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| On an overcast and rainy Wednesday, my friend and I toured Shakespeare's re-created Globe and then returned in the evening to watch "Measure for Measure." We stood in the groundling (aka peasant) section, where the students in this photo are standing. |
Monica and I enjoyed not more than three days in London, but in true Lydica fashion, we squeezed a whole lot of life and learning into that time. Highlights include visiting the British Museum, Tower of London, and National Portrait Gallery, going on a Royal Bike Tour, attending the installation of three bishops at St. Paul's Cathedral, and catching a show at Shakespeare's Globe in the five pound groundling section.
That means we paid real money - granted, not much- to stand on concrete for three hours. Oh, and this was outside at night, in October. So it was also a wee bit chilly.
The show was Measure for Measure. As Monica pointed out at intermission, listening to Shakespeare among rowdy college kids in the cheap section and peering at the actors around a large pillar is like trying to do Algebra on a roller coaster. It was thrilling, but also physically and mentally challenging. For the second half, we stood in a different part of our groundling section which offered no place to lean, but had a more central view of the stage and a more respectful audience.
In truth, I loved it. The actors were brilliant and the script is obviously the work of a genius. I appreciated that the actors kept our rapt attention for three hours despite all the stuff going on around us. Planes were flying overhead, the wind was blowing, we kept huddling and occasionally hopping to stay warm, some of the groundlings were drinking and drunk, the language on stage was often difficult to understand, especially as there was no sound amplification in order to be faithful to the 16th century experience.
And yet the players communicated the story and involved us in it, making eye contact and occasional jokes with us. They moved around frequently and kept the play a dynamic and engaging experience. A viewer could possibly be distracted with so much going on, but you could not be bored and it would be hard not to get caught up in the story.
This is something I hope to remember when I step back in the pulpit. One of the more helpful classes I took at the GTU (Graduate Theological Union - seminary in Berkeley) was called "Drama for Preachers." It was precisely about communicating emotion and story through preaching. But the learning is not a once and done lesson. For those who climb into the pulpit on a regular basis, it helps to remember the important components of effective communication over and again.
People in 21st century North America (or Northern Europe for that matter) are unaccustomed to sitting still for 60-80 minutes for a primarily oral event such as happens in church on a weekly basis. It is hard to stay attentive for that long when things are going on around you - perhaps in your mind if not in the place where the church service is held.
How can preachers learn from Shakespeare and from these Globe actors... to engage listeners even if and when they have no idea what the preacher is saying and they may be distracted through no fault of their own? How does one communicate the story of God's love that is deeper and wider than the words of a single sermon or church service? Eye-contact helps. Humor and movement, too.
In reality, it all comes back to something much less technical and more mysterious: Grace.
Even though that gift comes from God and not any human, as a preacher, I hope to develop and hone my communication skills. I will try to remember the effect those Shakespearean actors had on me and how they held my shifty attention span.
And, I will keep clinging to and praying for grace.
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