November 2003 was the longest Thanksgiving Day ever! The night before, I served our traditional American meal early to a small group of friends here in Singapore. The next morning, before the sun was up, I boarded a plane with my two boys. We flew around the world for 23 hours and arrived in time for the Thanksgiving meal at my brother's new home in Atlanta, Georgia! My parents, who live on the other side of the States, planned their flight schedule so that they'd arrive at the airport the same time we did.... It was the best reunion dinner ever!
PLAYBACK THEATRE is a style of improvised theatre that invites audience members to share their stories and as actors, we give a play back to them as a gift of theatre. I’d seen this form of theatre 2+ years ago and immediately envisioned ways it could be used in sharing the gospel. Late last year I taught an acting class for the existing team and asked them if in the new year I could join them for awhile to learn the playback traditions… The group spit into two groups in January and invited me and 2 other actors (who are Christians) to join them. All 6 of us now are believers, so we began praying as part of our rehearsal process, and before the showcase last night. Wanted God to be glorified and all that… WOW. It was an amazing night! Now, remember, this is not a church or Christian event. They advertise the theme (This time it was reunions and farewells) sell tickets, invite the community, friends. However, when we started inviting people up to share their stories, the first 3 of the 4 shared were also Christians and in some way were sharing an aspect of their faith in their reunion/farewell story. It wasn’t preachy, and we were sharing the gospel by playing back their stories. The audience LOVED it! People hung around for 2 hours afterward asking questions and just enjoying the “after glow” of interactive theatre. I’m jazzed! When I think of the applications for missions…emotional healing for tsunami victims, etc. etc. etc. it’s pretty exciting.
