I wanted to share this with you guys… It’s a collaborative piece that I put together with Troy Rowe, a photographer that I know at the LVC…
If your in the Denver area and would like to attend our production of Godspell, you can find out more and register for free tickets at GodspellColorado.com.
"day 49: creativity block" by Jessica <3's you! on Flickr
I was exploring some of the groups on Flickr.com that feature the work of Christians. Some if the work is really amazing… some of it is really cheesy.
One of the things that I love about Flickr (and have been missing since my camera broke) is the interaction of the artistic community. There’s a sort of esprit des corps among the participants (especially in the groups) that allows for encouraging words, honest critique and artistic development.
My photography improved measurably when I was participating in the discussion regularly.
But the format also allows broad room for one of the most rewarding and challenging creative endeavors:
Experimenting.
Left to my own devices, I like to do the same thing again and again. There are two specific locations near my home in Denver that I really enjoy shooting. One is a hilltop park with views of the Continental Divide. The other is a small chapel adjacent to a mountain retreat near Rocky Mountain National Park.
Experimentation does not come naturally to me, but in these two locations (where I have already shot the most obvious images) I find myself looking for new angles, different perspectives and unusual compositions. In this case, my familiarity with the subject has given me the opportunity to experiment.
I’ve seen this at work in other artistic areas as well.
The choreographer that I am working with on Godspell has, on several occasions, tried out moves that she can “see being really cool” in her head. Most of the time, it works brilliantly… Other times: not so much..
I’ve known directors that would be nervous about any level of experimentation, but I love it. And I LOVE the way she goes about it. One time, she even expressed the nature of the experiment out loud…
“Let’s try this and see if it works.”
While this particular young lady comes to the table with a broad understand of dance and choreography, as well as years of experience as a dancer, she knows that there is pure awesomeness lying just outside the realm of what she knows. She also understands that the only way to get at that awesomeness is to risk trying a move that is untested.
When leaders in a project can have this experimental approach, it invites collaboration, creativity and risk-taking from the entire team. I can’t wait until I get the opportunity to see the cast take this process to the parables in the show’s script.
So, the encouragement is to risk an experiment… You never know what beauty you might discover that was just beyond your conscious grasp.
What kinds of successes (or spectacular wrecks) have you experiences with your artistic experiments?
I’ve been promoting and writing WOP for about 2 years now… In that time, I’ve had to divide my attention between the blog, ministry opportunities and the occasional consulting client…
I’m not very good at multi-tasking.
Lately, it’s been on my heart to really focus my attention on the site… on encouraging artists… on encouraging leaders and pastors… I feel like this is the vocation that God has called me to and specifically prepared me for in giftedness, in talent, in interest and in heart…
But I do have a wife, a 5-year-old and a Honda.
As I begin to shift my focus away from the busy-ness of my life and toward this calling, I hope that regular readers will support that shift by checking out some of the programs that I am making available… I’m working to pick good stuff that artists like and need: resources for sheet music, musical instruments, art supplies and personal development; books and music that inspire or encourage me; tools for ministry…
No diet pills or matchmaking sites…
If you find something objectionable or if one of the merchants behaves in an unseemly way, let me know…
Thanks for hanging out and making it possible for me to continue this ministry.
Jesus, as he is portrayed in the film version of Godspell...
I have to launch into this with a disclaimer:
I’m not a big fan of the clown imagery in Godspell.
Can I have my eternal life back now?
Seriously, as a follower of Jesus, I find the idea that Jesus is a clown a bit disrespectful. I don’t really think that was the Tebelak’s intent in writing the character that way, but calling someone a “clown” is not generally a favorable comment. Tebelak is no longer around to question about this, so I’m going to speculate on his intent and extrapolate (what I believe is) a better alternative.
The notes by Stephen Schwartz that have been added to the Godspell script since Tebelak’s death, give us some basic instructions about the character of Jesus in the show:
It is important that Jesus be the leader at all times… Even when a game or parable is initiated by another, there should be a clear sense that it is done for and with the master’s approval… It is easy for the show to appear to be “Jesus and His Nine Zany Friends;” this is wrong… (if He is) too “serious” or passive, the balance of the show is distorted. He is, if you will, the Chief Clown, in that He must drive the action at all times…
Jesus… must be the most charismatic individual in the cast. High energy, charming, funny, gentle but with strength. He is the sort of person others instinctively follow.
Tebelak’s use of the clown imagery was influenced by Harvey Cox’s essay and lecture entitled Christ the Harlequin, in which Cox emphasizes joy, festivity and holy mirth, saying:
The recent focus of theology has been on doubt, unbelief, or on the church’s mission to the world. All this is very important, but what has been missing is the joy of serving.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838029,00.html#ixzz1CMCiLgyB
This also correlates to Tebelak’s view of the Church, which I’ll tackle in another post, that the experience of following Jesus should be one of joyful volunteerism and fun. He even goes so far as to contrast this with the dutiful piety of the Pharisees.
The other obvious reason for using a theatrical device like this is to cast off the “religiosity” that has come to surround the image of Jesus. I’ve said before that I find it difficult to relate to most (if not all) of the iconic images of Jesus. And it was for the sake of relating to people that Jesus put aside His equality with the Father and “became flesh” (Philippians 2:6-8)…
Jesus should be, above all else, relatable… or we’ve missed the boat. It is not blasphemous or irreverent to portray Jesus as a real guy, with real feelings in a theatrical setting… I’m not talking about a “Buddy Christ” who winks at wrong-doing, but rather a relatable Jesus who is touched by our weaknesses and loves us in spite of them.
A Jesus, worthy of worship… worthy of sharing…
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name… (The Bible, Philippians 2)
So, we’ve decided to make sure that we’ve removed the religious trappings from Jesus’ appearance… No beard, for starters, and embrace a “normal” and simple style… a T-shirt-and-jeans-Jesus who might meet you at Starbucks or McDonald’s…
Which, by the way, I’m off to another meeting about our Godspell production…
I've alway struggled with the image of Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild, chasing the moneychangers out of the Temple with the power of his perfectly-groomed beard...
“Who do you say that I am?”
I wonder if Peter ever wondered how he seemed to always end up in these situations: on the receiving-end of some hard question or seemingly impossible command…
From the outside, it’s pretty obvious: Peter couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. He volunteered for most of the hard questions… He volunteered to step out of the boat…
Sometimes, I’m like Peter: my enthusiasm puts me out here on the limb, answering hard questions and fending off critics… And today, the Master is asking me that same hard question that He asked Peter…
“What about you, Tim. Who do you say that I am?”
You are the Messiah… The Only Son of the Most High God…
“So, how do you think that Superman shirt looks on me?”
I confess, I’ve never really understood the controversy of the Superman shirt in Godspell… It is Jesus’ traditional costume in the show… It sets him apart from the rest of the players.
So, I had someone spell out the argument for me… It goes like this:
Jesus was the Humble King… He was always Clark Kent and never Superman. He described Himself as “meek and lowly” and he never set Himself up as the Hero. The people in that time were looking for a Hero to overthrow the Romans, but that was never Jesus’ intent. His humility was His defining virtue and He never put on any show of strength…
You get the idea… and for my part, I see that Jesus was all of those things, BUT He also did some things that set Him apart as the Hero:
Jesus questioned the Pharisees… Moreover, He refused to answer their questions and even rebuked them publicly. Normal Jewish people in the first century didn’t ever do that…
Jesus threw the money-changers out of the Temple… He went to worship and found people selling sub-standard sacrificial animals in the Temple court. He picked up a whip and went to work, turning over tables and chasing the scoundrels out into the street…
Of course, anyone with enough zeal and cheek could have done these things… It wouldn’t take Superman…
But then He healed the sick, brought sight to the blind, made the lame walk… He even demonstrated that He was empowered to forgive sins…
Then there was that whole scene of raising Lazarus from the dead…
Sounding more and more “super” to me all the time…
He also said some incredible things about Himself:
“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen God.”
“I am the Vine, you’re my branches.”
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to God except through me.”
And as if just for dramatic effect, Jesus took 3 of His followers up the mountain and revealed Himself in His radiant glory…
My concern is that the Superman shirt is too weak as a metaphor… It never crossed my mind that the comparison might be too strong.
I think that it is an over-simplification to say the Jesus was always Clark Kent… Jesus is and was fully God and fully man… A complete representation of Jesus will show Him to be both human and divine:
Jesus humanity is more apparent in Godspell than His divinity… It’s not that His divinity is denied – it’s established at the very beginning of the show… But the theme of Godspell is the community that Jesus built around Himself and His teaching, so it’s His humanity that is emphasized.
A small, visual reminder of the power He is containing seems appropriate to me.
So, what do you guys think about the Superman shirt? Does it represent Jesus?
NEXT UP: The Chief Clown… Why dress Jesus up like a clown? Is there a point to it?
