This morning I gave my first chapel and I thought I would share it with all of you who couldn't be there! I know you are all dying to know what I talked about. ;-) Anyway, here you go!
Scripture
Proverbs 16:1-3 (MSG)
1 Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. 2 Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good. 3 Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place.
Reflection
Most of you may already know that I majored in theatre performance in college. Theatre was my life, as those of you with kids in theatre programs know. I was in choir, I was in the theatre club, I was running lights, acting in full lengths, and one acts, and the list goes on. By about sophomore year, I decided to go out for one of the last sections of the theatre scene that I hadn’t explored yet and was, honestly, afraid to try. It was the improv group on campus.
I have never been good at improv. I have always wanted to be but I always got too nervous. Give me a script I can memorize and work on and I’ll go out there, head held high. Throw something at me from left field, however, and I’m slightly lost.
So, I decided to face this fear and, knowing I probably wouldn’t make the troop anyway, gave improv a shot. I went to the auditions and I was so nervous the whole time. I did okay, but, as I assumed, I didn’t make the group. I was fine with that, however, and just proud of myself for trying.
From this experience and from my numerous theatre classes, I learned several things about improv and acting. What to do and what not to do. I found an example list online which spells it out nicely into five basic rules:
1. Don't Deny. Denial is the number one reason most scenes go bad. Any time you refuse an offer made by your partner your scene will almost instantly come to a grinding halt.
2. Don't ask open ended Questions. (like "Who are you?") They stop the scene while your partner has to think of something.
3. You don't have to be funny. Play the truth of the scene, make it interesting, and the funny will follow.
4. You can look good if you make your partner look good. People come into scenes with a great idea for a character but your partner has no idea what’s going on in your head.
5. Tell a story. The players take totally random suggestions (like a plumber and a cab driver selling shoes in a cubicle) and somehow "make it work". (I got these rules here.)
These rules helped me get through some tough scenes in theatre and in life. Another rule that isn’t in the improv list but that was drilled into my head was to make a decision and make it big. Once you make your choice, stick with it. If you second guess yourself, the audience will second guess you as well. I use this one a lot.
My next brush with improv was not as happy an experience as the first. I was cast in a play with a small cast. There really were, for the most part, no small parts. I was part of a trio that formed the comic relief team. At one point, we play opposite the lead and, through some witty comments and comic repetition, get a few laughs. The lead, however, was not happy with us getting the laughs and wanted some for himself.
One night, we were going through our routine when, out of the blue, the lead starts throwing lines at us that we have never heard before. He starts improving. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a few lines of witty improv, but, without sounding too mean, hopefully, he wasn’t being witty. Instead, he was making things up just to get some laughs which, when they didn’t come, made him try all the harder.
One of the rules of comedy or improv, if you recall, is that you don’t have to be funny or, the way I learned it, never play for the laughs. One of the first rules of the stage is that you have to be trustworthy and your fellow actors need to know they can rely on you. This sounds a bit like the “official” rule number four: You can look good if you make your partner look good. He broke both those rules that night, consciously. He was being selfish to get a few laughs on stage which he never even got. And none of us could trust him from that night on.
Some improv in theatre and in life is necessary. When a situation arises without warning, on the stage or in life, sometimes you have to jump, take the chance, or fix the situation by doing a little improv. When people improv for their personal benefit only, however, it doesn’t help anyone out.
The way I see it, God is the master playwright. He has a script for each one of us. Sometimes we have our lines nailed. Sometimes someone else throws in some improv and we have to find our way back to the script. And sometimes, we do our own improv for our own benefit and we need help getting back on track. It might seem a little bit of a cliché or even a naive way of looking at the world, and I know that, but it’s one way for me to start to wrap my head around this play called Life. The potters get their metaphor; this is mine as an actor and a playwright.
Right now I’m trying a little improv in my own life by going with the flow and not knowing what comes next. I finished college and now I’m doing BVS and I’m not quite sure what is going to happen next but I’m trusting in God to help me out and guide me.
The rules of improv seem to apply to this situation as well. Don’t deny. Don’t ask open ended questions (What happens next?). You don’t have to be funny (well, thanks). Make others look good and I’ll make myself look good (golden rule anyone?). Tell a story.
Just the other day, Cat and I sat down and drew up a “story board,” if you will, of our lives. I looked at her and I said, “I have a plan! I’ve never had a plan before!” I think about the scripture I’ve chosen for today, however, and make sure that I don’t get upset if my plan doesn’t correspond precisely with God’s plans. I’m flexible and, hopefully, better at improv in life than on the stage.
Let me read that passage from Proverbs again. “Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good. Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place.”
It’s okay to make our own plans, as long as we keep God with us in making those plans. If we keep the intentions good and we ask God’s blessing, it’s hard to fail.
Song
How Bad We Need Each Other by Marc Scibilia (I played it on my laptop, but you can find the youtube version here.)
Prayer
God, you know your plans for us. Whether they are elaborate or simply that you want us to be happy. Thank you for watching over us as follow the path you have set out for us and as well as when we stray from that path. May we find many wondrous things on our journeys and always keep in mind those around us. Thank you for your presence in our lives. Amen.
End scene.
Sincerely,
Rachel
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