CITA Cross Cultural Theatre Notes

Links for further study

NOTE: I've put the books which were recommended in the CITA Cross Cultural Theatre track over in the sidebar.

The Center for Playback Theatre
has training and resources, and where you'll meet Jonathan Fox who's original group in 1970's started this fascinating new form. Improvising Real Life by Jo Salas is a very easy book to read and understand how to do it (see sidebar for link to the book). There is also IPTN International Playback Theatre Network publishes INTERPLAY a pracitcal journal full of articles by practitioners (find one in multiple languages by K! in dec '05 p22). I've written quite a bit about my performing and training experiences on the spicetolife blog. Just search "Playback" at the top of the page, and you'll find chronicles or outlines of training in Egypt, or Singapore, or Cambodia. I have another blog where I've stored training outlines and notes, including Enacted Prayer and Playback.

Send me your links for YouTube samples of cross cultural pieces, pieces which may be transcultural, or samples of your work! (there's a blog entry just below where you can also see the playlist). The videos we watched in our sessions are not all on YouTube. Find Mark Branner's CircoRedempto (Central China), and Sword Productions (Philippines). But I'm still searching for This Man Called Jesus, and any little videos or photos of Lin's group called New Hope in Slovenia. Also, here's another link to a helpful playback demonstration (not on YouTube).

Raising Support (recommended by the 3C missions resource on DramaShare).

Resources for further study/involvement

1. A Guide to Ethnodramatology based on research for doctoral studies in missiology as it relates to drama. Julisa Rowe's 2CDs plus guide is based on her dissertation comparing USA, India, African drama styles.
It covers three related areas:

• A model is developed for ethnodramatology to help answer the question of how to discover and understand the drama forms of a culture.
• The model is illustrated in three cultures in the attempt to show how and why drama style differs from culture to culture and that a universal drama form does not exist.
• Recommendations are made for Christians to utilize drama in their own cultures, or cultures of ministry. Particularly appropriate forms for change-messages in Kenya and India are suggested.

You can order Julisa’s training resource that comes in a 2 CD set which includes a pdf of the guide and video examples. E-mail at ethnodrama@acquirewisdom.com

2. 3C Cross-Cultural Creativity
Though I've not seen more than the sample pages on the web, DramaShare has put together a 207page training resource ($119 includes a year subscription to their online dramas). A thorough, step-by-step guideline to organizing and creating a drama team for missions or outreach purposes . . . and to teach these skills to the mission field church. It looks like they've done some good work at putting together, and according to the website they have DramaShare members from all over the world, and their staff have been to many countries, but the offer ofa year's subscription to use their downloadable scripts in your cross cultural endeavors makes me wonder about the missiological training elements in this 3C curriculum!

Here's text from their website: Cross-cultural outreach covers short-term missions work around the world, but it also is meant for more local situations, such as inner-city outreach or prison ministry. The methods in 3C will walk amateurs through the "need-to-know" without long periods of study and research. The 3C Manual gives full instructions on team building, warmup games, characterization, training schedules and mime essentials. 3C Cross-Cultural Creativity Manual includes an annual DramaShare membership giving you one full year of full and totally cost-free use of all DramaShare scripts, including many non-verbal dramas written specifically for the 3C program. By using the 3C program you have full, and totally free use of all on-line DramaShare scripts, including a wide range of mime and human video scripts. The 3C Manual is downloaded from their website saving you time.

Mission Organizations Primarily for Arts in Mission
Artists in Christian Testimony Intl * is an evangelical, interdenominational Christian ministry that mobilizes, sends out, equips, and supports artistic ministers and missionaries who carry out various works of the New Testament Church. (*or in Creative Access Nations "Artists for Cultural Transformation")

OMF has an ethnomusicology wing called Heart Sounds International.

Networking Organizations
ICE, International Council of Ethnodoxicologists (indigenous worship arts). Mostly music, but eager to grow in drama!

GCOMM – Global Consultation on Music and Missions Makes CD’s of presentations at their conferences.

TransformWorld (Came out of the group that was AD2000. They have been networking mission leaders/strategists now has an Arts Focus Group) Kimberly has the Arts Focus Group's position paper and covenant if you are interested.

TransformWorld LA Arts contact: cory_raynham@yahoo.com they have regular meetings, with various speakers/artists coming to share what they are doing eg. April's meeting was from a person who specializes in Fund Raising - and spoke on new forms of Fund Raising banquets another large International Arts Conference in Bulgaria later this month

Recommended book list from ArtsLink (an arts arm of OM International)

• All the World is Singing, Frank Fortunato, Paul Neeley and Carol Brinneman
• Art & Soul - Signposts for Christians in the Arts, Hilary Brand & Adrienne Chaplin
• Art & the Bible & How Should We Then Live?, Francis A. Schaeffer
• Art for God's Sake, Philip Graham Ryken
• The Arts in Your Church, Fiona Bond
• The Creative Call, Janice Elsheimer
• The Heart of the Artist AND Thriving as an Artist in the Church, Rory Noland
• Imagine - A Vision for Christians in the Arts, Steve Turner
• It Was Good - Making Art to the Glory of God, Ned Bustard
• Modern Art & The Death of a Culture, H. R. Rookmaaker
• Roaring Lambs, Bob Briner
• Visual Faith - Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue, William A. Dyrness
• Walking On Water, Madeleine L'Engle

David Kitch (Covenant Players) also recommended
On Beauty and Being Just, Elaine Scary
I just went on the CP website and ordered a DVD on their 40 years of ministry - and make a donoation ...The website has a handy way to make a donation if you want to support David and Sarah Kitch. Sure, we all could use more support, but I don't want to miss an opportunity to encourage giving!

If you make it to New York, check out the vibrant Arts Ministry of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. I didn't find anything on the website for cross cultural work, but you'll be encouraged (and a bit jealous) to see all that's going on through this church.

Jessica Lewis mentioned that she found her job in Kazakstan through the website Christianactors.org. Check that out too! Keep us posted Jessica! We're rooting for you as you find out who will be your support team with Navs!

So, there you go...
Look for more of our notes and links in the future, i just wanted to get something up right away. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say...