FORMING THOUGHTS, REFLECTING LIFE

Of all the books that I have read (and that is many!), four in particular have had a significant affect on me:

Mimetic Reflections:

A Study in Hermeneutics, Theology and Ethics,

by William Schweiker;

Role Playing and Identity:

The Limits of Theatre as Metaphor,

by Bruce Wilshire;

Improvisation:

Drama of Christian Ethics,

by Samuel Wells;

and

The Drama of Doctrine:

A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology,

by Kevin VanHoozer.

The first book introduced me to the notion of mimesis

through a theological discussion of Derrida, Girard, Gadamer, Ricoeur, and Kierkegaard;

the second book introduced me to phenomenological philosophy

through theoretical discussion of theatre, my life-long passion;

the third book confirmed my intuitions

regarding the application of Keith Johnstone's ideas on improvisation to Christian life;

and the fourth book authenticated that confirmation

by radically applying the theatre metaphor to Christian doctrine.

Now I hope to bring it all full circle

by drawing on all four books to express my own thinking

regarding the actual practice of "putting on Christ."

Biographical sketch for Craig Tavani, a.k.a. ZanniTAVANI

Theatre and theology underscore Craig’s daily life.

Since childhood, theatre has always been a passion for Craig, who first appeared in plays put on by his church. He discovered, through studying the Scriptures, that Christians are called to “become imitators of God” by following the example set by the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 5:1).

As ZanniTAVANI, Craig relishes his role as a “fool for Christ,” putting on a red nose to find ways of appearing ridiculous while improvisationally engaging others in enjoyable interaction.

Through building community and helping others in developing right relationships, Craig applies the dynamics of theatre to everyday life. He works in a variety of ways to help others cope with all sorts of life issues, such as relocation, education, aging, and personal relationships. Beginning in September 2008, Craig will be teaching at Facetime Performing Arts Studio (for further information, see www.facetimeperformingarts.com). Craig also teaches as an adjunct instructor at various institutions, including Immaculata University. This is in addition to teaching theatre arts to homeschoolers.

Craig’s favorite role is being a husband and father. Since 2003 he has directed the fall plays at the Phoenixville Area High School where his children, who attend there, participate in Theatre Guild activities.

FROM ME TO NOT-ME TO NOT-NOT-ME

The me, the biological-historical individual, the actor, encounters the not-me, the role given in the script; in the crucible of the rehearsal process a strange fusion or synthesis of me and not-me occurs. Aspects of the actor’s experience surface which tincture the script-role he or she has undertaken, while aspects of the dramatist’s world-view or message embodied in the script and particularly as understood from the perspective of the “character” being played penetrate the essence of the actor as a human being. The director’s role is mainly catalytic, he assists the alchemic or mystical marriage going on as the actor crosses the limen from not-me to not-not-me. The me at this third stage is a richer, if not deeper me than the me of the beginning.

Victor Turner, From Ritual to Theatre: The Human Seriousness of Play

DOING DRAMA WITH CHILDREN

Create an environment of disciplined play. Everyone can participate as collaborators with what goes on during each session. This is always risky. There are a variety of ways to go about including all children in a given activity.

Tell stories and act them out. Tell the story imaginatively -
· use different voices for various characters;
· dwell on descriptive phrases;
· focus especially on action verbs that tell what is being done as the plot progresses.

Ask questions about the story.
· Is there a better way to voice certain characters?
· What happened in certain parts of the story?
· Who did what where and why?
· Draw a picture of what you imagined while listening.

If a verbally-oriented activity puts off certain children,
· arrange the activity so that it can be done in pairs or groups of three;
· go to each group during the course of the activity;
· observe as non-obtrusively as possible.

Most participation happens when the activity requires minimal verbalization.

Build trust with the children. All participants must feel safe in exploring performative activities. There are many instances when one risks going beyond one's comfort zone. Force no one to perform, though everyone is expected participate at least as a supportive audience member. A playful atmosphere allows trying things with one another and in front of one another that probably would have not been possible to do otherwise.

Remain aware of how each child is responding to the on-going activity. Keep sensitive to possible reasons for one's reluctance to participate. Each child is unique in how he or she chooses to participate – some who are more active give energy to the group; those who are more passive may provide perspective through observation.

Do all this collaboratively; in other words, play with one another!

MERELY ‘FIRST SERVANT’

HIS WHOLE PART … THE PART BEST TO HAVE ACTED

A dramatization of C.S. Lewis’ comments regarding
Act III, scene vii of Shakespeare’s King Lear

as conceived by Craig R. Tavani, someMimics Theatre in Community

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
PERSON 1/Cornwall

PERSON 2/Regan

PERSON 3/Gloucester

PERSON 4/1st Servant

NOTE: Act V, Scene vii of KING LEAR has been adapted so that four actors may play the parts of Cornwall, Regan, Gloucester, and 1st Servant. The prologue and epilogue have been adapted from an essay of C.S. Lewis entitled “The World’s Last Night.” The idea was provoked while reading a discussion of Lewis’ essay in Gilbert Meilaender’s book, The Taste for the Other: The Social and Ethical Thought of C.S. Lewis (p224).

The stage is set with two chairs, Ca and Cb, UC, and a trunk of costumes UR. Actors, dressed in black, enter from UL. During the course of the PROLOGUE, each actor dons pieces of clothing suggestive of the Rennaisance. Actors maintain a neutral persona for both the prologue and epilogue.

PROLOGUE
A) NOT EVEN A NAME

PERSON 1:

In his essay, “The World’s Last Night,”
C.S. Lewis wrote of a man in Act III, scene vii of King Lear
[x UR to trunk; begin to distribute pieces of costumes to others]
PERSON 2:

A man who is such a minor character
that Shakespeare has not given him even a name: [x UR, then return]
PERSON 3:

he is merely ‘First Servant.’ [x UR, then return]
PERSON 4:

All the characters around him
– Regan, Cornwall, and Gloucester –
have fine long-term plans. [x UR, then return]

B) THE PRESENT SCENE

PERSON 1:

They think they know how the story is going to end,
and they are quite wrong. [don costume, x to sit Cb]
PERSON 2:

The servant has no such delusions. [don costume, x to sit Ca]
PERSON 3:

He has no notion how the play is going to go. [don costume, exit UR]
PERSON 4:

But he understands the present scene. [don costume, exit UR]

SCENE
A) SET-UP
(1) GO SEEK THE TRAITOR

Cornwall:

[to servant] Go seek the traitor Gloucester, pinion him like a thief, bring him before us. [Exit servant]

(2) DO COURT’SY TO OUR WRATH

[to Regan] Though well we may not pass upon his life without the form of justice,
yet our power shall do a court’sy to our wrath, which men may blame, but not control.

B) CONFRONTATION

[Enter Gloucester, brought in by servant.]
Cornwall:

Who’s there, the traitor?
Regan:

Ingrateful fox, ‘tis he.
Cornwall:

Bind fast his corky arms.
Gloucester:

What means your Graces? Good my friends, consider you are my guests. Do me no foul play, friends.

C) BINDING
(1) STANDING

Cornwall:

Bind him I say.
[Servant binds him.]
Regan:

Hard, hard! [directing servant to tighten binding]
Filthy traitor.
Gloucester:

Unmerciful lady as you are, I’m none.

(2) SITTING

Cornwall:

To this chair bind him. Villain, thou shalt find –

D) INSULT
(1) PLUCK BEARD

[Regan plucks Gloucester’s beard.]
Gloucester:

By the kind gods, ‘tis mostly ignobly done to pluck me by the beard.
Regan:

So white, and such a traitor?

(2) RESPONDING ADMONISHMENT

Gloucester:

Naughty lady, these hairs which thou dost ravish from my chin will quicken and accuse thee.
I am your host. With robber’s hands my hospitable favors you should not ruffle thus.
[Cornwall approaches with menace] What will you do?

E) INTERROGATION
(1) ACCUSE/INQUIRE

Cornwall:

Come, sir, what letters have you late from France?
Regan:

Be simple-answered, for we know the truth.
Cornwall:

And what confederacy have you with the traitors late footed in the kingdom?
Regan:

To whose hands you have sent the lunatic King:
Speak.
Gloucester:

I have a letter guessingly set down, which came from one that’s of a neutral heart, and not from one opposed.
Cornwall:

Cunning.
Regan:

And false.
Cornwall:

Where hast thou sent the King?
Gloucester:

To Dover.
Regan:

Wherefore to Dover? Wast thou not charged at peril –

(2) REQUESTION/ REPRIMAND

Cornwall:

Wherefore to Dover? Let him answer that.
Gloucester:

I am tied to th’ stake, and I must stand the course.
Regan:

Wherefore to Dover?
Gloucester:

Because I would not see thy cruel nails pluck out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce sister in his anointed flesh rash boarish fangs. All cruels else subscribe. But I shall see the winged vengeance overtake such children. [lunging at Regan, tips over chair]

F) ATTEMPTED INTERVENTION TO HALT BLINDING
(1) INITIATE ABOMINABLE ACT

Cornwall:

See’t shalt thou never. Fellow, hold the chair. [servant sets chair aright; Cornwall advances]
Upon these eyes of thine I’ll set my foot.
Gloucester:

He that will think to live till he be old, give me some help. [Cornwall uses dagger on Gloucester’s first eye] – O cruel! O you gods!
Regan:

One side will mock another. Th’ other too.
Cornwall:

If you see vengeance –

(2) SERVANT INTERVENES
a. Bid to hold
i. confront Cornwall

1st Servant:

Hold your hand, my lord! I have served you ever since I was a child; But better service have I never done you than now to bid you hold.

ii. attend to Regan’s distraction

Regan:

How now, you dog?
1st Servant:

If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I’d shake it on this quarrel.

(b) Fight Cornwall

1st Servant:

What do you mean!
Cornwall:

My villain! [Draw and fight.]
1st Servant:

Nay, then, come on, and take the chance of anger.

(c) ignore Regan’s movements/ focus on fighting Cornwall

Regan:

Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus?
[She takes a sword and runs at him behind, kills him.]

(d) slain by Regan

1st Servant: O, I am slain! my lord, you have one eye left to see some mischief on him. O!

(3) BLINDING COMPLETED

Cornwall:

Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile jelly.

G) ENDING
(1) GLOATING

Cornwall: Where is thy luster now?

(1) DESPAIR

Gloucester: All dark and comfortless. [All become neutral.]

EPILOGUE
A) Psalm 141:4

PERSON 1:

As the psalmist put it,

“Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds with those who are evildoers.”

B) HE WILL NOT STAND FOR ABOMINATION TAKING PLACE

PERSON 2:

The servant sees an abomination taking place - the blinding of Old Gloucester.
PERSON 3:

He will not stand for it.
PERSON 4:

His sword is out and pointed at his master’s breast in a moment.

C) HIS WHOLE PART … THE PART BEST TO HAVE ACTED

PERSON 1:

Then Regan stabs him from behind.
PERSON 2:

This is his whole part: eight lines all told.
PERSON 3:

But if it were real life and not a play,
PERSON 4:

that is the part it would be best to have acted.

[Exuent]

QUESTIONING MY PREMISES & MY THEOLOGY

My son, Vincent, read what I have written here and wondered whether I have become so obsessed with this idea of Christians as actors before God that I no longer question my premises or my theology. I answered that my idea seemed strongly supported by Scriptural passages quoted.

The imperative to “become imitators of God” includes the Greek word commonly used to refer to actors. Another word for actors is used in the imperative “do not be like the hypocrites.” The use of these terms provoke me to think of how theatre may help one understand what the Scriptures may mean. The very word “theatre” comes directly from the same word used by Paul when he speaks of having “been made a spectacle.” Doing “acts of righteousness” is to be carefully done, not merely to be seen by others but by God “who sees what is done in secret.” This constant intentionality implies that the Christian “actor” is never off-stage.

I'll keep posting my thoughts on these things as I continue to question both my premises and my theology.

CHRISTIANS ARE GOD'S MIMES, COMMUNICATING THE GOSPEL THROUGH THE BODY OF CHRIST.

Mime is a form of physical theatre in which the performance relies on body language to communicate. Many people associate mime with silence, yet both visual and vocal communication can play a part in mime. Although voice and sound can be used, gesture and movement are the primary means of communication. One might define mime as Tony Montanaro does, in his book, Mime Spoken Here, as “physical eloquence.”

Mime is the eloquent and efficient delivery of a mood or a message in which the body is the primary instrument. … The theme may be abstract or literal, but if the artist delivers that theme eloquently he/she is a mime as far as I’m concerned.

The performer in mime may or may not use make-up. Let it just be noted that make-up is a kind of mask and the use of masks in theatre has a long history. Masks allow the performer to become anonymous so that attention is focused on what is being performed (persona) rather than who is performing (person).*

Some masks were designed in such a way as to amplify the voice of the performer so that when one speaks out or answers from under the mask it could be heard better by the audience. The actor, that is, the one putting on some persona other than one’s own person, was one who answers (-crite) from under (hypo-) the mask; in other words, the actor was called a hypocrite.
The word “hypocrite” has retained just the negative connotation of deceptive pretense, intentionally behaving to manipulate others’ perception of oneself. Thus has the acting profession acquired a less than positive reputation (although theatre people have done their share to earn it as well!). Putting on an act in public while acting otherwise in private is hypocritical.

Yet Christians, transformed into new persons by the renewal of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2), are called to put on the persona of Jesus Christ by becoming imitators (mimetai) of God, “just as Jesus himself loved us and gave himself up for us…” (Ephesians 5:1). Note the word for imitators, mimetai. Yes, it is from that Greek word that we get the word “mime.”

* Mask stems from the Arabic maskharat, meaning anything ridiculous like a fool; this word in turn is rooted in sakhira, to ridicule or laugh at. The word for mask in Latin is persona, from which we get the English word “person”; persona means “to sound (-sona) through (per-).” The word “person” is borrowed from the masks (personae) which in Roman comedies and tragedies were used to represent the people concerned. The Greeks called these masks prosopa from the fact that they were placed over the face, concealing the countenance in front of the eyes: para ton pros tous opas tithesthai (from being put up against the face). It was by the masks they put on that actors represented the Greek prosopa. Prosopon, which comes from pros ops, ‘about the eyes,” can be translated as both “face” and “person.”

What is drama?

Drama is the artistic presentation of doing. Three words are important here: art, presentation, doing.

• “Doing” requires action; this is why people who do drama are called “actors.”
• "Presentation” requires others to observe what actors are doing; these others are called “audience” (from the Latin word meaning “to hear”) and/or “spectators” (from the Latin word meaning “to see”).
• “Art” requires boundaries that frame a space where the artistic presentation may be observed; this framed space is called a “stage.”

The art of drama is called “theatre.” So for theatre to happen, you need three things: actors before an audience on a stage.

Anyplace becomes a stage when that particular space is defined by actors performing before and audience. Anyone becomes an actor what that particular person intends one’s own actions to be seen by others. Any gathering becomes an audience when that group of people direct their attention toward the same event. Any event becomes a performance when what is happening occurs in a framework of intention and expectation.

SOME BASIC THINGS I TEACH IN MY THEATRE CLASSES

· You need three things for theatre to happen: ACTOR, STAGE, AUDIENCE

· Acting shares imagination through physical and/or verbal means.

· What matters most is what the audience sees and hears and feels.

· The difference between acting and real life is that acting is framed within the context of a mutually understood beginning and end, with both actor and audience remaining aware of the difference between being on stage and off (acting onstage is theatre, acting offstage is hypocrisy).

· Theatre skills can help Christians better understand what it means to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). In the theatre of life, all humanity is “onstage” together playing before an audience of One (with whom there is no offstage) who will judge our performance in the end. Human beings have been created in the image of God; this image is perfectly expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to become an imitator of God through following the example of perfect obedience set for us by Jesus (see Ephesians 5:1). Because of sin, even our best efforts cannot produce the character of Christ in ourselves, but by grace we are able, through God’s Holy Spirit working in us, to become like Christ. The Church provides us the place where we can rehearse with one another the right way of living.

God's theatre: Acting out Christianity

We are called as Christians to act before an audience of One.

As William Shakespeare put it,
“All the world’s a stage.
And all the men and women merely players.
We have our exits and entrances,
and one man in his time plays many parts.

God has put us on display in an arena.
We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe,
to angels as well as to men.

We are fools for Christ!

Become imitators of God, as beloved children
and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.

Your Heavenly Father, who sees what is done in secret,will reward you.
Do not be like the hypocrites.
Be carefulnot to do your “acts of righteousness” to be seen by others.
If you do,you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

(1 Corinthians 4:9-10; Ephesians 5:1; Matthew 6:1-18)

I AM BREATHING IN

I am breathing in
I am alive
I move among the many
my movement
emitting fragrant life
radiating ready sensibility
inspired by inherent power
blown into my being right at birth.
Wind blows air around me
and
I am breathing in
I let air rush into my lungs where blood
receives the life to bring it to my body
and though my body wastes away
It is renewed
by blood exchanging waste for life.
I am breathing
in out
The air I breathe becomes blood
bringing life to body
making me able to move and be an instrument
of grace
I am alive
inspired thus by God.

- Craig R. Tavani / May 5, 2003
I wrote this after a friend came to visit me when I was going through a very dark time.
It is “inspired” by a breathing exercise he shared with me that he said really helped him

someMimics Theatre in Community

The simplest way of understanding someMimics is to consider your own hope for creating and/or living in a healthy community. The dominant culture in which we now live seems quite incapable of cultivating such communities. Too many of us are left out or, at least, feel left outside of community boundaries created by the dominant culture. Being left out often means being left alone or left with other who have been left out.

I deeply believe that NO ONE should be left out and that EACH ONE OF US can be responsible for coming alongside others who have been or feel as though they have been left out. Rather than continuing to speak of US & THEM, I passionately hope to create a new conversation in which every one of THEM can become one of US.

The underlying philosophy of someMimics is that we were all LEFT OUT a long time ago and have been trying to GET BACK IN ever since. The question one might ask, then, is: left out of what? I prefer to ask, given the assumption that we ALL have been left out, what can we do to not make our situation worse?

Culture that includes some and isolates others creates SICK communities that have at their core the cancer of miscommunication; i.e., persons in such communities tend to avoid intimate contact with one another and thus continue feeling isolated despite their supposedly communal relationships. Starting from this assumption of isolation, someMimics Theatre in Community works with individuals and groups to rehearse right relationships in order to begin creating a culture that can cultivate truly HEALTY communities (yes, I mean to use the plural form of community; this allows for the reality of cultural diversity. Diversity, however, does not require division; diversity within unity is possible). Health comes from healing and so our work is often therapeutic in practice.

Theatre has always had that therapeutic dimension; someMimics Theatre in Community merely incorporates that therapeutic dimension explicitly.