When the registrations came, we could hardly believe our eyes.
Two young drama teachers offered their services for a week at the summer camp. We never tried this kind of program before, but the news quickly circulated.
Not only did we receive all the bookings we could handle, two-thirds of the teenage applicants were boys. The usual balance was many more girls than boys.
We assigned campers to shack tents, introduced their leaders, talked about the daily schedule and had a swim. Soon it was time for supper and a discussion about how the week would unfold.
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The drama leaders suggested each camper find a partner he/she would work with through the week. Each day they would work on a different aspect for putting on a show. On the last day, they presented their dramatizations.
What a week we had. Everything else about the camp program was incidental to drama workshop doings. They tried juggling, prat-falling and mime. On the second day the leaders demonstrated how a story theme could be developed. Then came costuming, makeup and staging.
The theme for Bible study and vespers followed the camp theme: dramatizing biblical stories, group singing and stories from Mister God, This is Anna.
Today there is much talk about culture, but it is usually considered a dollars-and-cents item.
We overlook how culture speaks to and comes from within our spiritual depths. No slapstick for our thespians. In their presentations they had things to say that were meaningful to them — and they said it oh so well.
