DRAMA IS THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP —

— AND OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BEING LED INTO IT

 “ Satan uses drama to excite passion and glorify vice" PP 459

“ Sensational drama, engrossing minds" 4T 415

Our denomination is steadily heading downward into every conceivable line of worldliness. In this brief study, we will consider just one aspect: live theatrical productions at Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities.

 Several colleges and universities offer drama classes on campus: Southern Adventist University, Union College, Walla Walla College, and La Sierra University, and Union College. Another nine also teach drama, but on a somewhat more limited basis. But they all encourage student-led drama groups to perform on-campus and elsewhere.

WALLA WALLA COLLEGE—Our college with the one of the longest history in drama activities is WWC—since 1981. Over 20 students are currently working toward a minor in drama. While all the classes are taken on-campus, the students are encouraged to go over to nearby Whitman College for classes in stage design, lighting arrangement, and miscellaneous production techniques

In addition to being totally worldly, drama seems to be a mindless activity, teaching students little beside memorizing lines and play-acting on stage. But, not perturbed at the thought of teaching something rather useless (except for its effect in causing students to lose their way spiritually), LuAnn Herrell, one of the two instructors, defends the classes, saying that drama “teaches them to think critically.” Aping someone else’s words teaches you to think critically?

Marilynn Loveless, the other instructor says drama helps the students “think creatively, and help them discover where they belong in the world.” Play-acting surely does help people belong in the world.

In October, a theater which WWC built on campus was first opened for performances.

ATLANTIC UNION COLLEGE—AUC has had drama classes, under the direction of Ottilie Stafford, for nearly 26 years (1976). Stafford says that part of her work included training the audience to “recognize good theater” when they saw it. Little wonder that the blessing of God has not attended AUC; they have been pointing their students into the world for a quarter century.

After three years in existence, a student-run drama group recently disbanded when its leader, Faith Deschamps, graduated. The group, named Acting Under Christ, traveled around and presented theatrical plays to Adventist churches.

It seems that there is no one in the church that dares stand up and say, “This must stop!” Anything goes, as long as it brings the church closer to the world. Yet if any suggestions are made that might bring our people closer to God and obedience to His Word, a cry of “legalism!” is raised.

SOUTHERN ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY—SAU has, under student direction, a Destiny Drama Group. Under a variety of student leaders, it has continued since 1986. DDG has traveled throughout the U.S. and overseas, demonstrating to Adventist audiences everywhere that a departure from the historic standards of the church is perfectly acceptable now.

SAU is breaking ground in something new: Craig Hadley teaches a new four-year Cinematography major. The 15 students majoring in it are working with him on the production of a full-length movie, planned for release in the fall of 2001.

Written by Hadley, the script is based on the siege of nearby Chattanooga during the Civil War. He plans to submit the movie to several film festivals, both national and international, and then release it for distribution in theaters throughout the land.

It used to be that we would tell our children not to go to the movies. Now they can reply that it must be all right, since our church is now making movies for release in those theaters.

In order to help his students make still closer contacts with worldlings, hired professionals will make the movie during a five-week shooting schedule, and the students will act as paid interns to the professionals, which include a director, actors, and other crew. When each day’s shooting of scenes is finished, the professionals will conduct workshops for the students.

Where did SAU get the money for this? The $2 million budget for the film was paid by donations from somebody, who apparently thought this would help the young people of the school prepare for heaven. Hadley plans to produce more movies, one every two years, with his students. SAU will soon be known as a back alley to employment in Hollywood.

NEWBOLD COLLEGE—Newbold is our British Adventist college. Peter Balderstone is a Shakespearean actor who teaches the drama class there. Currently working on a Ph.D. in drama, he has, with the students, performed an annual Shakespeare play in Newbold’s own theater, called Sylvia’s Garden.

In 2000, Newbold held its first annual “Make a Movie Day.” Britishers think it great that even the Adventists are joining in the fun; giving Shakespearean plays and making movies. Yet, all the while, angels are writing it down.

Checking into this, I find that Shakespeare wrote 32 major plays, and they either focus on foolishness and sex in his comedies, or violent passion and even murder in his tragedies. Some of the dialogue has swear words. Should we be teaching our students to take part in this, much less watch it?

CANADIAN UNION COLLEGE—Until about a year ago, CUC performed one play each year for a decade. Written by former CUC librarian Keith Clouten, the plays have been about early Advent history. Obviously, this is more commendable than the trash the other colleges are performing (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Glass Menagerie, The Pirates of Penzance, etc.) But should we be veering even that closely to the edge of the precipice?

At any rate, the General Conference has printed all those CUC scripts under the title, Playing Our Past, and distributed them to our academies and colleges throughout the world field, to help initiate them in play-acting.

AVONDALE COLLEGE—The student drama group, Avondale College Theatrical Society, at this Australian college bills itself as Act II. They perform skits on the streets, at hospitals, and at campmeetings.

OAKWOOD COLLEGE—Theatrics is considered so important on the campus of Oakwood, that it has four drama groups. As with our other campuses, Oakwood flaunts the fact that it is married to the theater, by annually presenting its largest dramatic production during alumni weekend. The play performed in the spring of 2001 was A Raisin in the Sun. Coordinated by Ramona Hyman, an English teacher, it was performed by the students. She also teaches a course entitled Creative Drama.

 ANDREWS UNIVERSITY—Another school where make believe is important is Andrews. It has four student drama groups, including Impressions of the Master, directed by Jerry Nichols. Andrews is so deeply involved in drama that it is conducted in three departments: English, Music, and Communications. Various worldly plays are performed, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Pirates of Penzance, and Shakespeare. According to Stella Greig, an English teacher, nearly every year the English and Communication departments co-sponsor the course, British Drama, which includes a trip to London to watch several secular plays.

Our people have forgotten their inheritance, the glorious plan God purposed for them.

LA SIERRA UNIVERSITY—Drama has been important at LSU for years. But, beginning in 2001, it began offering a minor in the field. In order to complete the minor, students take seven courses and participate in workshops and at least one full-scale department production. Bruce Gilman, says the new minor is “modeled on programs at well-known theater schools, including Yale and UCLA.”

Leading our youth out into the world appears to be the objective. The situation on-campus has degenerated to the point that Matheson Chapel is not needed any more. So as soon as funds can be raised, it will be converted into a theater!

UNION COLLEGE—At UC, a full major in drama is offered. At the present time, three students are working toward a bachelor’s degree in drama and six are working toward a minor. Classes are taken at both UC and nearby Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska. The Drama Department also has a Fourth Theater Company.

SOUTHWESTERN ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY—SWAU has two drama groups. Brenda Schnell, director or admissions, is in charge of the traveling group, called Make Believe. She and her students spend most weekends presenting theatric performances in academies and churches in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Missouri.

The other drama group is entitled Insight of the Master. It presents short skits based on Bible passages.

COLUMBIA UNION COLLEGE—Ricardo Bacchus, a student at CUC, is in charge of a 20-member drama group, which performs at religious services at churches throughout the area, and there are dozens of them. The plays help Adventists learn that play-acting is a great thing, and non-Adventists find that we have lost our message.

PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE—PUC offers drama classes, and has several student-led drama clubs. The Dramatic Arts Society (which has performed for 11 years, the Napa Valley Musical Theater (which presents a major musical every year). and the Parable Players.

A SAMPLE PLAY—We have briefly overviewed the situation on 13 campuses, and it is sorry indeed. But you might wonder what these plays are like. Let us next consider one of them in closer detail. For this purpose, we will not select the course and very worldly plays so often performed at our colleges, such as Fiddler on the Roof or Taming of the Shrew. Instead, we will consider a “high caliber Scripture-based play.”

Ginger Ketting, an education professor at Pacific Union College (PUC) wanted a Bible-based play that would “be suitable for the whole family.” The result is the Napa Valley Musical Theater  production of "Esther". Ketting wrote the music and lyrics, Mark Phillips wrote the story and script, and Jennifer Janssen wrote the orchestration. It was premiered at PUC in four performances in April 2001.

As with other Adventist plays, it delighted the secular-minded who attended (included nearly the whole school, as well as many in Angwin, Deer Park, and Napa Valley). But it surely must have grieved the angels who found their charges so anxious to attend it.

It was an exhausting, but exhilarating project. The faculty and students had to bring together scripts, songs, sets, sheet music, choreography (dance movements), costumes, and all the rest; practice it repeatedly, and then present this inglorious, three-and-a-half-hour spectacle on four nights to an enthusiastic audience. If no one there wept, I am sure some of the angels did.

Here is the story plot:

The morning after Xerxes’ rash decision to get rid of Queen Vashti, the king, on stage, regrets that he made that choice. So he calls for women to be brought in and sleep with him at night, one after another. Esther dutifully enters the stage and crawls in bed with him. But, although Esther becomes the next queen, Xerxes is not happy. So, standing on one side of a wall he sings love songs to Vashti who sings back from the other side. They sing how they wish they could be back romancing together. Every so often, two palace guards appear, dance around, and act like fools as they sing crazy ditties. Then there are the five “nobles” who provide additional interludes, dancing in a burlesque style, as they kick up their legs together in a Congo line.

Haman and his wife, Zeresh, plot mischief till trouble comes to them. But finally, Esther nobly abandons the queenship so Xerxes can remarry Vashti whom he still loves.

You didn’t read it in the Bible that way, but that is the book of Esther, PUC style. An Adventist “Scripture-based play.”  

Dr. Ginger Ketting, the lyricist of "Esther" is no longer at PUC, but now serves as Academic Dean at Walla Walla College.

REPORTS TOC