If the image of missionary as doctor may have too much little black baggage attached, perhaps the new metaphor for understanding mission is one of a participant in the scene. A participant in the creation of community.
The students gathered in the dusty schoolroom. Classes had been let out an hour beforehand, but several classes of children gathered in curiosity to see the strangers and to play their games.
This was Kabala, northern Sierra Leone in 2005, HIV was on the rise in the community, and this stigma reduction program was intended to open communication over the taboo of AIDS.
The children were soon to find themselves participating in the peculiar give and take of improvisational theatre. They began with games, pretending to walk as old men, on tip-toe as proud young ladies … giggles and excited chatter filled the hot concrete room.The games progressed, skits and dialogue were invented by everyone involved. Themes of sorrow and joy, loss and grace were explored in detail … deeper than the children’s age would first suggest.
The time culminated in a short play introduced by the spontaneous singing and dancing of the various classrooms. Three of the children wore tall puppet backpacks each towering 3 metres above the ground, other children gave the puppets voice. No advance notice was given, and yet the schoolyard filled with people ready for the performance. Formerly taboo subjects were opened and explored – infidelity, disease, loss, death and forgiveness were openly shared with the community.
The hidden and embarrassing world of AIDS was revealed by children playing together.
The give and take of an improvisational team, is a study in giving and receiving; Perhaps it is even a vision of the work of the kingdom.
The heart of any good improv, is the incredible degree of trust into which the actors must enter. The cardinal rule is that they must accept any suggestion that the other actors on the stage bring. Rather than blocking the action, by refusing the suggestions of character, setting or time, they choose to say yes. Each participant is responsible to carry a piece of the scene forward, improving and developing the action in the chaos of community.
There are always those who see the flaw in the process. Skeptics were concerned that serious theatre would suffer in imaginations of upstart new-comers. They were not sure that acting theory needed a shake-up. The boundaries seemed too loose, the actors too inexperienced.
There was fear as the role of the director seemed to weaken. Historically, the director was to dictate the scene, to push and pull the actor into their vision, now the director was to encourage the participation of everyone involved. This collaborative process would fundamentally change relationships in the theatre.
In the end, the improvisational process proved itself. The simple act of saying ‘yes’ to one another meant that beautiful new stories were revealed, important human emotion and thoughts were conveyed to others, lives were lived out loud. Thousands of brilliant writers and performers were brought to the stage and screen.
For those who dream of involvement within the mission of Christ, the model of collaboration is perhaps a good launching point.
For too long, the Western world has lived and breathed a subtle (and not so subtle) sense of superiority. We bring the resources, you provide the manpower, statistics and receipts; Breeding a newer, gentler paternalism.
The foundations are shifting. Former mission structures and methods are no longer as effective as they once were. Yet these new approaches, far from forgetting the past, embrace our true need for one another in Christ.
Freed from the need to appear as experts (lone professional doctors or dramatic directors), we are able to participate with others, saying ‘yes’, accepting the contributions of our partners.
As true partners on this improvisational stage, we stand as equals, brothers and sisters before our director. We do not go to serve ‘those poor people’, we go to join those rich in the kingdom of heaven.
