From the Chair

Theatre is the only artistic realm capable of bringing the illusion of reality to life through voice and body for the pleasure of a living audience. Actor and spectator inhale and exhale in real-time, and for a moment, we celebrate life in all its glory and pain. Genesis begins with the power of the creative imagination, the miracle of verbal expression giving form and meaning to a manifest world, and our commission to responsibly care for Creation. At Messiah College we embrace our identity as artists, crafted in the image of Creator God, as well as our calling to give form and meaning to our world. In fact, we consider this calling a blessing and a responsibility.

Shakespeare suggested that the theatre is a living, breathing mirror of life that shows “virtue her own feature, scorn her own image.” As Christians creating theatre in a Christian context, we often see theatre and drama through the Judeo-Christian lens of redemption. Yet the stories we tell from the Messiah College stage often reflect a reality out of keeping with our particular world view. Unfortunately, the Church has often alienated the theatre and its artists by polarizing “secular” and “Christian” drama. Some argue that a redemptive message is a requirement of “Christian art.” We believe that God’s truth transcends such rigid categories. Furthermore, when we choose to stage only our own deeply held beliefs we trade in our art for dogma.

The Department of Theatre trains young artists to produce a variety of genres and styles of theatre from ancient Greek tragedy to the American musical to Theatre for Social Change. Our stage reflects a host of human experiences that challenge, entertain, move, and sometimes offend. Our task is to communicate the illusion of each story’s reality at the highest level of aesthetic and technical skill so that we, and the audience with whom we share the creative experience, might better understand the world in which we live and serve. As a community of Theatre artists we invite you to join us as we seek to understand this calling in Christ.

--Valerie Rae Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair of Theatre