Theater and Theology
Truth
I took a few theater courses in college. My childhood Broadway dreams were dead, but I still enjoyed acting and stagecraft and the theater was a fun place to hang out between religion classes. In one course I learned the Stanislavski Method of “playing the truth of the scene.” What I remember about the method, and with apologies to my theater friends if my memory isn’t accurate, is that in any scene there is a truth – a universal and timeless human experience with which all people can identify. The method is to locate the truth – love, beauty, loneliness, etc. — within the scene and perform the emotions and actions that arise out of that truth.
One’s understanding of truth in a scene is shaped by one’s theology. As a Christian, I believe the Truth is revealed by God, and is revealed most fully in the incarnation of Jesus Christ who said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” God’s true story is creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. We can describe the truth of a scene by locating it in this salvation narrative. Truths like wholeness or beauty align with creation and restoration; sacrifice and humility align with redemption; vices and distortions align with sin and the fall. Truths that sit in the fall part of the narrative should inspire changes that drive the scene toward redemption.
Motivation
The next thing a performer determines about a scene is their character’s motivation. People have reasons for their words and actions, and the truth informs the motivation, which in turn informs the action. The motivation determines tone, inflection, posture, facial expressions, pacing, and ultimately the believability of the performance. Moreover, humans almost always believe that their motivations are good and noble and appropriate, even when another person might see their motivations as deeply flawed or even wicked. Think about the great performances by villains, Heath Ledger’s portrayal of Joker, for example. That performance is so disturbing because of the cognitive dissonance he creates by making his motivations understandable at times. We find ourselves sympathizing with the Joker for moments here and there, even as he commits heinous acts of evil. That’s because Ledger plays the motivation as the Joker himself saw it – justified and appropriate for the circumstances. Motivations that are rooted in the truth of the scene almost always evoke sympathy, even if the motive or actions must ultimately be judged as inappropriate or evil.
Our theology will shape our interpretation of the motivations that arise out of the truth of the scene. Faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit transforms our motivations such that we pursue Christlikeness instead of sinful desires and vain conceits. We are motivated to lay aside our own rights and comfort, as Christ did. We are motivated to resist temptation. We are motivated to seek the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. When our motivations are submitted to the sanctifying work of the Spirit, Christians can hold our own and others’ motivations up to the light of Christ, discern whether our motivations are consistent with the call of Christ, and determine whether the actions that result move the “scene” toward the fall or toward redemption.
I believe the practice of applying theater and theology to complex and controversial situations in public life can be a beneficial practice for Christians, growing us in compassion and aiding our Christlike response. Resisting or rejecting compassion leads to dehumanization and abdication of our responsibility to be just and merciful.
Will you join me in an uncomfortable exercise in compassion for Jacob Blake, Rusten Sheskey, and Kyle Rittenhouse? (Refer to the last section if you are unfamiliar with the events in Kenosha, WI the week of August 23rd, 2020, or these men’s roles in them.)
Jacob Blake
Imagine you are assuming the role of Jacob Blake in a stage play about the events of this week. What is the truth of the scene? What universal human experience can you connect with that informs his experiences and actions and makes your performance relatable? The truth I identify is fear. I don’t need to know all the details of his life or the hours and minutes prior to his being shot to identify with the feeling of fear. Fear is an experience with which all people can sympathize. Can you take Jacob’s perspective? In a socio-historical context in which the news is filled with images of Black men being killed by police, can you imagine the fear that Jacob must have experienced? Remember, you are assuming the role of Jacob here. If you find your mind jumping to other perspectives or attempting to discredit his fear, stop and come back to fear. You know what it feels like to be afraid. This is the truth of the scene. Jacob was fearful.
How will the truth of fear inform your motivations as you play the scene? We don’t know what was actually happening in Jacob’s mind, but the way we think about portraying his motivations will determine whether we view the man himself with empathy or disdain – whether we humanize or dehumanize him. Assuming his perspective forces us toward empathy. What motivates his action of trying to get to his car (what we see him do on video) or fighting with police (which is part of the police report)? Fear results in fight, flight, or freeze. From his perspective, if he fought it was a rational and justified response to his fear. If he attempted to flee, that was also a natural and acceptable response to the situation as he experienced it. You might disagree, but right now you are not yourself, you are Jacob. Stay in Jacob’s perspective. Sit in Jacob’s fear for an uncomfortable minute. Allow that fear to be real and rational and justified, without trying to explain it away and without denouncing his past or future actions. Consider what it is like to be afraid. Resist the urge to argue that he shouldn’t have fought or fled. How would you portray Jacob from his own self-perception? How would you put his full, complex, image of God humanity on display for the world?
When we identify the truth and the motivation and sit in empathy, we can then hold the truth and motivation up to the light of Christ. Jacob’s experience of fear is located with the Fall in God’s narrative. That doesn’t mean his fear is sinful, it means fear itself is a result of the sinfulness of humanity. The reality that there is something to fear reveals to us a place where Christ’s redemptive work is needed. In this case, taking the perspective of Jacob’s fear in an interaction with police can guide us toward understanding why that fear exists and discerning what needs to change in order to replace fear with a sense of safety, to move the scene from fall to redemption to restoration. Instead of moving to blame and excuses we can bring compassion rooted in the shared experience of fear and think reasonable and wholeheartedly about what would need to change in order to Jacob to experience peace. We can allow compassion to direct our response.
The fact of a truth underlying the actions does NOT mean that all actions or motivations are therefore acceptable. This is not an exercise in moral relativism; it is an exercise in compassion. We don’t know much about Jacob’s actions. If he violated the law or caused harm, that is wrong even if we can sympathize with his fear. Understanding is not the same as excusing. But if we attempt to justify or condemn the actions without sitting in empathy then the result is very likely to be a distortion of the truth resulting from confirmation bias, followed by valorizing or villainizing, both of which are already happening in news and social media.
Rusten Sheskey
Imagine you are assuming the role of officer Rusten Sheskey in a stage play about the events of this week. What is the truth of the scene? What universal human experience can you connect with that informs his experiences and actions and makes your performance relatable? The truth I identify is fear. I don’t need to know all the details of his life or the hours and minutes prior to his shooting Jacob Blake to identify with the feeling of fear. Fear is an experience with which all people can sympathize. Can you take Rusten’s perspective? In a socio-historical context in which the news is filled with images of police facing violent confrontations, and in a job that is inherently dangerous and requires hyper-vigilance, can you understand his fear? Remember, you are assuming the role of Rusten here. If you find your mind jumping to other perspectives or attempting to discredit his fear, stop and come back to fear. You know what it feels like to be afraid. This is the truth of the scene. Rusten was fearful.
How will the truth of fear inform your motivations as you play the scene? We don’t know what was actually happening in Rusten’s mind, but the way we think about portraying his motivations will determine whether we view the man himself with empathy or disdain – whether we humanize or dehumanize him. Assuming his perspective forces us toward empathy. What motivates his action of grabbing Jacob’s shirt then discharging his gun seven times? Fear results in fight, flight, or freeze. From his perspective, his fight response was a justified and acceptable response to the situation. You might disagree, but right now you are not yourself, you are Rusten. Stay in Rusten’s perspective. Sit in Rusten’s fear for an uncomfortable minute. Allow that fear to be real and rational and justified, without trying to explain it away and without denouncing his past or future actions. Consider what it is like to be afraid. Resist the urge to argue that he shouldn’t have fired his weapon. How would you portray Rusten from his own self-perception? How would you put his full, complex, image of God humanity on display for the world?
When we identify the truth and the motivation and sit in empathy, we can then hold the truth and motivation up to the light of Christ. Rusten’s experience of fear is located with the Fall in God’s narrative. That doesn’t mean his fear is sinful, it means fear itself is a result of the sinfulness of humanity. The lethal force that results from his fear reveals to us a place where Christ’s redemptive work is needed. In this case, taking the perspective of Rusten’s fear and resulting action can guide us toward understanding his motivation in using the force he did, so we can consider how to move the scene from fall to redemption to restoration. Instead of moving immediately to justifying or condemning his actions, we can bring compassion rooted in the shared experience of fear and think reasonably and wholeheartedly about what would need to change in order for Rusten’s actions to move the scene toward redemption instead of toward fall. We can allow compassion to direct our response.
The fact of a truth underlying the actions does NOT mean that all actions or motivations are therefore acceptable. This is not an exercise in moral relativism; it is an exercise in compassion. We don’t know much about Rusten’s actions prior to his shooting Jacob. It seems to be widely accepted that discharging his weapon seven times, or using lethal force at all, was not consistent with his training or department use of force standards, and he ought to face consequences for his actions. Understanding is not the same as excusing. But if we attempt to justify or condemn the actions without sitting in empathy then the result is very likely to be a distortion of the truth resulting from confirmation bias, followed by valorizing or villainizing, both of which are already happening in news and social media.
Kyle Rittenhouse
Imagine you are assuming the role of Kyle Rittenhouse in a stage play about the events of this week. What is the truth of the scene? What universal human experience can you connect with that informs his experiences and actions and makes your performance relatable? The truth I identify is fear. I don’t need to know all the details of his life or the hours and minutes prior to him shooting three people to identify with the feeling of fear. Fear is an experience with which all people can sympathize. Can you take Kyle’s perspective? In a socio-historical context in which the news is filled with images of violence and property destruction, and in a subculture that elevates the 2nd Amendment and encourages vigilantism and warns against the impending destruction of the American way of life, can you understand his fear? Remember, you are assuming the role of Kyle here. If you find your mind jumping to other perspectives or attempting to discredit his fear, stop and come back to fear. You know what it feels like to be afraid. This is the truth of the scene. Kyle was fearful.
How will the truth of fear inform your motivations as you play the scene? We don’t know what was actually happening in Kyle’s mind, but the way we think about portraying his motivations will determine whether we view the man himself with empathy or disdain – whether we humanize or dehumanize him. Assuming his perspective forces us toward empathy. What motivates his action of traveling to Kenosha with his AR-15 then firing on 3 people? Fear results in fight, flight, or freeze. From his perspective, his fight response was a justified and acceptable response to the situation, both the broad situation of threat to America as he saw it, and the immediate situation in which he killed 2 men and injured a third. You might disagree about his fears, but right now you are not yourself, you are Kyle. Stay in Kyle’s perspective. Sit in Kyle’s fear for an uncomfortable minute. Allow that fear to be real and rational and justified, without trying to explain it away and without denouncing his past or future actions. Consider what it is like to be afraid. Resist the urge to argue that he shouldn’t have been in Kenosha or fired his weapon. How would you portray Kyle from his own self-perception? How would you put his full, complex, image of God humanity on display for the world?
When we identify the truth and the motivation and sit in empathy, we can then hold the truth and motivation up to the light of Christ. Kyle’s experience of fear is located with the Fall in God’s narrative. That doesn’t mean his fear is sinful, it means fear itself is a result of the sinfulness of humanity. The vigilante violence that results from his fear reveals to us a place where Christ’s redemptive work is needed. In this case, taking the perspective of Kyle’s fear and resulting action can guide us toward understanding his motivation, to move the scene from fall to redemption to restoration. Instead of moving immediately to justifying or condemning his actions, we can bring compassion rooted in the shared experience of fear and think reasonably and wholeheartedly about what would need to change in order for Kyle’s actions to move the scene toward redemption instead of toward fall. We can allow compassion to direct our response.
The fact of a truth underlying the actions does NOT mean that all actions or motivations are therefore acceptable. This is not an exercise in moral relativism; it is an exercise in compassion. What we know about Kyle is that he was 17, an incredibly impressionable age, and that he was steeped in a subculture that presented the world and his role in it in a deeply distorted way. We know that he was enthusiastic about law enforcement and was surrounded by racially-charged messages that encouraged him to protect life and property by any means necessary. Understanding is not the same as excusing. But if we attempt to justify or condemn the actions without sitting in empathy then the result is very likely to be a distortion of the truth resulting from confirmation bias, followed by valorizing or villainizing, both of which are already happening in news and social media.
Truth and Consequences
The purpose of playing the truth of the scene is not to subjectivize truth or justify all actions that result from a truth. The purpose is to elevate our shared humanity, because when we see people as fully human – when we love our neighbor as we love ourselves – then we desire God’s will to be done in their lives. My attempt to have compassion does not mean I am indifferent to their actions or think they should not experience the repercussions of their choices. It does not mean that I redefine morality or reduce vice to mere difference of opinion. This is an exercise in compassion, not moral relativism. Compassion prevents me from dehumanizing others and neglecting justice. Compassion rooted in shared truth can motivate us toward justice for the sake of our shared humanity.
If I have no compassion for Jacob, if I am unable or unwilling to sit in truth with him, then I will have no interest in addressing the issues that comprise the context of the scene – police violence against Black men, implicit bias, and the vast matrix of unknown circumstances that led Jacob to be in that place at that time. If I can’t have compassion for him, I will condemn and dehumanize him and all those who protest violence against men like him. If I have no compassion for Rusten, if I am unable or unwilling to sit in truth with him, then I will have no interest in addressing violence against police or the training and policies that contributed to his use of lethal force. If I can’t have compassion for him, I will condemn and dehumanize him and all those who defend him. If I have no compassion for Kyle, if I am unable or unwilling to sit in truth with him, then I will have no interest in understanding the need for purpose and connection that may have drawn him to the growing militia subculture and the ways it distorts reality and encourages violence. If I can’t have compassion for him, I will condemn and dehumanize him and all those who defend him.
Fear of Shared Humanity
For which of these men do you find yourself most strongly resisting compassion? Our resistance to compassion is often rooted in the fear that we share something in common with those from whom we prefer to distance ourselves. We fear their humanity because we share their humanity. If we share a universal truth, then we are capable of the same motivations that drove them and the same actions they took in response. To recognize the image of God in ourselves and in others is a profound act of humanity that can move us from fall to redemption.
This exercise in compassion has not come naturally to me. I want to condemn. I want to judge. I want to select the information that will support my opinions. I want to share memes and argue on social media. I don’t want to sit in the discomfort of compassion for people with whom I disagree or whose actions violate my core values. But I know what it feels like to be afraid, and I know that perfect love casts out fear. I know that I am not motivated to make disciples or seek the Kingdom when I am cursing my enemies.
The Kenosha Scene
If you are unfamiliar with the events in Kenosha, WI the week of August 23rd, 2020, here are the basic facts. On Sunday, August 23rd, 2020 Kenosha police responded to a call. The details of the reasons for the call and all the interactions related to it are still coming out, but Jacob Blake was shot in the back 7 times by officer Rusten Sheskey. Demonstrations ensued in Kenosha, some non-violent and some destructive. On Tuesday August 25th Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Illinois, traveled to Kenosha in order to, by his own account, protect businesses and homes from rioters. He carried an AR-15 and shot 3 people, killing 2 of them. The details of these interactions are also still coming out. Jacob Blake is in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down. Rusten Sheskey is on administrative leave, per standard procedure after officer-involved shootings. Kyle Rittenhouse is awaiting extradition to Wisconsin on multiple charges including intentional homicide. Those are the basic facts, and a great deal of accurate and inaccurate information, interpretations, blame, excuses, and opinions have filled news and social media in the days since the events.
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