Training your actors to become better actors is important, but there's an even more important form of training they will require. You might have the greatest actor in the world in your group. A natural performer. One who gets things right the first time, every time. However, if that individual is not living off stage what they stand for on stage, you do not need them.

Living the Christian life requires preparation just like acting. That preparation can include daily quiet times, studying God's word, memorizing verses, attending church, and belonging to a small group that will hold you accountable. And just as the actor must find out how their character acts, the Christian must daily ask, "What would Jesus do?"

The same kids your group performs for are probably going to be the same kids they go to school with. Once they have set foot on that stage, their friends' eyes will be on them off stage as well. They will want to know if they really believe what they say on stage. They will want to know what their real motivations are.

You can't control every kid and keep them out of trouble, but as their leader, you can do a number of things to help them live the walk off stage.

Make sure the kids you send on stage to model the example of Christ believe in and strive for that same standard in their daily lives. Lay out a set of guidelines for the young actors and hold them to it. Give them a copy of those guidelines. Have them sign a form that says they understand the rules. Most important, use discipline when you have to. Some of the kids may try to test you on this point, so be prepared to carry out your threats, whether it be removing them from the group for a month, a year, or indefinitely.

In my fourth year as the director of the Dramamaniacs, I had to throw four people out of the group for various reasons. All four were tremendous talents and dedicated members of the group. Two of them were good friends. But none of them were living the example of Christ, and I couldn't send them on stage any more. I also didn't want them in rehearsals with the younger members. I had recruited a solid class of new talent that year, and they needed a better example to follow than the one represented by the older members.

It wasn't an easy decision. We prayed long and hard it wouldn't come to expelling them from the group, but you can't change the minds and hearts of others, and we had to let them go.

Give them a little something that will exercise their minds spiritually and hold them accountable for it. Some ideas you might try include:

Memory Verses. Make them responsible for learning a verse a week. Vary the length and try to make the verses in line with whatever skit is being prepared that day. This is an ideal form of accountability in that it develops their knowledge of the scriptures and develops their memorization skills! However, if the kids don't bother to learn the scriptures until five minutes before practice while their out in the hall, it doesn't do a whole lot of good.

Devotions. Begin each rehearsal with a short devotion prepared by one of the kids. Set up a schedule so that everyone gets a turn. You can give them verses or topics to get them started, but don't help too much. This allows them a great opportunity to learn on their own as they write.

Small Groups. If your drama group is small enough to make it practical, you may turn them into a small group. Spend time before each practice reading the Bible, sharing your struggles, asking accountability questions, and praying for the minsitry and each other.

When you first begin your drama troupe, you'll most likely start with a younger group with mostly junior high students. Eventually these early members will become juniors and seniors in high school and leaders in the group. And a new group of junior highers will follow them. These younger members will look up to their older, more experienced counterparts as role models, both on stage and off.

When your group reaches this stage, encourage the older members to look out for the younger ones. Share with them the blessings you have received in watching them grow in Christ. Then allow them to experience that same thrill by mentoring the younger members. Most importantly, make sure they realize they are being watched at all times. It is not enough to be a good acting role model; they must be Christian role models in real life. Allow the veterans to teach the newer performers and share their own wisdom on life and drama. And pay attention when they do. You'd be amazed at what your kids will teach you!

As the group begins to grow, you may be able to hand over some responsibilities to your older members. Put them in charge of managing costumes, make-up, props, and other technical jobs. Give them the freedom to write their own skits and experiment with directing.

Especially with a larger group, a student director is a good idea. It will give you a chance to work more one on one with that person and allow them the opportunity to have a greater share of responsibility the ministry. However, be very careful whom you choose! The best student director may not be the best actor or the most outgoing member. A good guide as to what to look for in a student director includes:

a. A Deep Love for Jesus and a growing relationship with Him.

b. A responsible, mature attitude. No Butt-Heads or Beavi.* (*plural for Beavis)

c. A loving heart and the ability to get along with others. You don't want someone who hates everyone else...or vice versa. Pick someone the others will listen and respect.

d. A strong dedication to the group and it's ministry. If they're out every other week in school plays, sports, etc., they aren't going to help you out a whole lot, are they?

It could happen to any drama group. For the first few years, your group is made up of younger kids, seventh and eigth grade. They aren't the best performers in the world, but their hearts are in the right place, and they love what they are doing. You begin to work with them, to mold them into actors and actresses. They gradually get better, and better, and just when you think they've peaked, they still get better!

They learn fast. They work well as a team. They keep their focus on God and trust him to work out the question marks and details. Audiences adore them. They entertain, they teach, and they touch. By the power of God, you've created a well-oiled ministry machine, and there's nothing that will stop you from conquering the whole world for Christ!

Reality hits on the second day of high school: the day the audition notice for the fall theatre production gets posted. This year the show is West Side Story, featuring a big cast, a chorus, and a projected budget of around $20,000. Sure your drama kids enjoy the five-minute skits they've perfected over the last two years. Sure they enjoy the ministry aspects and recognize the importance of what they do. But do you think they're gonna be able to resist a big budget show with real sets and real costumes played out in real theater on a real stage?

Get real! You may be fortunate enough to retain one or two (more if the local high school theatre program is less than desirable!), but don't bet on it. Even your most loyal members are gonna feel the lure of the stage and want to try the water.

So, you ask, just what am I supposed to do? Is there anything I can do? What do I do to encourage them to stay in the ministry?

You don't. The smart thing to do is let them go. No guilt trips, no begging, no cheap ploys or bribery. And don't even think about trying to compete. Losing your strongest talents is not frustrating. It's EXTREMELY frustrating! After a few years and several productions that drain your support, you'll begin to question whether you are running a ministry or a training grounds for the high school theatre director!

Actually, you're pretty much in the same boat as that high school teacher. When you attend the final show of the season and he or she recognizes all the seniors in the cast, take a look at how many talented people are leaving that group!

High school drama is made up of high school students who will one day grow up, graduate, and become college students! Whether or not you keep them around full time, they are still going to have to leave the group eventually. So why get too attached to one particular group? At the same time you are maximizing your top performers, you need to be preparing your future leading actors and actresses. When their time comes, they need to be ready to step into the spotlight and carry on delivering the message of Jesus through drama.

Also, consider the opportunities high school theatre will give them. It's an entirely different world of learning experiences that you can never give them. Later on, you may benefit from their experiences as they come back to the group when they can and impart their new wisdom to you and the remainder of the group.

There's an even greater reason for wanting your kids to branch out and join their high school theatre program. Think back to that last high school play you saw. Remember the girl who played Maria in The Sound of Music? Or the boy playing Hugo Peabody in Bye Bye Birdie? What was your impression of them as you watched from your seat? "Nice kid, I'll bet. Gets good grades, well liked by peers, motivated, never gets into trouble." You may be right, or you may be in for a surprise.

I'm sure you're aware of the existence of such things in high school these days, but unless you've been involved in the performing arts previously, you may not be aware that most every form of immorality that exists seems to exist more often in the artistic community. It's quite likely that many of those happy, smiling teenagers will be smashing their brains out with alcohol within two hours of curtain call. You'll probably also encounter drug abuse, sexual activity (straight and gay), and occult beliefs of all kinds, from New Age to vampirism to witchcraft. It sounds absurd and exaggerated, I know, but I encountered every cult you can imagine at my own high school in small town Indiana. I can't imagine what it's like in New York.

The truth is you should be training them for just that purpose: to go into high school theatre...as drama missionaries! If you haven't guessed already, the point is that your local high school drama department is a very needy and very untapped mission field. They need your kids. They need the Gospel brought to them. Jesus never said, "If you preach it, they will come." He said, "Go and preach." Our mission is to take the gospel into the schools, into the dressing rooms, into the back stage areas and to the people on stage.

You may never meet the lost girl who played Maria, but your kids know her. Through Bible study, witness training, and prayer, you can give them the tools to reach her for Christ!

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