a glorious and communal array of extravagance. The art of displaying art must surely be the pinnacle of all art, and thus the great pinnacle of that in man which differentiates him from the beasts, and proves him to be created indeed in the image of God.

But hold! If theatre is something so beautiful, so apparently pure, why does it so often go wrong? And herein lies the crux. Theatre is a thing utterly human, it is a thing revealing what men yearn for and find pleasing. When Plato desired to understand the human heart, but found it too difficult an object, he looked to civilization as a whole, being larger and easier to analyze. I would like to advise Plato that if he finds civilization as a whole too large, what better to observe then the thing in which is revealed the soul of civilization. The thing in which it may be observed what it is that man considers beautiful, and thus what man considers art.

Speech is a good thing in that it is able to reveal the what is in the heart. What is reviles may be good or evil, this is not the fault of speech, but of the heart . Through theatre is revealed both the beauty that God has given humanity, and the perversion to which humanity has twisted this beauty, not only what is good in man but what is evil. If out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks, than out of the fullness of all humanity, theatre speaks.

St. Augustine's real adversary was not theatre itself, but rather what theatre reveals about man. And it is upon this awkward ground that I have found the insolence to disagree with St. Augustine of Hippo.

This is the audio book of his confessions. One of my favorite books of all time. (besides the bible of course)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD7KVUcyc84